Preliminary Data Collection

Number of Data Reviewers and Users

Recommended CITIS Deliverables

Infrastructure Upgrades and Contractor Compatibility

Reviewer Locations

Data Currency

Existing Electronic Communication Capabilities

Data Revision Frequency

Programme Considerations

CITIS Functional Requirements Determination

THE DECISION TO ACQUIRE CITIS

Project managers considering procuring a CITIS for their programs need to take into account the number, type, and use of deliverables, the number and locations of the data reviewers/users, and the cost to develop and implement the CITIS. A requirement for CITIS, part of the CALS effort, should never be driven by a mandate to implement CALS. The decision to utilize a CITIS requires careful analysis of the program's data requirements and usage. The data call and NATO CALS Concept of Operation (NCoO) data collection process provides the best method for compiling and assessing this type of information.

After the data is analysed, the possible CITIS functions must be studied to determine which functions will be beneficial to the program. This type of up-front research is necessary to prevent the project manager from acquiring a CITIS that is inappropriate for the program. Table 5-1 presents a method of placing a relative value on each of the key questions along with an overall "scoring" method to assist the project manager in the CITIS decision process.

* "No" = zero; "Yes" = assigned value

** Note : "More than archive" means users will view, extract/process/transform/update/maintain and/or comment/annotate data

Preliminary Data Collection

The first step in the CITIS decision process is to gather all the data needed to make an informed decision. This can best be done by compiling and analysing the NCoO survey information. The results of the NCoO survey will provide the project manager with information on the data requirements and usage at each of the functional areas, along with their existing infrastructure. All of this information is critical to the determination of the CITIS requirements. If a NCoO is not being created, the project manager must find some other means of gathering the data needed to assess the advantages of a CITIS.

Number of Data Reviewers and Users

The benefits of a program CITIS are typically directly proportional to the number of user data reviewers and final users. That is, as the number of user nations and NATO/NATO nations contractor support personnel that review, generate comments, and process data deliverables increases, so do the potential benefits of the CITIS itself.

Recommended CITIS Deliverables

Before deciding on a CITIS, the project manager should first identify typical usage of the CDRL items (e.g. are they viewed, updated, processed, etc.). This information should be available from the data gathered during the data call and NCoO development process. The manager should then determine whether enough deliverables are suitable for on-line delivery/access to warrant a CITIS. The typical data item usage should be the primary factor for determining suitability for CITIS inclusion. Any data that is frequently accessed for viewing or processing is an excellent candidate for inclusion in the CITIS, while data that is only archived and is seldom accessed is not recommended for CITIS. Keep in mind that inclusion of data in the CITIS that is rarely accessed will only increase the size of the CITIS database and reduce the speed of data location and retrieval. In general, very large files (> approximately 30 Mbytes) are not typically recommended for on-line delivery and access because current telecommunications technology cannot yet efficiently handle large-volume data operations.

Infrastructure Upgrades and Contractor Compatibility

As part of the data call and NCoO development process, each location requiring access to program data will identify its computer hardware, software, and network infrastructure. Once this information is gathered, it should be analysed and compared to determine whether the existing infrastructures are generally compatible or whether each location uses a substantially different system. The greater the disparity in existing systems, the greater will be the cost for infrastructure upgrades and CITIS development. If any locations are using old equipment (i.e., far out-of-date with current technology), these locations may require infrastructure upgrades to be able to access the CITIS.

The ultimate decision on infrastructure upgrades will depend on the amount of funding available and the program manager's own judgment. If some locations have equipment inadequate to accommodate a basic CITIS, they are probably inadequate for performing many other functions that could be valuable to the program and should be upgraded regardless of whether a CITIS is required. If it appears that the existing infrastructures are fairly compatible and state-of-the-art, the program manager can probably safely acquire a CITIS without having to worry about paying for extensive NATO/NATO nations infrastructure upgrades.

In general, the contractor should be responsible for modifying its systems to be compatible with the existing systems used by the NATO/NATO nations, rather than the NATO/NATO nations modifying its systems. The only time the NATO/NATO nations should need to consider major upgrades is in the case of outdated equipment. The contractor should propose a CITIS that will work with the existing NATO/NATO nations infrastructure to the maximum extent possible and discuss any upgrades that it feels are necessary either in the proposal or in the post-award CALSIP and/or CITIS planning meetings. The contractor and the NATO/NATO nations should work closely together to create a CITIS infrastructure that will be the most beneficial to everyone who will use it.

Reviewer Locations

One of the main goals of CITIS is to facilitate the movement of data deliverables from one status to the next, and the more widely dispersed the reviewer locations, the greater will be the benefits from using a CITIS. When data reviewers are at widely separated locations, a substantial portion of the review cycle time can be taken up by shipment of the data and review comments from one location to another. When a CITIS is available, as soon as one reviewer has completed the review and approved the data item for passage to the next reviewer, that next reviewer can instantly access the data item and begin his review, regardless of his physical location. The review cycle time is now simply the amount of time taken by the reviewers to actually review, comment, and approve/disapprove the data item.

Data Currency

One of the many advantages of CITIS is improved accuracy and timeliness of data. After data has been created or revised, it can be made almost instantly available to the NATO/NATO nations reviewers and/or users who need it. Using current business processes, data items can take days to travel from the contractor developing it to the NATO/NATO nations personnel who need it. If rapid access to new data is important to the program, a CITIS may prove to be highly beneficial.

Existing Electronic Communication Capabilities

Data Revision Frequency

Programme Considerations

CITIS becomes more cost effective and beneficial when applied to programs that have substantial data requirements, are in an early phase of development, and/or have long-term data requirements. However, CITIS should not be ruled out just because a program doesn't meet any of the above criteria; all of the questions shown in table 5-1 should be answered before a decision regarding CITIS is made. The program manager should evaluate and implement process improvements wherever economic benefits can be achieved.

CITIS Functional Requirements Determination

After the questions in table 5-1 have been answered and a CITIS has been determined to be beneficial to the program, the program manager should review the NCoO questionnaire responses to determine which CITIS functions apply to his program.

Program managers should bear in mind that the greater the number of CITIS functions and services required, the greater the potential cost of CITIS development and implementation. After determining program-specific CITIS requirements, the program manager should weigh the estimated cost of the service against available funds and potential benefits. If the estimated cost of the CITIS services selected exceeds existing budgetary estimates, the program manager should tailor the CITIS requirements and functions as necessary.