ATTP 5-0.1 Commander and Staff Officer Guide - Army Electronic ...

Running Estimates
to account for the mission variables. The updated running estimates then support COA analysis (wargaming)
in which the staff identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each COA. The staff relies on its
updated running estimate to provide input to the war game. Following COA analysis, the staff compares the
proposed COAs against each other and recommends one of them to the commander for approval. During all
these activities, each staff section continues to update and refine its running estimate to give commanders
the best possible information available at the time to support their decisions. The selected COA provides
each staff section an additional focus for its estimates and the key information it will need during orders
production. Key information recorded in the running estimate is included in orders, particularly in the
functional annexes.
RUNNING ESTIMATES IN PREPARATION
6-9. The commander and staff transition from planning to execution. As they transition, they use running
estimates to identify the current readiness of the unit in relationship to its mission. The commander and
staff also use running estimates to develop, then track, mission readiness goals and additional requirements.
RUNNING ESTIMATES IN EXECUTION
6-10. During execution, the commander and staff incorporate information included in running estimates
into the common operational picture. This enables the commander and staff to depict key information from
each functional area or warfighting function as it impacts current and future operations. This information
directly supports the commander’s visualization and rapid decisionmaking during operations.
RUNNING ESTIMATES IN ASSESSMENT
6-11. Each staff section continuously analyzes new information during operations to create knowledge and
understand if operations are progressing according to plan. Staffs use their running estimates to develop
measures of effectiveness and measures of performance to support their analyses. The assessment of
current operations also supports validation or rejection of additional information that will help update the
estimates and support further planning. At a minimum, a staff section’s running estimate assesses the
following:
� Friendly force capabilities with respect to ongoing and planned operations.
� Enemy capabilities as they affect the staff section’s area of expertise for current operations and
plans for future operations.
� Civil considerations as they affect the staff section’s area of expertise for current operations and
plans for future operations.
14 September 2011 ATTP 5-0.1 6-3