December 05, 2012
Application stability and predictability are essential for deployed COTS-based mission-critical military systems, which tend to have an in-service life long far longer than the typical commercial production period of some of the system's key components. To ensure that a system design can be supported for the full duration of the long life cycles demanded by these programs, system designers need to be familiar with the their life cycle management plan options, both from their COTS vendor partners and services they can develop themselves internally. Key life cycle management services include ongoing review of product configuration changes and component obsolescence, a quarterly Bill of Materials (BOM) health check, and a longevity of repair plan. A closer examination of the volume production phase, the post-production phase, and component storage and handling is vital when deciding which road to obsolescence management best meets a company's life cycle management needs.