Acquisition Program Resources
Department of Defense Systems Engineering Top 5 Program Award Information and Criteria
The purpose of these awards is to recognize excellence in application of Systems Engineering (SE) discipline that results in highly successful Department of Defense programs, as assessed based on their previous year performance. Winners of this award are recognized for the demonstration of successful implementation of Systems Engineering best practices resulting in program success. The award, presented to both government and industry, represents the recognition of significant achievement by teams of industry and government personnel.
Candidates for this award should complete their own award application documenting their Systems Engineering self-assessment. This self-assessment shall consist (at a minimum) of a description of the program, a description of the program’s overall integration of Systems Engineering, and a series of anecdotal (qualitative and quantitative) descriptions of specific Systems Engineering approaches applied and benefits received. Quantitative evidence of Systems Engineering achievement is highly desired in supporting an application for award.
Relevant best practices might include: effective control of the system technical baseline through event-based technical reviews, leveraged use of technical authority and independent subject matter expert (peer) participation in technical reviews, comprehensive linkage of technical baseline products to program management mechanisms (configuration management, earned value management, risk management, etc.), and effective use of total life cycle (including sustainment) technical planning to coordinate and manage a program’s technical effort across multiple organizations (across acquirer and supplier domains).
The award, presented to both government and industry, represents the recognition of significant achievement by teams of industry and government personnel. Government and industry are encouraged to collaborate in assembling the application. Programs will be considered for this award at any point in the programmatic life cycle, and need not be a fully completed program. Successful applicants should have passed a sufficient number of key internal milestones such that the impact and benefit of Systems Engineering strategies on acquisition excellence can be clearly demonstrated. Program size is not a critical selection criteria, but program size (in dollars) should be indicated in the submitted write-up.
The list of this year's 2012 DoD Systems Engineering Top 5 Program Award winners is now available.
The 2012 nomination period is closed. The submission period for nominations was April 1–July 1, 2012. This year's forms are available for information only:
Contact DASD(SE) with any questions.