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News | June 29, 2016

Detection to prevention - an initiative that's not just for quality anymore

DCMA Quality Assurance

FORT LEE, Va. — Defense Contract Management Agency employees may think that detection to prevention or D2P is just a quality assurance initiative. While D2P has its beginnings in quality assurance, it is much broader than that. It is a different way of thinking that will help DCMA remain viable in the eyes of our customers for many years to come.

D2P is a fundamental shift in the way the agency obtains the best value for the government’s dollar, emphasizing contractor accountability and more efficiently mitigating risk to the acquisition enterprise while still providing warfighters with the supplies and services they need to be successful. In short, it is one team, one voice, providing acquisition insight that matters.

Every individual with a function within DCMA, whether it is a direct acquisition function or a support function, can contribute to the D2P cause by asking, “How can we best mitigate risk and how can we change what we do in our processes to prevent things from happening rather than detecting them after they do?”

This is a huge change for some individuals, but it will pay off in better service, better acquisition insight and better support to the Department of Defense, our customers and the men and women who use the products and services DCMA personnel ensures meets their mission requirements.

Employees should start looking at the agency’s processes with a fresh perspective and ask whether certain business processes can be done differently or more efficiently. Can employees change what they do to prevent mistakes rather than finding them after they have already occurred? Are there barriers to change?

If an employee finds that DCMA policy instructions are barriers, the agency can probably fix it as long as it is within the law and appropriate regulation. People in various job functions are looking at potential changes now to instructions. In the longer term, the Process Working Group is reviewing DCMA’s processes from end-to-end to help drive out redundancy and make processes flow more efficiently.

DCMA can’t give employees more hours in the day and the likelihood of more people is slim, but what about if it didn’t take as long or as many steps to get things done? It would equate to employees getting some time back in their day. The only constant is change. Being successful with D2P will help show DoD the agency’s continued viability and worth in the acquisition process.

The men and women of DCMA have a wealth of knowledge, ideas and expertise to meet this challenge head on and succeed. Everyone can help in a positive way change DCMA, mitigate risk and increase the agency’s overall value.

Contact Public Affairs

Defense Contract Management Agency
Attn:  DCMA - DCC Office of Strategic Communication
3901 Adams Avenue Building 10500 
Fort Gregg-Adams, VA 23801 

Media Relations: 804-821-8036
Email: dcma.gregg-adams.hq.mbx.DCMA-Public-Affairs@mail.mil
FOIA Requests:  804-609-4533

Download the DCMA Media Kit (PDF)