Overview
Working Title
Strategic Portfolio Management in UK Defence Acquisition: A Systems Engineering Approach to Understanding Divergence Between Intended and Delivered Capability
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Task 1.1 Background
Answer the following:
- What is defence acquisition?
- Why is defence acquisition becoming increasingly complex?
- Why is portfolio management important in defence?
- Why do defence programmes frequently fail to deliver what was originally intended?
- Why is this an important problem for governments?
Resources
- NAO Equipment Plan 2022–2032
- NAO Equipment Plan 2023–2033
- UK Defence Procurement Strategy
- Defence Committee Reports
Task 1.2 Problem Statement
Answer:
- What exactly is the problem?
- Is the problem individual projects?
- Or is it a systemic acquisition problem?
Example points
- programme delays
- cost escalation
- capability gaps
- cancellations
- quantity reductions
Task 1.3 Research Aim
Answer
What does the research want to achieve?
Example
To investigate why UK defence acquisition programmes diverge from their intended outcomes and evaluate how Systems Engineering approaches can support improved acquisition decision-making.
Task 1.4 Objectives
For example
- Analyse UK defence acquisition programmes.
- Identify common causes of acquisition divergence.
- Characterise the UK defence acquisition system.
- Develop a Rich Picture of the acquisition system.
- Identify common systemic problems.
- Investigate Systems Engineering approaches.
- Develop recommendations.
Task 1.5 Research Questions
Main Question
Why do UK defence acquisition programmes diverge from their intended acquisition outcomes?
Sub Questions
- What are the common causes?
- What risks occur repeatedly?
- What stakeholders influence acquisition?
- What patterns exist across programmes?
- How can Systems Engineering help?
- What recommendations can improve future programmes?
Chapter 2 – Literature Review
This chapter should answer one question:
What does existing research already know?
Task 2.1 Defence Acquisition
Explain
- acquisition lifecycle
- procurement
- portfolio management
Resources
- NAO
- Defence Committee
- MoD
Task 2.2 Defence Acquisition Challenges
Review literature about
- delays
- cost growth
- cancellations
- technical complexity
- integration
- governance
Task 2.3 UK Case Studies
Review each project.
For every project answer
What was intended?
What happened?
Why?
Main thematic reason?
Lessons learned?
Projects
- Ajax
- Nimrod
- Type 45
- Carrier Programme
- Morpheus
- Warrior CSP
- Watchkeeper
- Astute
- Bowman
- FRES
Task 2.4 Common Themes
This is where you compare projects.
Questions
What themes appear repeatedly?
Possible themes
- technical complexity
- cost escalation
- governance
- requirements instability
- industrial capability
- political decisions
- portfolio pressure
Task 2.5 Systems Engineering Literature
Review literature about
- Systems Thinking
- Complex Systems
- Socio-Technical Systems
- Soft Systems Methodology
- Rich Pictures
- Requirements Engineering
- Risk Management
- MBSE (only if you decide to include it)
- Portfolio Systems Engineering
Important
Do not jump into solutions.
Explain
- what each method is
- why researchers use it
- strengths
- weaknesses
Task 2.6 Research Gap
This becomes your justification.
Answer
What has previous research missed?
Possible gap
Existing literature analyses individual defence acquisition programmes but provides limited Systems Engineering analysis of recurring patterns across programmes and how these patterns influence portfolio-level decision-making.