Over the years there has been a great deal of discussion about the length and quality of the acquisition process. Plans have been developed to improve the management of this complex process, sharpen its focus, and shorten the time it takes to complete it. Has this attention created a better mousetrap? Yes. Is there still room for improvement? Definitely yes.

This article addresses recent attempts to improve the Army acquisition process, the problems associated with the current process, and suggests that methodologies exist that can improve the acquisition process. These methodologies are the Army Streamlined Acquisition Process (ASAP) and the Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) program. The premise of this paper is that when properly used together, the result will be an abbreviated yet more efficient time line.