Rant mode to "ON"...
1. Train personnel in Acquisition properly. I had a 1-day course and the "luxury" of a 5-day handover before becoming a Platform RM. Encourage more people to complete in-service degrees / masters and the Cranfield MDA to build knowledge - but then, crucially, employ them properly!
2. Incentivise personnel to gain and retain these SQEP skills. My RM tour was not seen as being "crunchy"; there was little/no incentive for me to apply the skills and knowledge I learnt in the next rank. Indeed, SO1s and above would sometimes arrive in the Cap area with zero experience and only a fleeting understanding of acquisition, mostly based on the utter boll*cks taught at ACSC. They merely wanted a "tick", to make a mark and not f*ck up. Many epitomised Boyd's "be-ers"; one of the things that made it easier for me to leave was the arrogance and short-sightedness of these people - proven by the fact they would invariably employ rank not knowledge to "win" arguments. Much of what I warned of has occurred. As usual, the shysters have achieved promotional MSD and the Front Line are left to pick up the pieces. In both Acquisition and Airworthiness we need to nurture SQEP that use these areas as career pillars and move in/out in successive ranks. Only then will we get informed outcomes in both areas….
3. Abolish the "Conspiracy of Optimism". Don't fear "failing fast". We tie too many PADR/OJAR KPIs to "success" in projects. It incentivises bad behaviours and sliding thresholds. Therefore, many are reluctant to pass on "bad news" and we haemorrhage cash trying to make some arbitrary date to meet an OF5s OJAR. Accept that we do OT&E for a reason and fund it - it's there to find out where the bodies have been buried, hence why PMs always seem keen to cut it out to "save money". I witnessed a number of cases where T&E crews were pressured to make the "right" call by the CoC and other interested parties, at the expense of ensuring the suitability of the kit for the Front Line.
4. Stop the apparent QQ monopoly on everything. Sort out the relationships between the FL, QQ, Dstl and broader industry. QQ are too monolithic to cope well with the small stuff (hence why they farm a lot of it out and merely slap their letter head, and a whole load of mark up, on other people's work….). Get them to do the "big stuff" and incentivise them to stay there - they have a lot of very talented people and world-class facilities but often they were simply unaffordable. PMs need to realise that the LTPA is not "free"…..Revitalise NiteWorks, but ensure it has the intellectual sea-room to answer the questions they are posed more broadly.
5. Apply TEPIDOIL properly. Don't just focus on the Equipment IOC….
6. Accept that we need to travel on business. With an increasing number of US-sourced platforms (P8, CH-47, F-35, C-17, E-7, RJ, C130 etc…) deal with the fact that we will have to pay to attend meetings. The 2* doesn't need , or want, to sign off on every meeting. Attending a one-day meeting in the US is not "a jolly". Stop making it a complete time-burgle to request, book then reclaim travel. It's one of the joys of running my own company - a complete 1 week visit to the US including flights, HOTAC and Hire Car booked in 10 minutes on Expedia, then an hour or so sifting receipts when I get back (with no inevitable JPA audit to follow….). Being treated as a freeloading gadabout by "the system" is unfair and definitely not retention positive.
7. A revolving door between full time and reservist service. Many of us outside still work in the sector, and could bring experience and knowledge to bear. What we won't do is be exploited or ripped off due to the pension implications of doing so, and we don't have the time to jump through the multitude of hoops (IRT, FT, etc) that seem to be expected. The VeRR scheme is great concept - expand it!
Ooooh, that rant has made me feel much better!!