tion before deciding. Concerns re- garding potential protests often dom - inate the dialogue. This friction often pushes the class toward a “SLOW” or “STOP” decision, even if their initial intuitive reaction was to “GO.” The Decision During the case discussion, stu- dents examine the problem through multiple lenses: requirements man- agement, financial management, schedule management, and risk management. The instructor records these facts and assumptions on whiteboards, building a visual map of the decision space. Once the investigation is com- plete, students form small groups to build consensus. When the instruc- tor polls the room for individual de- cisions—GO, SLOW, or STOP—the results always vary. Despite hav- ing identical backgrounds, educa- tional levels, and access to the same case documents, their conclusions diverge.
During the case discussion, students examine the problem through multiple lenses: requirements management, financial management, schedule management, and risk management.
because they have invested time, cap- ital, or effort even when abandoning it would be objectively more benefi - cial. The more resources committed to a project or decision, the more emotionally difficult it becomes to walk away. The commitment bias is similar but slightly different. It involves the psychological need to remain con- sistent with past public declarations. Consider a leader who has champi- oned a program at conferences, de- fended it in interviews, and encour- aged industry partners to invest in it. Walking away from those public
commitments requires a high degree of moral courage. A third factor in play is loss aver- sion . The psychological pain of a loss is often felt twice as acutely as the pleasure of an equivalent gain. This makes individuals naturally reluctant to accept the loss of an initial invest- ment, often leading them to “throw good money after bad” to avoid the admission of failure. Finally, students must weigh the risk of proceeding against the risk of halting source selection. Many as- sume the case study presupposes a delay; others demand more informa-
A CON 9000 Emerging Contracting Leaders Seminar at WarU is addressed by DoW senior procurement analyst Greg Snyder. Source: Photo by Michael Bubar-Krukowski
26 DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE | JULY – AUGUST 2026
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