Abstract
M.Comm.
During the design and development of a system, it can easily happen that the elements
directly associated with the prime mission statement receive the most attention. The
life-cycle support of the system is neglected , which leads to unnecessary financial
burdens because:
the cost of the system life-cycle support contributes to a large proportion of the
overall system life-cycle cost.
the cost of the system life-cycle is largely dependent on choices made during the
earlier design stages of the system life-cycle (Blanchard & Fabrycky 1981: 448).
In order to minimize the system life-cycle support cost, it is important to optimize the
system life-cycle support cost as soon as possible in the project life-cycle. According
to Ronald (1992:Xiii), the logistical support of a system can contribute to as much as 30 percent of the product cost. The level of logistical support has to be compared to the logistical support cost. Logistical support analysis (LSA) is used to optimize the logistical support plan. The overall goal is to design for supportability. Each subsystem and possible problem area has to be identified, and an optimal support plan has to be developed. According to a study conducted by Anderson Consulting and the Chair of Logistics at the University of Pretoria, businesses across South Africa are turning to logistics to answer the problems they face in respect of rising costs, greater competition, changing customer needs and the application of technology (Productivity SA 1995:21). This illustrates the importance of optimizing the logistical support system. It also indicates
the ability of an optimal support plan to reduce overall operating costs.