Software Engineering Institute

November 6, 2014—The Software Engineering Institute is conducting a survey on defense acquisition decision making so that it can help to improve joint acquisition outcomes.

Many defense acquisition programs experience recurring cost and schedule difficulties, and sometimes performance and quality issues in the delivered systems. The SEI is conducting this survey to better understand these problems, and ultimately help mitigate their causes by making recommendations to DoD policymakers. Survey participants should:

• be defense acquisition professionals
• have worked in DoD acquisition programs as government employees or contractors
• be at least 18 years old

This web-based survey is voluntary and anonymous. The survey should take about 30 minutes to complete. The SEI will gather only the participants' answers to the survey, their age and gender, and information on their level of experience with acquisition programs. No information that identifies either individuals or their organizations will be collected. 

Participants who complete the survey will have an opportunity to choose one of these charities to receive a donation from the SEI:

• Air Force Aid Society
• American Red Cross
• Army Emergency Relief Fund
• CARE
• Fisher House Foundation
• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
• Special Operations Warrior Foundation
• Wounded Warriors

The SEI will donate $2,500 to charity if it receives at least 100 responses—otherwise the SEI will donate $25 for each survey completed.

The aim of the survey is to help improve future acquisition efforts by helping U.S. warfighters and helping to spend acquisition funds more effectively.

For more information about the Defense Acquisition Decision Making Survey, visit www.sei.cmu.edu/joint-program-survey/ or contact info@sei.cmu.edu.