PRODUCT SUPPORT
• Streamlined quality assurance. KCs and CCs often are used to es - tablish inspection and testing cri - teria during manufacturing and throughout the product life cycle. By focusing on these characteris - tics, quality assurance teams can prioritize their efforts on the most critical aspects of the product, ensuring that it meets safety and performance standards. • Predictive and preventive main- tenance. Understanding the criti - cal characteristics of a product enables the development of pre - dictive maintenance strategies. For example, sensors can be placed on components associated with KCs and CCs to monitor their condition in real time. This allows for early detection of potential issues, re - ducing the risk of unexpected fail - ures and extending the product’s operational life.
• Cost optimization. By focusing on KCs and CCs, organizations can avoid overengineering noncriti - cal aspects of the product, which helps reduce manufacturing and support costs. In addition, early identification of these character - istics minimizes the risk of costly redesigns or retrofits later in the product life cycle. • Knowledge transfer and docu- mentation. The process of defin - ing KCs and CCs results in detailed documentation that can be used to train maintenance personnel and support teams. This knowl - edge transfer ensures that every - one involved in the product’s life cycle understands its key and crit - ical aspects, leading to increased safety, more effective support, and troubleshooting. Modern Product Lifecycle Man - agement (PLM) systems can inte - grate data on KCs and CCs, enabling
Reliability and Maintainability web page https://www.cto.mil/sea/rm/ and the Warfighting Acquisition University’s Acquisition Knowledge Matrix (AKM) https://www.dau.edu/acquisition-knowledge- matrix . Design for Manufacturing and Quality The producibility design process of defining key characteristics (KCs) and critical characteristics (CCs) for a MIL-STD-31000 level 3 Technical Data Package plays a pivotal role in ensur - ing effective product support man - agement throughout a product’s life cycle. These characteristics are essen - tial design elements that directly im - pact the product’s performance, reli - ability, safety, and maintainability. By identifying and managing these char - acteristics early in the design phase, organizations can streamline prod - uct support activities, reduce life- cycle costs, and enhance Warfighter readiness. This process aids product support management in the following ways: • Improved reliability and perfor- mance. Key and critical character - istics are directly tied to the prod - uct’s functional and performance requirements. By identifying these characteristics during the design phase, engineers can ensure that the product meets its intended performance standards. This re - duces the likelihood of failures during operation, which in turn minimizes the need for corrective maintenance and enhances the product’s reliability. • Enhanced maintainability. De - fining KCs and CCs allows de - signers to focus on features that impact maintainability, such as ease of access to components, modularity, and standardization. This ensures that maintenance tasks (e.g., inspections, repairs, replacements) can be performed efficiently, reducing downtime and support costs.
Figure 2. Human Systems Integration (HSI)
Human
Human- Machine Interface (HMI)
Technology, Capability, Engineering
People, Users
HSI and HMI Trade Space
Task Design
Training
Hardware
Software
Processes, Procedures
• When Human requirements are adequately considered > reduced system effectiveness and higher risk for failures. • Late human requirements integration > Increased Cost
Source: Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering
22 DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE | JANUARY FEBRUARY 2026 –
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