Astute Class Obsolescence Management

Requirements

We developed the Astute Class Obsolescence Management (OM) Strategy and Plan on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Submarine Production (SMP) Project Team.

The Astute Class OM Strategy which provides the framework within which OM is to be carried out through-life and across the Astute Class. This strategy is based on the lessons learned from a review of the current OM arrangements for the Astute Class.

We led a number of stakeholder workshops which assessed and evaluated the obsolescence risks, based on an approach and assessment criteria developed specifically for Astute. The outcome of these workshops was formulated into an Astute Class OM Plan, which details the activities to be undertaken to minimise the risks of costly corrections and system unavailability throughout the life cycle of the Astute Class.

The OM Strategy and Plan recognise that efficient and effective implementation requires:

• A change in current culture and behaviours
• Development of appropriate commercial and financial frameworks
• Realistic performance metrics that assess the effectiveness of a proactive OM strategy

The Astute Class OM Strategy is a "Whole Boat" approach including the Platform, Combat System and Nuclear Steam Raising Plant (NSRP).  The OM Strategy covers all Systems, Equipment, Information Technology (IT) Hardware, Firmware and Software.

Solutions 

• An OM strategy and plan that minimises the risks of costly corrections and system unavailability throughout the life cycle of the Astute Class and across the submarine fleet
• Stakeholder buy-in to the OM Strategy

Benefits 

• An OM strategy and plan that maximise the time and the mitigation options available by proactively planning for obsolescence
• An OM strategy and plan that avoid multiple independent efforts and unnecessary cost to resolve the same or similar obsolescence problems