ISSUE 182 : Jul/Aug - 2010 - Australian Defence Force Journal

• Specific information on a variety of commonly-used OR techniques, and• Worked examples that may be used as templates for new OR studies that arise.While the techniques and tools applied by deployed OA teams are as varied as the problemsthey encounter, not all OR techniques available have been used. Some techniques simplydo not lend themselves to application on the time-scales of Fast OR studies; others may beunnecessarily complicated or involve resources not available in the field, such as dedicatedmodelling and simulation facilities. To assist the ongoing development of Fast OR practice thatis specifically tailored to the needs of deployed OA teams, a portal has been established tocapture the studies undertaken to date. This database of Fast OR studies is supplemented bythe work undertaken in the DOSC’s Operational Reachback and ODE cells, where existing dataand previous studies are captured, collated and stored so as to make them readily accessible todeployed analysts. As such, the portal not only provides a means for the ongoing developmentand management of Fast OR but also is a valuable resource for OA practitioners new to thesupport to operations area. A sampling of the OR techniques and tools that have been used insupport of current operations is shown at Table 2.• Questionnaires and Surveys• Spreadsheet modelling and analysis• Functional Analysis• Linear Programming• Causal Mapping• Data collation and fusion• Optimisation• Cognitive Mapping• Visualisation• Modelling and Simulation• Influence DiagramsTable 2. A sampling of the techniques and tools used in Fast OR studiesin support of current operationsQuality control or assurance?A challenge for DSTO is to develop suitable mechanisms for assuring the scientific quality ofthe Fast OR studies it undertakes, while maintaining their timeliness, usefulness and relevance.Such mechanisms should be commensurate with established OR practice but able to be appliedin the time available. This is also important for Defence clients and stakeholders, who need tounderstand the levels of certainty and veracity of supporting S&T studies when factoring theminto their deliberations. Unfortunately, the usual process for evaluating scientific quality, basedon peer review, does not operate over time-scales compatible with Fast OR. The dilemma forscientists working in support to current operations is then the apparent conflicting demandsbetween timely dissemination of their findings to the military and the time-scales of peerreviewprocesses. Some tailored means of determining scientific quality is thus required.The wide range in the types of studies that may be undertaken in support of current operationsprovides an additional dimension to the challenge of determining scientific quality. Thisrelates both to the structuring of the processes to be followed in conducting the study and65