From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,CP1252 X-Google-Thread: 103376,f039470e8f537101 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-07-25 18:02:32 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!wn14feed!worldnet.att.net!204.127.198.203!attbi_feed3!attbi.com!sccrnsc04.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: <3F21D323.9070001@attbi.com> From: "Robert I. Eachus" User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.0.2) Gecko/20021120 Netscape/7.01 X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ariane5 FAQ References: <1058813341.841940@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <1058816605.566685@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <1058968422.225561@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <3F200AD0.94F79098@adaworks.com> <7u9Ua.13412$634.10307@nwrdny03.gnilink.net> <3F215120.1040706@attbi.com> <1059151910.357790@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <3F217A92.20208@attbi.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 66.31.71.243 X-Complaints-To: abuse@comcast.net X-Trace: sccrnsc04 1059181351 66.31.71.243 (Sat, 26 Jul 2003 01:02:31 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2003 01:02:31 GMT Organization: Comcast Online Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2003 01:02:31 GMT Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:40819 Date: 2003-07-26T01:02:31+00:00 List-Id: Simon Wright wrote: > "Robert I. Eachus" writes: > > >>This is managing of several interlocking contracts is something that >>MITRE often goes through. Using the old nomenclature the A spec >>requirements would be distributed by the individual contractors to the >>B5, and they would want MITRE to certify that meeting the B5 >>requirements would satisfy the A-spec requirements. We would always >>refuse, and instead certify that they were contracted to meet the B5 > > ^^ > should that be A? (I don't know the nomenclature) > >>requirements. Many contractors never understood the difference, but >>as you can see from the Ariane 5, there is a difference and it is >>major. No that was correct. The various contractors were building parts of the system, and the B-level specs became part of their SOW (statement of work). But MITRE would never commit to saying that satisfying all the B-level requirements would meet the A-level spec, until the jigsaw puzzle was assembled. The contractors, I think always pretended to be confused by this, but it was understandable. The individual contractors could not necessarily know how other parts of the overall project was being done. Making sure that all the pieces fit together was MITRE's job. But we could, and occasionally did say, "The SoW (statement of work) needs to be changed." The individual contractor would object, pro forma, until we (the government side) assigned a change order number and started to negotiate pricing. Then they would scream again if "the government" held up completion of a major milestone until those negotiations were complete. So the contract dance recognized that changes to the SoW due to external events could entitle the contractor to additional compensation. But the government NEED was for a system that could satisfy the A-spec. (Change orders did not necessarily result in extra cost to the government, because a single change order could fold in getting rid of requirements the contractor found onerous, and adding requirements the government needed. This is engineering driving finance which is the way it has to work. Meeting the "new" B-level requirements could be either cheaper or more expensive, but it was necessary.) -- Robert I. Eachus �In an ally, considerations of house, clan, planet, race are insignificant beside two prime questions, which are: 1. Can he shoot? 2. Will he aim at your enemy?� -- from the Laiden novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.