# Presentation: 228069

## Defense Standardization Education and Outreach  -A Diverse Toolbox-

**Trudie Williams**
**Defense Standardization Program Office (DSPO)**
**trudie.williams@dla.mil**

## TOOLBOX TOPICS

**Classroom Education**
**Online Education**
**Additional Educational Opportunities**
**Defense Standardization Program Office (DSPO) Outreach Tools **
**Continual Challenges**

##  Defense Standardization Program Office?                                  & Connection to Standardization Education?

**DSPO - **serves the Department of Defense (DoD) communities by providing guidance, tools, and services which enhance understanding, communication, and coordination throughout the Defense Standardization community
**DSPO -** develops DoD-wide policy & procedures for the Defense Standardization Program to include:
- Development and use of military specifications and standards
- Adoption and use of non-government standards
- Management of parts and diminishing manufacturing sources
- Participation in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standardization activities
**DSPO – **sponsors DoD standardization education and develops outreach materials to encourage cross fertilization of standardization concepts throughout government and industry

## Classroom Education

**Defense Acquisition University (DAU) offers DSPO **_**sponsored**_** classroom and online courses:**
_**Defense Specification Management**_
- In-depth, 2-week course for standards practitioners
- Course goals:
- Apply DoD policy and procedures in developing and managing standardization documents
- Develop and apply performance based standardization documents which meet user needs, promote commercial products and practices, and ensure best-value for the government
- Identify, locate and obtain standardization documents.

## Classroom Education cont.

_**Specification Selection and Application**_
- 2-day overview course for persons desiring familiarity with standardization documents
- Course goals:
- Obtain awareness of DoD standardization policy and procedures
- Understand the different types of standardization documents and select the most effective to meet user needs
- Identify, locate, and obtain standardization documents.

## Online Education

_**Preparation of Commercial Item Descriptions (CIDS) for Engineering and Technical Personnel**_
- Facilitated Online Learning Environment – interactive approach using online exercises and virtual group discussions
- 60 days to complete
- Course Goals:
- Implement appropriate DoD policy
- Develop a performance-based CID for describing commercially available products acceptable to meet users needs

## Online Education cont.

_**Market Research for Engineering and Technical Personnel **_
- Continuous Learning Module, in final stages of development
- Course goals:
- Understand and apply market research principles and process
- Plan and conduct market research within a commodity
- Locate sources of market research information.

## Classroom & Online Course Statistics

| 2007 |  |
| --- | --- |
| 2 week Specification Management | Canx |
| 2 week Specification Management | Canx |
| 2 week Specification Management | 30 |
| 2 week Specification Management | 30 |
| 2 day Specification Selection and Application | 27 |
| 2 day Specification Selection and Application | 21 |
| Online CID  | 4 |
| Online CID | 7 |
| Online CID | 14 |
| Online Cid | 17 |
| 2008 |  |
| 2 week Specification Management | 22 |
| 2 week Specification Management | 18 Res |
| 2 week Specification Management | 18 |
| 2 day Specification Selection and Application  | Canx |
| 2 day Specification Selection and Application | 10 Res. |
| Online CID | 15 Res |
| Online CID | 2 Res |
| Online CID | 2 Res |
| Online CID | 0 Res |

## DSPO Sponsorship Challenges

**DAU is in the business of providing acquisition training to the Defense Acquisition Workforce** –
- Certification program
- Standardization education is not a priority
**DAU organizational structure determines the who, what, where, when, and how of standardization education**
- Predetermined class size leads to cancelled courses
- Exceedingly difficult to get standardization integrated into program manager or contracting classes
**Bottom Line** – DoD believes its more effective for DAU to manage classes

## Additional Educational Opportunities            DSPO Offered Course

_**U.S. Based Standardization Within NATO Course**_
- 2 week course, designed to orient persons to standardization within the NATO
- Participants gain familiarity with domestic and international standardization practices at it relates to interoperability with allies and practices

## Additional Educational Opportunities           DSPO Offered Tutorials

_**DSPO Conference Tutorials**_
- Standardization 101 held in 2007 - overview
- Standardization 102 – A Survivor’s Guide to Understanding What People Are Talking About at the 2008 DSP Conference
- DSP Automation – an overview
- DSP Automation – Acquisition Streamlining & Information System (ASSIST) database

## Locating Information on Defense Standardization Education

_**Websites**_**:**
- _[http://www/dau.mil](http://www/dau.mil)__ and  click “I Need Training”_
- _[www.dsp.dla.mil](http://www.dsp.dla.mil/)__ and click “About Us” then click “Training”_
_**Training Resources**_** - ** a pamphlet listing education opportunities and websites

## DSPO Outreach Tools

_**Case Studies**_
- Usually based on Defense Standardization Award winner initiative
- Quick read, lesson learned noted, highlight standardization techniques used to produce outcome, understandable subject matter, concepts are germane to government and industry
- Incorporated into classroom and online courses
- Available on DSP website and hardcopy distribution to Journal subscribers
_**DSP Journal**_
-  Quarterly publication covering such diverse standardization topics as international standardization, DoD IT standardization, civil agency standardization
- Articles applicable to wide standardization audience
**Case studies and journals located on DSP website: **_[www.dsp.dla.mil](http://www.dsp.dla.mil/)__ and click “Library_”

## DSPO Outreach Tools cont.

_**Standardization Documents (SDs)**_
- Defense standardization guidance documents concentrating on practices, processes, and procedures
- Concepts transferable to other government agencies and industry
- Downloadable from the DSP website: _[www.dsp.dla.mil](http://www.dsp.dla.mil/)__ and click “Library”_

## DSPO Outreach Tools cont.

_**Informational Pamphlets**_
_**Automated Tools**_
- High level overview of DSP data bases and access options
_**ASSIST**_
- Detailed information provided on one database – Acquisition Streamlining and Standardization Information System
_**Training Resources**_
- Describes DSP sponsored classroom and online offerings and enrollment information

## Continual Challenges 

_**Ensuring**_ standardization continues to be a part of the DoD education
_**Promoting**_** **awareness of standardization education opportunities
_**Marketing**__ _DSPO outreach materials both within and beyond the DoD standardization community