Concept Exploration Lessons Learned

In the past, Concept Exploration was the first step in defining the properties of a ship. Of the many ships studied during Concept Exploration, one was to be further developed and refined by the government during preliminary and contract design. Following award of the detail design and construction contract, a shipyard would complete the design and construct the ship. With the advent of Acquisition Reform and industry taking on the responsibility for what was previously preliminary and contract design, the products of Concept Exploration have changed. Instead of the first draft of a ship design, Concept Exploration now results in a balanced set of Performance Requirements for the design and construction of the ship by the shipyards. The Government selects the Performance Requirements to achieve an affordable and operationally effective ship. Compared to internally Navy-controlled technical requirements, the performance goals are more difficult to change once competitive industry teams are under contract to produce a ship to the original goals. An effective design process must reflect this fundamental change in the desired product of Concept Exploration. This paper details the lessons learned by the authors while directing the JCC(X) Concept Exploration and offers recommendations on possible improvements for future ship concept studies.