|
NAS Integrated Logistics Support (NAILS) is a primary element of all hardware, software, equipment, facility, and services acquisition programs. NAILS is a structured discipline for defining support requirements and acquiring support assets so fielded products can be operated, supported, and maintained effectively over their entire service life. The primary goal of NAILS is high product availability at the lowest cost.
During Investment Analysis, NAILS activities define lifecycle support concepts and requirements for inclusion in the Requirements Document, and determine the associated cost and schedule for inclusion in the Acquisition Program Baseline. Preliminary decisions are made on such crucial support issues as the maintenance and support strategy to be employed. This strategy is fleshed out and recorded in the Acquisition Strategy Paper during the planning phase of Solution Implementation. Implementation tasks are recorded in the Integrated Program Plan. Later in Solution Implementation, NAILS activity focuses on designing and acquiring the support assets (e.g., documentation, spare/repair parts, training and training equipment, repair facilities, and packaging and transportation) necessary to support the product throughout its service life.
NAILS Activities During Investment Analysis
Activity: Develop NAILS Requirements
N-1 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
IAT logistics specialist |
Maintenance concept and support requirements in the RD |
|
RD Template |
Description:
The Requirements Document must specify overall operational support parameters for availability, supportability, and maintainability. These values establish the framework for trading off support and maintenance approaches for the candidate solutions to mission need against cost, schedule, and risk to achieve the best overall balance. This may, for example, mean adjusting such parameters Mean Time between Failure (MTBF) to achieve the best balance between operational availability and design complexity.
|
Activity: Define Maintenance Concept and Support Strategy for Candidate Solutions
N-2 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
Requirements and logistics specialists on the Investment Analysis Team |
Maintenance concept and support strategy for each candidate solution |
|
Template for the RD |
Description:
The logistics and requirements specialists of the Investment Analysis Team jointly define a maintenance concept and support strategy for each candidate solution to mission need. The maintenance concept and support strategy typically will be different for each candidate solution, and the choice has profound implications for the lifecycle cost and implementation schedule of the solution. For example, a support strategy that relies wholly on vendor lifecycle support may allow the quickest deployment, but may increase cost significantly as compared to a strategy of FAA organic support / maintenance. For COTS-based solutions, a support strategy of "technology refreshment" (i.e., periodic replacement of COTS components) may be a viable means of ensuring supportability over a prolonged service life. The key is that fundamental decisions on maintenance concept and support strategy are made during Investment Analysis, and the resultant cost and schedule must be factored into the draft Requirements Document and Acquisition Program Baseline for the candidate solution.
|
Activity: Develop NAILS Performance, Cost, Schedule,
Benefits for the Acquisition Program Baseline(s)
N-3 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
IAT logistics specialist |
Support cost, schedule, performance, and benefit inputs to the APB |
|
APB Template |
Description:
The logistics specialist on the Investment Analysis Team determines the logistics input to the performance, cost, schedule, and benefit baselines of each candidate solutions to mission need. The cost and schedule baselines are heavily influenced by support strategy and maintenance concept in the draft Requirements Document for each candidate solution. Once baselined, the cost baseline is the upper bound of lifecycle funding for the candidate solution. Any cost growth must be justified to and approved by the Joint Resources Council. Therefore, understanding support concepts and their cost implications is crucial to successful program implementation.
|
NAILS Activities During Solution Implementation
Activity: Define Strategy for Satisfying Support Requirements
N-4 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
PT logistics specialist |
In-Service support section of the ASF |
|
ASP Template |
Description:
The basic support strategy and maintenance concept for the acquisition program are defined during Investment Analysis, and resources for lifecycle support were entered into the Acquisition Program Baseline. The Product Team logistics specialist now defines exactly how each logistics support element will be implemented during Solution Implementation and identifies who is responsible. This information is recorded in the In-Service Support section of the Acquisition Strategy Paper. The NAILS elements are: staffing; supply support; support equipment; technical data; training and training support; 1st and 2nd level repair; packaging, handling, storage, and transportation.
