Test and evaluation master plan (TEMP) is a critical aspect of project management involving complex systems that must satisfy specification requirements. The TEMP is used to support programmatic events called milestone decisions that separate the individual phases of a project. For military systems, the level of funding determines the Acquisition Category and the organization responsible for the milestone decision. A traceability matrix is generally used to link items within the TEMP to items within specifications. Definition The Test and Evaluation Master Plan documents the overall structure and objectives of the Test & Evaluation for a program. It covers activities over a program’s life-cycle and identifies evaluation criteria for the testers. The test and evaluation master plan consists of individual tests. Each test contains the following. Test Scenario Data Collection Performance Evaluation Test scenario The test scenario establishes test conditions. This is typically associated with a specific mission profile. For military systems, this would be a combat scenario, and it may involve Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E). For commercial systems, this would involve a specific kind of situation involving the use of the item being developed. For example, cold weather operation may require operation to be evaluated at temperatures below C using an environmental chamber. Evaluation of operation with a vehicle interface may require compatibility evaluation with a vibration test. Evaluation of an Internet store would require the system to take the user through a product purchase while the system is loaded with other traffic. The test scenario identifies the following. Items required for testing Instructions to set up the items that will be used during the test General description for how to operate the system under test Specific actions and events that will take place during the test Data collection Data collection identifies information that must be collected during the test. This involves preliminary setup before the test begins. This may involve preparation for any of the following. Settings for the system under test Separate instrumentation Written notes from direct observation Sample collection Systems that incorporate a computer typically require the ability to extract and record specific kinds of data from the system while it is operating normally. Electronic data collection may be started and stopped as one of the actions described in the test scenario. When data access is restricted, so the transfer of data between organizations may require a Data Collection Plan. This can occur with classified