Defense Business Systems (DBS)
AAF > DBS
Overview
Business System Categories (BCATs)
Requirements & Acquisition Roles
DBS Resources
*AAF Pathway Resources*
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Capability Need ID Phase
Solution Analysis ATP
Solution Analysis Phase
Functional Requirements ATP
Functional Req and Acq Planning Phase
Acquisition ATP
Acq, Test, and Deployment Phase
Deployment ATPs
Capability Support ATP
Capability Support Phase
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CMO Certification
Contracting
Cost & Funding
Test & Evaluation
Documentation
Capability Implementation Plan
Defense Business Systems (DBS)
This pathway is used to acquire information systems that support DoD business operations. This pathway applies to defense business capabilities and their supporting business systems, including those with “as-a-service” solutions to include: financial and financial data feeder; contracting; logistics; planning and budgeting; installations management; human resources management; training and readiness systems; and may also be used to acquire non-developmental, software intensive programs that are not business systems.
How To Use This Site
Each page in this pathway presents a wealth of curated knowledge from acquisition policies, guides, templates, training, reports, websites, case studies, and other resources. It also provides a framework for functional experts and practitioners across DoD to contribute to the collective knowledge base. This site aggregates official DoD policies, guides, references, and more.
DoD and Service policy is indicated by a BLUE vertical line.
Directly quoted material is preceeded with a link to the Reference Source.
Reference Source: DoDI 5000.02 Section 4.2.e
To acquire information systems that support DoD business operations. This pathway:
- Applies to defense business capabilities and their supporting business systems, including those with “as-a-service” solutions to include: Financial and financial data feeder; Contracting; Logistics; Planning and budgeting; Installations management; Human resources management; Training and readiness systems.
- May also be used to acquire non-developmental, software intensive programs that are not business systems.
This pathway assesses the business environment and identifies existing commercial or government solutions that could be adopted to satisfy DoD needs. The DoD reviews its business processes and revises them to align more closely with commercial or government information technology (IT) best practices. Customization of a selected information technology (IT) solution is minimal.
The DoD reduces risk and maximizes benefits by using commercial-off-the-shelf software that has been successfully demonstrated in the commercial marketplace.
DoDI 5000.75 establishes policies and provides procedures for the DBS Acquisition pathway.
Business Capability Acquisition Cycle
Reference Source: Based on DAG Chapter 6-3.5.2 content, Jan 2020
Business Systems support DoD business activities such as acquisition, financial management, contracting, logistics, strategic planning and budgeting, installations and environment, and human resource management. They do not follow the IT Box and do not generally utilize IT Box or traditional JCIDS process documentation. Instead, business systems follow processes governed by Title 10 U.S.C. section 2222 and the DoDI 5000.75, “Business Systems Requirements and Acquisition”, which depicts a process model called the Business Capability Acquisition Cycle, or “BCAC”.
Business Capability Acquisition Cycle (BCAC)
Reference Source: Based on DAG Chapter 6-3.5.2 content, Jan 2020
BCAC has five phases and is intended to be cyclical and flexible with steps repeating as necessary in order to drive rapid achievement of intended business outcome(s) based on a validated capability need. BCAC implements a unique business systems governance and management structure; assigns responsibilities to the functional and acquisition communities; provides direction for the identification of business needs and for the development of capability requirements and their supporting IT; and emphasizes continuous process improvement as part of ongoing business capability support.
BCAC incorporates the following guiding principles throughout the business system lifecycle:
- Work as a Team: Work together as one team with functional, acquisition, and IT members involved throughout the lifecycle.
- Plan to Evolve: The lifecycle is continual and flexible and tailoring of program documentation and milestones is encouraged. System sustainment requires criteria and triggers that define on-ramps back into BCAC to restart the cycle.
- Adopt Best Practices: Don’t reinvent the wheel. Be willing to prioritize requirements, deploy the 80% solution, change processes to minimize customization, and stop the effort if it is not going to achieve the outcome.
- Show the Money: Increase transparency by allocating and tracking funding for all activities across the DOTMLPF-P spectrum, including the cost of requirements development and system sustainment.
- Do Work Once: Avoid bottlenecks and eliminate competing processes. Work products are for the use of the process operators – eliminates extraneous documentation for documentation’s sake.
- Deliver Value: Deliver a capability that addresses the entire DOTMLPF-P spectrum –not just an IT system. Increase value by reducing time to deliver capability.