CADMID Lifecycle

CADMID is the acronym for the six phases of the UK MoD's project lifecycle: Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service, and Disposal. The framework governs how defence acquisition programmes are planned, assured and delivered, and each phase has specific deliverables, gateway reviews and project controls requirements. Unlike a generic capital project lifecycle, CADMID reflects the long operational life of defence equipment and the need for through-life management from concept to disposal — which can span forty years or more.

Project controls requirements differ significantly across CADMID phases. Concept and Assessment phases are risk- and option-analysis heavy, with QRA focused on cost confidence of alternative solutions under high uncertainty. Demonstration and Manufacture phases introduce EVMS reporting, PMB baseline control and detailed schedule management, often to the standards specified in DEF STAN and contract reporting requirements. In-Service phase controls focus on through-life cost management and sustainment. Disposal phase introduces its own cost and regulatory complexity, particularly on platforms with radiological or environmental legacy.

For project controls practitioners working in defence, understanding the CADMID phase is essential for sizing and structuring the controls function. The same programme can require lightweight analytical controls at Concept, heavy EVMS discipline at Manufacture, and framework-based sustainment controls In-Service. A controls approach designed for one phase will be the wrong shape for the next, and the transitions between phases are where controls functions most often fail to scale. SOMA delivers project controls into UK defence programmes across the CADMID lifecycle.