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Four general, interrelated trends in commercial industry can help guide DoD efforts to identify modern software competencies

• The sequencing of the activities used in the production of software emphasizes shortening the time between what software needs to do and producing a working product.
• Developing software architecture tends to be done by an organic ecosystem of teams.
• Software deployment architectures are becoming increasingly diverse and spread across multiple processors.
• Automation in the practice of software development is increasing.

Once validated, the RAND competency model, consisting of 48 competencies, can guide software acquisition talent initiatives

• DoD can use this model to identify which competencies are needed for specific positions, craft position announcements, and determine program needs.
• If the competencies are needed at the time of hire, specific assessments can be developed and used to ensure that job applicants have the requisite level of proficiency.
• DoD can also use these competencies to inform assignment decisions and to evaluate training needs.

A list of competencies is necessary but not sufficient to improve software acquisition practices

• DoD needs an effective plan for implementation and integration.
• Methods for training, tracking, and managing software professionals need to be evaluated and pursued.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) seeks to advance the ability of its software acquisition workforce to rapidly and reliably deliver complex software-dependent capabilities through an enhanced understanding of technical competencies, improvements to education and training, and guidance for workforce management and assessment. Focusing on three primary acquisition career fields—information technology, engineering, and program management—the authors review existing competency models used by DoD and commercial industry, along with industry trends and modern software practices, and gather feedback from stakeholders and subject-matter experts to develop a model consisting of 48 competencies organized by topic: problem identification, solution identification, development planning, transition and sustainment planning, system architecture design, software construction management, software program management, mission assurance, and professional competencies. They also review existing courses offered by the Defense Acquisition University, other DoD institutions, and private and public universities to determine whether and to what extent the courses offer software training and education that corresponds with these competencies, and to identify ways to address potential gaps. Although there is no currently accepted government job title or occupational series for software professionals, and although the competency model thus affords limited utility for assessing current workforce capability, the authors present options for tracking and managing the software acquisition workforce, as well as further steps toward validating the competency model.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Methodology for Developing Competencies

• Chapter Three

  Review of Existing Competency Models

• Chapter Four

  Commercial Industry Perspective

• Chapter Five

  From Initial to Revised Competency Model

• Chapter Six

  A Review of Software Training and Education

• Chapter Seven

  Identifying, Tracking, and Managing a Software Acquisition Workforce

• Chapter Eight

  Recommendations

• Appendix A

  Acquisition Career Fields

• Appendix B

  Trends in Modern Software Development Trends

• Appendix C

  Tracing Initial Competencies to Other Competency Models

• Appendix D

  Notional Example of Software Careers

• Appendix E

  Existing Competency Models

• Appendix F

  RAND-Developed Software Acquisition Competencies

• Appendix G

  List of Courses Reviewed

• Appendix H

  Software Curriculum–Competency Mapping