|
Activity: Define Work Tasks for Obtaining Support Requirement
N-5 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
PT logistics specialist |
In-service support section of the IPP |
|
IPP Template |
Description:
The Product Team logistics specialist defines the specific tasks, resources, and schedules needed to achieve the in-service support capability required by the product over its lifecycle. Tasks are recorded in the Integrated Program Plan along with a description of each task, the responsible agent, the completion date, resulting products or outcomes, and any applicable approval authority. When defining tasks, the logistics specialist should start with the standard Work Breakdown Structure, and modify or expand those elements to be appropriate for the maintenance concept and support strategy of the program. Once task descriptions are complete, the specialist next estimates the schedule and resources that will be required. The logistics schedule is aggregated with the schedules for all other program implementation tasks in the integrated schedule section of the Integrated Program Plan, and resource requirements are aggregated in the integrated funding section.
|
Activity: Develop NAILS Input for the Procurement Package
N-6 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
PT logistics specialist |
NAILS portion of procurement package |
|
|
Description:
The Product Team logistics specialist develops the support sections of the Screening Information Request, Request for Offer, or other procurement vehicle. To aid in this process, the Product Team may wish to conduct a "NAILS Procurement Readiness Review" that checks procurement provisions against defined NAILS needs. The Contractor’s Deliverable Requirements List
(CDRL) and accompanying Data Item Descriptions (DIDs) are particularly important. While the FAA must acquire data to satisfy support strategy requirements, the agency should be careful to procure only what it needs, especially if COTS products are acquired. Otherwise, costs will be driven up needlessly.
|
Activity: Perform Logistics Support Analysis Tasks
N-7 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
Contractor develops LSA data and the LSAR PT logistics specialist reviews and comments on the LSAR |
LSA data and the LSAR |
PT logistics specialist |
|
Description:
The Product Team must ensure appropriate logistics support analysis (LSA) tasks are conducted. LSA tasks relate product design, operations, and support characteristics to availability objectives. They also provide the basis for quantifying precisely the costs of support resources necessary to achieve availability objectives. The following LSA tasks are particularly important:
- definition of maintenance tasks;
- determination of provisioning requirements;
- development of operational and maintenance training needs and approaches;
- identification of needed specialized or general-purpose testing and diagnostic equipment and facilities.
Typically, the contractor conducts the LSA studies and records data in the LSA record (LSAR). The Product Team and sponsor review and approve the LSAR.
|
Activity: Define Maintenance Support Facility Requirements
N-8 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
PT logistics and facility specialists |
Support facility modernization requirements and planning |
|
|
Description:
Frequently, new systems impose requirements on support and maintenance facilities (such as the FAA Aeronautical Center) to handle new requirements for logistics support (e.g., training facilities, software maintenance). Facility requirements associated with the maintenance / support concept are recorded in the physical infrastructure section of the Requirements Document. The strategy and roles / responsibilities for modifying the facilities is recorded in the Acquisition Strategy Paper, while work tasks are defined in the Integrated Program Plan. If the support concept relies on vendor support and maintenance, there should be minimal or no need to modify agency support facilities.
|
Activity: Acquire NAILS Assets
N-9 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
Contractor provides support assets PT logistics specialist reviews |
Support products |
Government official as designated in the CDRL |
|
Description:
The contractor provides support assets to the FAA during development and production. This may include (as appropriate) training courses for operators and maintenance technicians; training aids, instructional books, training equipment; maintenance support facilities; supply support (spare parts and repair parts); support equipment; technical data; and packaging, handling, storage, and transportation resources. Contractor products are reviewed and accepted by the appropriate government official, as designated in the CDRL.
|
Activity: Conduct In-Service Readiness Review for NAILS
N-10 |
Responsible
Agent |
Product |
Approval
Authority |
Tools and Aids |
PT logistics specialist |
Verification that needed NAILS assets are available |
|
|
Description:
The Product Team logistics specialist evaluates support assets against the NAILS portion of the In-Service Readiness checklist. Basically, the Product Team must demonstrate at the In-Service decision that needed NAILS assets are procured and available for the In-Service Management phase.
|
|