GAO-16-410G August 2016 Managing complex Information Technology (IT) acquisitions has been a long-standing challenge for federal agencies. Many of the government's most costly and complex acquisition efforts require the development of cutting-edge technologies and their integration into large and complex systems. Such acquisition efforts use existing technologies, but in new applications or environments. Anyone that has worked in IT knows that the technology (both hardware and software) evolves rapidly and keeping up with the latest capability while relying on government acquisition procedures is challenging to say the least. Soon as you think you are on the cutting edge you find that the edge just moved further away. The Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) is a systematic, evidence-based process that evaluates the maturity of hardware and software technologies critical to the performance of a larger system or the fulfillment of the key objectives of an acquisition program. TRAs, which measure the technical maturity of a technology or system at a specific point in time, do not eliminate technology risk, but when done well, can illuminate concerns and serve as the basis for realistic discussions on how to mitigate potential risks as programs move from the early stages of technology development, where resource requirements are relatively modest, to system development and beyond, where resource requirements are often substantial. First you gotta find a good clean (legible) copy and make sure it's the latest version (not always easy). Some documents found on the web are missing some pages or the image quality is so poor, they are difficult to read. We look over each document carefully and replace poor quality images by going back to the original source document. We proof each document to make sure it's all there - including all changes. If you find a good copy, you could print it using a network printer you share with 100 other people (typically its either out of paper or toner). If it's just a 10-page document, no problem, but if it's 250-pages, you will need to punch 3 holes in all those pages and put it in a 3-ring binder. Takes at least an hour. This book includes original commentary which is copyright material. Note that government documents are in the public domain. We print these large documents as a service so you don't have to. The books are compact, tightly-bound, full-size (8 1/2 by 11 inches), with large text and glossy covers. 4th Watch Publishing Co. is a SDVOSB. Without positive feedback from the community, we may discontinue the service and y'all can go back to printing these books manually yourselves. www.usgovpub.com Other books available on www.Amazon.com: GAO Green Book - Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government GAO Yellow Book - Government Auditing Standards GAO Financial Audit Manual DoD 7000.14 - R Financial Management Regulation Defense Acquisition Guidebook (Chapters 1 - 10) Federal Acquisition Regulation - Complete Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation - Complete OMB No. A-123 - Management's Responsibility for Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Control OMB A-130 & Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) Federal Information System Controls Audit Manual (FISCAM) GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide GAO Schedule Assessment Guide