Phase Exit Criteria

At MS A, the MDA designates a lead agency, approves Technology Development (TD) phase exit criteria, develops and issues the ADM. The leader of the CAPDEV–led integrated capabilities development team (ICDT), working with the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) system team (AST), develops an integrated evaluation strategy that describes how the capabilities in the MCD will be evaluated once the system is developed. For potential acquisition category (ACAT) I programs, the integrated evaluation strategy is approved by the DOD Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (D,OT&E) and the cognizant overarching integrated product team (OIPT). The MDA complies with the Congressionally directed certification requirements at MS A. This effort normally is funded only for the advanced technology development work. TD for a MDAP cannot proceed without MS A approval. A …show more content…
MS B is the initiation of an acquisition program. The purpose of MS B is to authorize entry into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase.

a. MS B approval can lead to integrated system design or system capability and manufacturing process demonstration. Regardless of the approach recommended, PMs and other acquisition managers continually assess program risks. Risks must be well understood before MDAs can authorize a program to proceed into the next phase of the acquisition process. The types of risk include, but are not limited to, schedule, cost, technical feasibility, risk of technical obsolescence, software management, dependencies between a new program and other programs, and the risk of creating a monopoly for future procurements.

b. There is only one MS B per program or evolutionary increment. Each increment of an evolutionary acquisition has its own MS B, unless the MDA determines that the increment will be initiated at MS C. At MS B, the MDA approves the acquisition strategy (AS) and the acquisition program baseline (APB). The MDA decision is documented in an