Appendix B: Glossary  

Acquisition Program Baseline

An acquisition document that establishes the performance, cost, schedule, and benefits framework within which an acquisition must be implemented.

Acquisition Strategy Paper

An acquisition document that defines the overall strategy by which an acquisition program will be implemented.

Anthropometry

Of, or relating to, the study of human body measurements, especially on a comparative basis.

Availability

The probability that an item will be operationally ready to perform its function when called upon at any point in time.

Cognition

The act, power, or faculty of apprehending, knowing, or perceiving.

Commercial-off-the-Shelf

A product or service that has been developed for sale, lease, or license to the general public. The product is currently available at a fair market value.

Contract Data Requirements List

A list of data requirements that are authorized for a specific acquisition and made part of the contract.

Critical Operational Issue

A key operational effectiveness or suitability issue that must be examined in operational test and evaluation to determine a system's capability to perform its mission.

Critical Task

A task requiring human performance which, if not accomplished in accordance with system requirements, will most likely have adverse effects on cost, system reliability, efficiency, effectiveness, or safety. A task is also considered critical whenever equipment design characteristics demand human performance which approaches the limits of human capabilities.

Data Item Description

A description of the content and format of the data that is to be provided to the government for a specific acquisition.

Developmental Test and Evaluation

That portion of test and evaluation conducted to assist the engineering design and development process by determining incrementally the degree to which functional engineering specifications are attained.

Evaluation Criteria

Standards used to judge the achievement of operational effectiveness and suitability as they relate to a level of performance against which system characteristics and capabilities are compared (e.g., two false detections per hour).

High Driver Task

A performance task required by the design of the system and which is a significant contributor to the "cost of ownership" of the system by its requirement for high-aptitude users, or substantial training to maintain satisfactory total system performance.

Human Factors

A multidisciplinary effort to generate and compile information about human capabilities and limitations; and apply that information to equipment, systems, facilities, procedures, jobs, environments, training, staffing, and personnel management for safe, comfortable, effective human performance.

Human Factors Engineer

An individual with specialized expertise in human performance as well as in systems engineering and the acquisition process.

Human Factors Engineering

The application of human factors considerations concurrent with other engineering disciplines during the design, development, and fielding of a system in which human performance is essential in meeting safety and performance objectives.

In-service Management

That part of the lifecycle acquisition management process after commissioning of a product when it is functioning to satisfy mission need.

Integrated Logistics Support

A disciplined, unified, and iterative approach to achieving the integration of support considerations into system and equipment design; the development of support requirements that are related directly to readiness objectives; the acquisition of required support; and the provision of required support during the operational phase at minimum cost.

Integrated Product Team

A multidisciplinary team (with tiered structure) that plans and executes the acquisition of FAA systems to meet mission and customer needs. Included tasks are identification of resource requirements; development of plans, measures, and program milestones; communication with other IPTs; timely execution of plans and activities for lifecycle management; and ensuring the needs and interests of the functional discipline are represented.

Integrated Program Plan

An acquisition document that details the planning for all aspects of program implementation. It integrates the planning requirements of several previous planning documents including the program master plan, the integrated logistics support plan, the test and evaluation master plan, the program implementation plan, the human factors plan, and the procurement plan.

Investment Analysis

That part of the lifecycle acquisition management process that determines the most advantageous solution to an approved mission need. It involves development of operational requirements, a market search to determine industry capabilities, analysis of various alternative approaches for satisfying requirements, and affordability assessment to determine what the FAA can afford.

Investment Analysis Report

An acquisition document that summarizes the analytical and quantitative information developed during investment analysis in the search for the best means for satisfying mission need.

Maintainability

The ability of an item to be retained in or restored to a specified condition when maintenance is performed by personnel having specified skill levels, using prescribed procedures and resources.

Measures of Effectiveness

Expressions of the system's task accomplishment as they relate to the critical and other operational issues, i.e., how well an item of equipment or system performs in terms of mission completion (e.g., reliability in radar detection).

