RPDE Program An Innovative Australian IndustryDefence Partnership

1
RPDE Program An Innovative Australian
Industry-Defence Partnership

• RUSI C4ISTAR Conference 18 October 2007

2
Introductions

• Pam Price
• RPDE General Manager
• Rodger Phillips
• RPDE Commercial Manager

3
Objective

• Rapid was established in February 2005 with a
  focus on improving engagement between Australian
  Defence and Industry to support the acceleration
  of capability into service. 
• This partnership has had multiple successes since
  its inception and continues to evolve to maintain
  benefits to both Defence and Industry. 

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What is RPDE?

• The RPDE Program is an autonomous virtual
  organisation which brings Australian Defence and
  Industry together to enhance the warfighters NCW
  capability in the near term with a commercial
  framework

OR
A group of focussed problem-solvers helping
Defence to resolve difficult and challenging
bite-sized problems
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RPDE Partnerships

• Partnership in the RPDE context
• Group of people working together an
  organisation formed by two or more people or
  groups to work together for some purpose.
• Current Benefits to the Partners
• For Defence
• The engagement of a broad cross section of
  industry in the rapid scoping and resolution of
  NCW delivery problems.
• The access to experience and knowledge usually
  difficult to access by Defence, delivering a
  qualitative improvement to capability decision
  making.
• For Industry
• Participation in a capability development space
  not previously accessible.
• The opportunity to
• better understand their customer
• offer better solutions to meet customer needs
• re-direct RD spend and therefore return direct
  and indirect financial benefit.
• Opportunity to develop staff involved in Program.
• Opportunity to showcase IP to Defence.

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Operating Model
Change Plans built upon broad, robust and valid
analysis
ADF Warfighters
Context Information is knowledge, experience
and know-how relevant to the particular RPDE
Task.
The organisation draws its people, facilities
and technologies from Defence and participants.
RPDE
Industry
Defence
People Facilities Technologies
Questions
Task Teams
Context Information
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RPDE Products

• Quicklook
• Rapidly brings industry experts/specialists (at
  RPDE cost) together to workshop a problem (for
  1-2 days) or series of issues confronting
  Defence, and using an RPDE facilitator, capture
  their experience, knowledge and advice on a
  selection of questions and issues previously
  agreed with sponsor. Often used in the very early
  phase of a procurement project. Some 4-6 weeks
  later a report is provided to the Defence
  sponsor.
• Task
• Focused on identifying, understanding and
  then facilitating change, usually over a period
  of 6-9 months and often involving the
  introduction of new organisations, concepts and
  technologies.  All Fundamental Inputs to
  Capability (FIC) are addressed, not just focused
  only on technology or equipment
• Task delivers a fully costed, scheduled Change
  Plan and supports the change champion during
  implementation
• The Quicklook provides advice whereas the Task
  often includes RPDE assisting Defence with the
  difficult bit - actually implementing the change

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RPDE Differentiators

• Collaborative
• The Individuals multiple industry players and
  Defence form teams which work together to address
  problems and evaluate options
• The Environment Creates a safe environment to
  share Know-how and IP
• Timeframe
• Rapid Delivery Identify capability improvement
  options with fast-turnaround and for near-term
  implementation
• Contractual mechanism to rapidly engage the right
  experts into the task teams
• Task Deliverables
• All Fundamental Inputs to Capability (FIC) are
  addressed, not just focused only on technology or
  equipment
• Task delivers a fully costed, scheduled Change
  Plan and supports the change champion during
  implementation

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Key Success Factors

• Strong Ministerial and senior Defence support. 
• Reflected in our Governance structure.
• RPDE commercial framework common to all
  Participants.
• We are a Defence organisation that is staffed
  primarily by industry but not dominated by any
  one company. 
• Participants are signatories to
• Relationship Agreement.
• Behaviour Charter (included in RA).  
• Standing Offer. 
• A positive Culture.
• We have a culture of leaving your company hat at
  the door. 
• People come into RPDE as individual experts
  focussed on solving Defence capability problems,
  not as company representatives. 
• Underpinning Goodwill.
• Participants have faith that their contribution
  will have returns.
• Participants are Self regulating.

