ACAP Data Collection and Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Army regulation governs the collection, management, and reporting of cost data for Army acquisition programs?
- AR 70-13 (Management and Oversight of Defense Acquisition Programs) (Correct answer)
- AR 25-1 (Army Information Technology)
- AR 37-1 (Army Financial Management and Accounting)
- AR 700-127 (Integrated Logistics Support)
Correct answer: AR 70-13 (Management and Oversight of Defense Acquisition Programs)
AR 70-13 establishes Army policy for cost management and data reporting within the Army acquisition system, including cost estimating and analysis requirements.
Question 2: What is the purpose of Technical Performance Measures (TPMs) in the context of data collection for cost analysis?
- To track technical parameters that drive cost, allowing analysts to correlate technical progress with cost growth (Correct answer)
- To set contract performance incentives for the contractor
- To document the required operational capabilities of the system
- To measure the contractor's manufacturing quality rates
Correct answer: To track technical parameters that drive cost, allowing analysts to correlate technical progress with cost growth
TPMs capture the technical attributes (e.g., weight, power, processing speed) that serve as cost drivers, enabling analysts to build and validate cost estimating relationships.
Question 3: What is a 'data call' in Army cost analysis?
- A formal request sent to program offices or contractors to collect specific cost and technical data needed for an estimate (Correct answer)
- A teleconference held to discuss cost estimate assumptions
- An automated query run against DACIMS to extract historical data
- A notification to Congress requesting cost data for oversight
Correct answer: A formal request sent to program offices or contractors to collect specific cost and technical data needed for an estimate
A data call is a structured request that specifies exactly what information is needed, in what format, and by what date, ensuring consistent and complete data collection.
Question 4: Why is 'actual cost data' preferred over 'budgeted cost data' when developing cost estimating relationships (CERs)?
- Actual costs reflect what was truly spent, avoiding budget optimism or political adjustments that distort real cost drivers (Correct answer)
- Actual data is always available from DACIMS without normalization
- Budgeted data is classified and cannot be used in unclassified estimates
- Actual data requires no inflation adjustments before use
Correct answer: Actual costs reflect what was truly spent, avoiding budget optimism or political adjustments that distort real cost drivers
Budgets are often set optimistically or politically adjusted, while actuals represent real resource consumption, making them a more reliable basis for future predictions.
Question 5: What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and why is it critical to cost data collection?
- A hierarchical decomposition of program scope used to organize and collect costs at consistent, comparable levels across programs (Correct answer)
- A schedule showing when each task will be completed
- A breakdown of the contractor's labor categories
- A list of contract line items for billing purposes
Correct answer: A hierarchical decomposition of program scope used to organize and collect costs at consistent, comparable levels across programs
The WBS provides a common framework so that costs from different programs and contractors are collected at the same structural level, enabling meaningful comparison and analysis.
Question 6: What does 'data maturity' mean when assessing historical cost data for use in an Army estimate?
- How complete and final the data is—early-phase data is less mature and more subject to revision than data from completed programs (Correct answer)
- The age of the data in years since it was collected
- Whether the data has been approved by the Army Cost Review Board
- The number of data points available in the historical database
Correct answer: How complete and final the data is—early-phase data is less mature and more subject to revision than data from completed programs
Immature data from programs still in development may change significantly before completion, reducing its reliability as a basis for new estimates compared to data from completed programs.
ACAP Data Collection and Management 2
Which Army regulation governs the collection, management, and reporting of cost data for Army acquisition programs?