Prior to the release of the final request for proposal for the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction phase activities, what must a Program Manager do?

• A. Award the contract immediately
• B. Publish the Final RFP
• C. Complete system-level design review
• D. Successfully complete Milestone A and obtain Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) approval

Answer: (D)

The key idea is governance gating before moving into a phase. Before the final RFP for Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction can be released, the program must have the go-ahead from senior oversight by completing Milestone A and obtaining approval from the Milestone Decision Authority. This ensures there is a validated mission need, a credible concept, a sound plan, and an acceptable level of risk to proceed with technology maturation. Only with MDA approval is the program authorized to solicit proposals and commit to funding for this phase. Jumping to an award would skip these governance steps; issuing the Final RFP beforehand would be premature; and a system-level design review happens later in the lifecycle. Therefore, completing Milestone A and obtaining MDA approval is the required prerequisite.