Key Enablers for Leveraging Non-development Items in a System

In many cases, leveraging non-development item (NDI) technologies in a system offers the potential for reduced lifecycle costs, shorter time to market, and superior technical performance compared to developing technologies in-house; however, there are inherent challenges. NDI technologies are often originally created for uses and operating environments that differ from that of the system of interest by communities with little or no stake in the system of interest. The potential benefits for integrating NDI technologies must be carefully weighed against the risks. In addition, when there are several NDI options, a formal method for evaluating risks and benefits relative to the overall system objectives can help determine the best selection. While technical risk is certainly important, program risk is often under analysed. This paper provides some key enablers to help ensure the right decisions are made about inserting NDI technologies in a system of interest. These enablers include an extensive set of technical and business-case related attributes and a set of strategies that can be used in conjunction with the attributes to guide decision making.