Unlike most other programs at the SEI, the Acquisition Support Program (ASP) is not primarily a research unit. But it is deeply involved with the SEI's research mission and the acquisition community's thirst for new ideas—better ideas—for solving 21st century acquisition problems.

ASP bridges the gap between the SEI's many research programs and the men and women who practice their acquisition skills every day on behalf of the Department of Defense and other government organizations. We help put research into practice, help keep research teams in tune with how the SEI's technologies are being applied, and are on the watch for new needs and ideas that are bubbling up among those we serve.

Patterns of Failure: Systems Thinking in Software Acquisition

While research is not our prime concern, ASP does engage in some acquisition-related investigations. Currently, we're developing new ways of applying systems thinking to some of the stickiest and most persistent problems in acquisition.

We call this program Patterns of Failure: Systems Thinking in Software Acquisition. So far, it has yielded nearly a dozen two-page monographs — Acquisition Archetypes — that explore systems-thinking methods to dissect (and solve) some of the most commonly repeated failure scenarios in modern acquisition. Working from a recognized set of systems archetypes, the SEI has extrapolated a related set of software acquisition models, the basis for the set of Acquisition Archetypes presented here.

Risk and Opportunity Management

Through the Acquisition Support Program's affiliation with risk management activities at the SEI, we're also able to present a broad range of research in risk management, from the traditional (continuous risk management, or CRM) to the leading edge (Mission Success in Complex Environments, or MSCE).

Visit the risk research pages for more details about these programs.