Next focus week will offer opportunity to increase agile acquisition knowledge

  • Published
  • By Patty Welsh
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – This quarter’s Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Focus Week, taking place Jan. 22 to 25, offers a variety of courses targeted to the acquisition workforce.

As with past sessions, some classes are available through distance learning while others are on-site. A few classes during this upcoming session specifically focus on rapid acquisition.

Taking place at Hanscom, DODI 5000.02 Tailoring is a course created by the Hanscom Operating Location Acquisition Center of Excellence Office to assist acquisition teams as they look to tailor their program within the context of the instruction. It provides a step-by-step approach on how to determine what tailoring may be appropriate, including documentation requirements and tips on gaining approval for tailoring recommendations.

Also being held at the base is NDAA 2016 Section 804 Training. The class will review Air Force guidance for Middle Tier Acquisition including the approval process, the new Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition requirements process, AF and Office of the Secretary of Defense reporting requirements and practical considerations for implementing MTA.

Patrick Marr, the senior site functional for acquisition at Hanscom, said the base is leading the Air Force in innovative ways to apply these new authorities and the training offers a way for personnel to expand their knowledge.

“These courses will not only offer opportunities to learn about the authorities, but chances to share and exchange best practices occurring at Hanscom in order to gain broader insight in ways to more rapidly prototype and field systems for the warfighter,” he said.

Additional classes taking place at Hanscom include: Agile Software Development, which is a one-hour overall introduction to the topic; Critical Intelligence Parameter, or CIP, workshops, which are designed to teach the basics of CIPs and provide practical development exercises; and sessions in project management.

Some of the distance learning offerings this session highlight cyber security, risk management, environmental topics, the Air Force Materiel Command’s role in capability requirements, and program protection planning. Those with Air Force network access can view a schedule here. In addition, the full schedule is available on the Acquisition Now Continuous Learning website at https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/acqnowcl/. Logon with your CAC, then click on “Apply for a CL event” and search for AFLCMC Focus Week and the dates in the event provider to view the courses and/or register.

Organizers say focus weeks help create and maintain a strong learning culture. Many courses provide attendees the opportunity to earn continuous learning points.

For additional information contact the AFLCMC Focus Week POC, Jason Sibrel, at jason.sibrel@us.af.mil.