Cluster‐Based System Readiness Levels: Mathematical Interface Properties

ABSTRACT A key challenge in acquisition is the understanding of the effects of technological maturity and critical integrations at the subsystem and component level. To address this shortfall, recent research involves combining the metrics known as the integration readiness levels and technology readiness levels to calculate the system readiness level. However, these calculations are still not widely adopted and can be improved with more robust quantitative methods to provide the program manager with a useful tool prior to committing to major weapons acquisition programs. This research ties the separately developed manufacturing readiness level as well as human readiness level with technology readiness level into a common framework to address current shortfalls, including the lack of integration weighting and the over‐importance of a single extremely immature component. The approach has the desirable property that a tightly integrated subsystem will not have a higher System Readiness Level than an inherently less coupled subsystem. Summary For the acquisition practitioner, a mathematically robust method to calculate the System Readiness Level would enable its implementation as a standard practice in large programs. In turn, this aids in indicating future likelihood of system development and fielding success, especially when the system, as a whole, needs to deliver a holistic functional capability. This paper synthesizes mathematical contributions to the System Readiness Level, incorporates additional readiness levels, and models further aspects of system integration to address shortcomings in previous methods.