Test and evaluation (T&E) is a structured and recursive process that helps manage and/or reduce risk in defining, developing, acquiring, fielding, using, and supporting new capabilities.
The overall goal of test and evaluation is to reduce risk by providing crucial information to decision makers.
Generally there are five steps involved in the test and evaluation process:
- Identify critical issues and data
- Pre-test engineering analysis by the evaluation and the development of an evaluation plan. Expected outcomes are predicted
- The test is planned and conducted. Data are retrieved and analyzed. Data may be collected from other means such as Modeling and Simulation (M&S), training, etc.
- A post-synthesis step in which an evaluation report of data is compiled. Predictions from Step 2 are compared with actual measured outcomes
- T&E results are balanced with other available program information. The appropriate programming decision is made
T&E and the Acquisition Life Cycle T&E activities occur throughout the acquisition life cycle. T&E reveals information about a program and measures performance of a system against established capability needs. The PM coordinates T&E activities appropriate to each phase and milestone of an acquisition program.
The T&E process is an integral part of the Systems Engineering Process (SEP) which identifies levels of performance and assists the developer in correcting deficiencies.
Test and evaluation provides knowledge of system capabilities and limitations to the acquisition community for use in improving the system performance and optimizing system use and sustainment in operations.
T&E enables the program manager to learn about limitations (technical or operational), Critical Operational Issues (COI), of the system under development so that they can be resolved before production and deployment.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Fundamentals of Test and Evaluation, a 2-day course that covers a wide range of test and evaluation concepts and principles. Participants will learn how T&E can assist in defining system capabilities and limitations, improving the system performance and optimizing system use and sustainment in operations.
Tonex also offers two related courses:
—Cybersecurity Test and Evaluation Workshop (3 days)
—Cybersecurity Test and Evaluation (T&E) Training (2 days)
Contact us for more information, questions, comments.