engineering

Test and evaluation master plan

Test and evaluation master plan is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Test and evaluation master plan rather than just read about it. In short: Test and evaluation master plan (TEMP) is a critical aspect of project management involving complex systems that must satisfy specification requirements. The TEMP is used to support programmatic events called milestone decisions that separate the individual phases of a project.

Key takeaways

Test and evaluation master plan belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Test and evaluation master plan to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Test and evaluation master plan from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Test and evaluation master plan (TEMP) is a critical aspect of project management involving complex systems that must satisfy specification requirements. The TEMP is used to support programmatic events called milestone decisions that separate the individual phases of a project. For military systems, the level of funding determines the Acquisition Category and the organization responsible for the milestone decision. A traceability matrix is generally used to link items within the TEMP to items within specifications.

Definition The Test and Evaluation Master Plan documents the overall structure and objectives of the Test & Evaluation for a program. It covers activities over a program’s life-cycle and identifies evaluation criteria for the testers. The test and evaluation master plan consists of individual tests. Each test contains the following.

Test Scenario Data Collection Performance Evaluation

Test scenario The test scenario establishes test conditions. This is typically associated with a specific mission profile. For military systems, this would be a combat scenario, and it may involve Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E). For commercial systems, this would involve a specific kind of situation involving the use of the item being developed. For example, cold weather operation may require operation to be evaluated at temperatures below − 40 o {\displaystyle -40^{o}} C using an environmental chamber. Evaluation of operation with a vehicle interface may require compatibility evaluation with a vibration test. Evaluation of an Internet store would require the system to take the user through a product purchase while the system is loaded with other traffic. The test scenario identifies the following.

Items required for testing Instructions to set up the items that will be used during the test General description for how to operate the system under test Specific actions and events that will take place during the test

Data collection Data collection identifies information that must be collected during the test. This involves preliminary setup before the test begins. This may involve preparation for any of the following.

Settings for the system under test Separate instrumentation Written notes from direct observation Sample collection Systems that incorporate a computer typically require the ability to extract and record specific kinds of data from the system while it is operating normally. Electronic data collection may be started and stopped as one of the actions described in the test scenario. When data access is restricted, so the transfer of data between organizations may require a Data Collection Plan. This can occur with classified military systems. Data is analyzed after testing is complete. This analysis is called performance evaluation.

Performance evaluation Measures of effectiveness are specific metrics that are used to measure results in the overall mission and execution of assigned tasks. These may have flexible performance limits associated with the outcome of a specific event. For example, the first round fired from a gun aimed using a radar would not impact a specific location, but the position can be measured using the radar, so the system should be able to deliver a round within a specific radius after several rounds have been fired. The number of rounds required to land one inside the limit is the MOE. The radius would be a Measure Of Performance (MOP). Measures of performance are specific metrics that have a pass or fail limit that must be satisfied. These are generally identified with the words shall or must in the specification. One type of MOP is the distance that a vehicle with a specific load must travel at a specific speed before running out of fuel. Another type of MOP is the distance that a radar can detect a 1 square meter reflector. Measures of suitability evaluate the ability to be supported in its intended operational environment. As an example, this may be an evaluation of the Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) that is evaluated during other testing. A system with excessive failures may satisfy all other requirements and not be suitable for use. A gun that jams when dirty is not suitable for military use. These requirements are associated with ilities.

Reliability Availability Maintainability Supportability Usability

Purpose

The results of the TEMP evaluation are used for multiple purposes.

Rejection: funding termination decision Redesign: modification and re-test funding decision Full rate production: acceptance funding decision Mission planning Mission planning involves translation of MOEs, MOPs, and MOSs into the following.

Required Operational Capability (ROC) Projected Operational Environment (POE) Diagnostic Testing via built-in test (BIT) or planned maintenance ROC and POE are specific expectations evaluated by the TEMP that are used to determine how to deploy assets to satisfy a specific mission requirement. Diagnostic testing ensures these expectations are satisfied for the duration of the mission.

Other usages The term 'test and evaluation master plan' as a distinct overall guide to the Test and Evaluation functions in a development has also been used by the Australian Department of Defence. Others do use the term, or similar terms such as 'Master Test and Evaluation Plan'.

See also Defense Acquisition Guide (DAG), section 9 Test and Evaluation Director, Operational Test and Evaluation

References

External links PMBOK Guide and Standard Defense Acquisition University Department of the Navy, Instructions Archived 2013-03-17 at the National and University Library of Iceland Air Force Instruction Army Instruction USMC Instructions DOT&E TEMP Guidebook, 2017

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Test and evaluation master plan

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Test and evaluation master plan claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Test and evaluation master plan before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Test and evaluation master plan ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Test and evaluation master plan

In research: Test and evaluation master plan appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Test and evaluation master plan in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Test and evaluation master plan is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Military acquisition, Project management, Schedule (project management), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Test and evaluation master plan outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Test and evaluation master plan in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Test and evaluation master plan means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Test and evaluation master plan in simple terms?

Why does Test and evaluation master plan matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Test and evaluation master plan?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Test and evaluation master plan.