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Governance Arrangements

• Two lines of Governance
• Doing things right, and
• Doing the right things

• Corporate Governance
• Acts as a corporate board
• Strategic focus, rotating membership, reserved
  powers
• Chaired by 2 Head of Capability Systems

• Tasking Governance
• Pan-Defence membership
• Approves RPDE Problems
• Implements RPDE Change Plans
• Chaired by 1 Integrated Capability Director
  General

1 SteeringGroup
RPDE Organisation
NCW Program Office
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The RPDE Commercial Framework

• The RPDE Program operates as an autonomous
  virtual organisation under the governance of a
  Board and the management of the General Manager.
  It is not intended to create any legal
  partnership, joint venture or fiduciary
  relationship between the Participants.
• Industry may join the RPDE Program as either an
  Industry Member or an Associate depending on
  which criteria they fulfil. Industry Members and
  Associates have different levels of obligations
  and benefits.
• Participants in the RPDE Program are signatories
  to both the Relationship Agreement and a Standing
  Offer via an Invitation to Participate.

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Commercial Framework
The Relationship Agreement governs how
Participants interact with each other and how
assets, such as Intellectual Property, will be
managed.
The Standing Offer is the mechanism by which
Participants are engaged to provide Services to
the RPDE Program. These Services could include
secondment of Personnel, provision of Equipment,
Facilities, Prototypes or representatives to the
Board.
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The RPDE Model - Behaviours

• Our COMMITMENTS to each other in our everyday
  dealings with each other WE WILL
• Work together proactively
• Communicate openly and honestly
• Encourage innovation and excellence
• Respect and support each other
• Give recognition, celebrate success and reward
  achievement
• Provide a challenging work environment

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Key Success Factors

• A stand alone facility that supports the
  culture. 
• We are not co-located with either Defence or any
  specific industry participant. 
• The facility is RPDE branded - no visible
  branding from participant companies.
• Target different customer sets in Defence.
• Two levels of service Tasks and Quicklooks. 
• Robust processes.
• For any one capability problem investigated,
  Defence will receive input from 15-25 different
  industry experts resulting in defensible
  information not just the opinion of any one
  company.
• A Balanced Scorecard.
• Tracks performance against key success metrics. 
• Articulates our success objectively with robust
  evidence. 
• Drives the desired behaviour.

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Questions
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• First POC RPDE Web Site www.rpde.org.au
  www.rapid.org.au
• General Questions - admin_at_rpde.org.au
• Location Lvl 2, 18 20 Brindabella Park,
  Canberra Airport
• The RPDE TEAM
• General Manager Pam Price pam.price_at_rpde.org.a
  u
• Operations Daniel Munro daniel.munro_at_rpde.org.
  au
• Stakeholder Liaison Manager Boris Novak
  boris.novak_at_rpde.org.au
• Commercial / Finance Rodger Phillips
  rodger.phillips_at_rpde.org.au
• Analysis Capability Manager David Thorncraft
  david.thorncraft_at_rpde.org.au
• Administrative Jane Graham jane.graham_at_rpde.or
  g.au

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More Information

• RPDE Web Site
• www.rpde.org.au
• www.rapid.org.au
• Newsletter
• RPDE Flyer
• Stakeholder Liaison Manager Boris Novak
  boris.novak_at_rpde.org.au
• 02 6127 4905 0407 984 402

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Organisation
50 full and part time people, 60 from Canberra
Delivery Roles
Functional Roles
Core Team Role(s)
Task Role(s))
Correct as at 13 Aug 07
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Participant List
Member Companies Associates Companies
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Participant List (cont.)
Member Companies Associates Companies