Dynamic Program Management: From Defense Experience to Commercial Application

This book is an up-to-date, in-depth examination of program management from its use by the Department of Defense to its commercial applications. Program management enables management to deal with complex, long range, and extremely expensive endeavors. It is a method of developing a solution to a broad, nebulous problem, drawing upon the resources and personnel of many different organizational groups to manage the institution of that solution. This work explains the principles of program management and includes 9 mission and 5 market applications. Of particular interest is the application based on the $15-billion, computer-and-communication nonmilitary transportation system of the 21st century, the National Airspace System (NAS).

Dynamic Program Management presents important new concepts. The reader is introduced to a seven step sequence from military need to contract award. The idea of credible capability to evaluate competing future technologies for defense systems and the concurrent conflicts of the program manager are explored. The book details logistics auxiliaries integrating WBS, CM, and T&E. Finally, MESGRA is featured -- a highly accurate, computer-based numerical forecasting algorithm which uses very few datapoints, and which makes rapid adjustments to violent fluctuations. Dynamic Program Management is essential reading for academics and professionals studying and practicing Program/Project Management, and Defense, Technology, Systems Management.

GEORGE K. CHAKO is Professor of Systems Science, University of Southern California, and Visiting Senior Research Professor of the Taiwan Science Council at National Cheng Chi University.