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

The Military Decisionmaking Process
Figure 4-8. Sample avenue-in-depth method
4-150. In stability operations, planners can modify the avenue-in-depth method. Instead of focusing on a
geographic avenue, the staff war-games a line of effort. This method focuses on one line of effort at a time,
beginning with the decisive line. (See Figure 4-9.) It includes not only war-gaming events, objectives, or
events and objectives in the selected line, but also war-gaming relationships among events or objectives on
all lines of effort with respect to events in the selected line.
Figure 4-9. Sample modified avenue-in-depth method using lines of effort
4-151. The box method is a detailed analysis of a critical area, such as an engagement area, a rivercrossing
site, or a landing zone. (See Figure 4-10, page 4-30.) It works best in a time-constrained
environment, such as a hasty attack. It is particularly useful when planning operations in noncontiguous
14 September 2011 ATTP 5-0.1 4-29