Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) Deskbook
Risk and manufacturing status assessments have been conducted in defense acquisition plans for many years in various forms. Although extremely well-organized and well-managed, these assessments used different measures to assess and communicate risk to manufacturing readiness.
Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 5000.88, Engineering of Defense Systems, states, "The production, quality, and manufacturing (PQM) lead, working for the [Program Manager (PM)], will ensure manufacturing, producibility, and quality risks are identified and managed throughout the program's life cycle." This instruction establishes general maturity criteria for each life-cycle phase leading to the production decision.
Assessments of manufacturing's maturity using Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) criteria were developed to assess and manage manufacturing risk during acquisition, reducing the risk of technology change for advanced technology for weapons applications in the system. MRL Criteria and metrics provide an assessment scale and a language for discussing and assessing the level of maturity in manufacturing and risks. By using MRL criteria and metrics, an assessment is made using MRL standards and measures. The MRL assessment is a standardized method of evaluating manufacturing processes, procedures, and practices for technology components, products, assemblies, subsystems, and systems.
An MRL Assessment, also known as a Manufacturing Readiness Assessment (MRA) The assessment is done to:
- Define the current manufacturing maturity
- Find out about shortfalls in maturity and their associated risks and expenses
- Establish the foundation for management of the manufacturing maturation process and the risk
This document outlines the best techniques to conduct evaluations of the maturity of manufacturing and risk using MRL criteria. It is intended for people working on MRL Assessments and acquisition PMs and systems manufacturers, engineers, and the managers of technology development and development projects for pre-systems acquisition technologies demonstration.
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