This case study reports the challenges faced by multiple, mature (CMM level 5) organizations during the upgrade of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) components within a major United States satellite and ground control system.

During the satellite and ground system (SGCS) upgrade, the ground control system (GCS) contractor, successfully upgraded thirteen COTS products. Simultaneously, another contractor attempted to upgrade a COTS Mission Application Area (MAA) product. This upgrade required support from multiple contractors and a COTS product vendor. The upgrade experienced significant problems, resulting in extra man-years of effort, schedule delays, and contractor replacement before the issues were resolved. The task was eventually completed, but some important lessons were learned and are offered here to those facing similar challenges.

This report provides an overview of the GCS history, the system context and need for the upgrade, key characteristics of the COTS management process, an analysis of the upgrade results and a summary of the lessons learned.