Measures of Performance

Quantitative or qualitative metrics of the system's capabilities or characteristics as they relate to the measures of effectiveness (e.g., mean false detection rate).

Mission Analysis

That part of the lifecycle acquisition management process during which the most critical capability shortfalls and technological opportunities are identified and prioritized. It is a continuous, rigorous, forward-looking analytical activity based on input from the operational workforce, integrated product teams, the aviation community, the NAS architecture, and projections of future demand for services.

Mission Need Statement

An acquisition document that defines a mission shortfall or technological opportunity the FAA should address.

Nondevelopmental Item

An item that is available in the commercial marketplace including commercial-off-the-shelf equipment; any previously developed item that is in use by a department or agency of the United States, a state or local government, or a foreign government with which the United States has a mutual defense cooperation agreement; or any item that requires only minor modification to meet the requirements of the agency.

Operational Assessment

An evaluation of operational effectiveness and suitability made by an operational test activity, with user support as required, on other than production systems.

Operational Effectiveness

The degree to which a product accomplishes its mission when used by representative personnel in the expected operational environment.

Operational Suitability

The degree to which a product intended for field use satisfies its availability, compatibility, transportability, interoperability, reliability, maintainability, safety, human factors, logistics supportability, documentation, personnel, and training requirements.

Operational Test and Evaluation

That portion of test and evaluation conducted in an environment as operationally realistic as possible to evaluate the operational effectiveness and suitability of a product including compatibility, interoperability, survivability, maintainability, and supportability.

Performance

Those operational and support characteristics of a product that allow it to perform its mission over time. Support characteristics include support elements necessary for operation.

Personnel

The people needed to develop, operate, maintain, and support a system. Human resource considerations associated with personnel include information relating to their numbers, aptitudes, grades, organizational structure, job category, biographical and training information, anthropomorphic data, and physical qualifications.

Reliability

The ability of a system and its parts to perform its mission without failure, degradation, or demand on the support system.

Requirements Document

An acquisition document that establishes the performance baseline and operational framework for an acquisition program.

Risk

A subjective assessment made regarding the likelihood of achieving an objective within a specified time and with the resources provided.

Risk Management

All actions taken to identify, assess, and eliminate or reduce risk to an acceptable level in selected areas (e.g., cost, schedule, operations, technical, producibility).

Screening Information Request

Any request made by the FAA for documentation, information, or offer for the purpose of screening, and for determining which offeror provides the best value solution for a particular procurement.

Solution Implementation

That part of the lifecycle acquisition management process during which the alternative selected at the investment decision to satisfy mission need is developed to the point where it is ready to go into operational service.

Staffing

The personnel strength as expressed in the numbers, series, and grades of personnel required and/or available. It is expressed in relationship to the applicable organizational level.

Supportability

The degree to which planned support (including test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment; spares and repair parts; technical data; support facilities; transportation requirements; training; manpower; and software support) meets system reliability, availability, and maintainability requirements.

System Safety

The application of engineering and management principles, criteria, and techniques to optimize safety within the constraints of operational effectiveness, time, and cost throughout all phases of the lifecycle.

Target Population Description

The identification of the salient characteristics of the people who are expected to operate, maintain, and support the system. It is prepared to assist hardware and software designers in considering human aptitudes, performance, capabilities, and limitations.

Task Analysis

The processes by which the human performance required by a hardware and software configuration is recorded and analyzed. It may include, but not be limited to, task time, task accuracy, knowledge required, skill required, and ability required.

Technical Manual

A publication that contains instructions for installation, operation, maintenance, training, and support for a product, component, or support equipment. A technical manual normally includes operational and maintenance instructions, parts list or parts breakdown, and related technical information or procedures.

Test and Evaluation

Process that verifies how well an acquisition product meets technical and operational requirements; provides data to assess acquisition, developmental, technical, and operational risk for decision making; verifies subsystem performance; and ensures that all critical issues to be evaluated have been adequately considered and resolved.