Model-Based Integrated Decision Support Key (MB-IDSK): A Standardized Approach to Mitigating Decision Support Challenges during Acquisition Test and Evaluation

Abstract

Providing timely decision support to decision-making authorities during the various phases of an acquisition program is critical for the on-time delivery of operationally effective weapon systems that meet the needs of the warfighter. To ensure decision-makers are equipped with the necessary test and evaluation (T&E) data to inform decisions, the Department of Defense (DoD) recently mandated the use of the Integrated Decision Support Key (IDSK) as a tool to encapsulate (i.e., succinctly record) a program’s decisions and the T&E data necessary to support the decisions. Therefore, an approach that utilizes digital engineering, specifically model-based systems engineering (MBSE) as a means to standardize the linkage of test data to decisions presents a significant value proposition for decision-making authorities—linking data from a program’s system, design, and test planning models to key acquisition decisions. An overt value of this approach is the resulting digital thread that connects data sources (i.e., digital models) into an authoritative source of truth to both inform and validate decisions. Hence, this paper presents a Model-Based Integrated Decision Support Key (MB-IDSK) Reference Architecture (RA) that integrates and links data from multiple digital models to a standardized set of acquisition, technical, and T&E decisions. The MB-IDSK RA provides a standardized pattern and approach for developing program-specific MB-IDSKs to support program acquisition and T&E decision-making.