IMPROVING THE SHIP DESIGN, ACQUISITION AND CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

In the spring of 1990, the NavSea Chief Engineer initiated a project t o improve the design, acquisition and construction (DAC) of U.S. Navy ships. The project's objectives are to reduce the time and cost of acq uiring and operating Navy ships while improving their quality, unlike previous studies on the subject, the project utilizes a rigorous proce ss analysis approach and attempts to use quantitative measures as the basis for recommending improvements. The paper is, of necessity, a sta tus report on the progress of this project. Topics covered include: th e DAC process; a look at the current state of ship acquisition time, c ost, and quality; the methodology for process improvements; and early findings.