Defense Decision Support Course (DDSC) - Office of the

DDSCDefense Decision SupportCourseDepartment of the ArmyThis course is designed to complement the DecisionSupport instruction embedded in the four-weekDefense Financial Management Course also taughtat the DFM&CS. The purpose is to acquaint mid– tosenior-level personnel with the merits of the DecisionSupport instruction so they recognize and more readilyaccept appropriate analysis and recommendations fromtheir subordinates.Defense Financial Management & Comptroller School(DFM&CS) defines Decision Support as enablingdecision makers to make informed decisions that betterutilize resources and improve mission effectiveness.The school views decision support as a two-phasedprocess providing leaders with viable alternatives,financial and non-financial impacts of choosing analternative, and a well-supported recommendation.In phase one, advisors combine data, tools andtechniques to understand the environment and analyzehow and why things happened.In phase two, advisors use their analysis to developand clearly communicate projections, alternatives andimpacts and make recommendations in a concise,actionable, and timely manner to decision makers whomay or may not be subject matter experts.Major topic areasIntroduction to Decision SupportWhat is it? Why is it important? How does it fit intothe decision making model? What are the benefits andlimitations?Qualitative SkillsCreative and critical thinking, brainstorming, understandingthe boss’ intent, communicating yourrecommendationQuantitative Skills / ToolsWhat is available? When is a certain tool or techniqueappropriate? What are its limitations? How do youunderstand and mitigate the risk associated withanalysts?Practical Exercises and Case StudiesStudents work together to identify issues, developalternatives, compare those alternatives andrecommend a course of action for resolving thescenario. They compare their analysis to that of otherteams or to the “real world” results to gain insight intothe complexity of decision makingWhat to ExpectStudents will start this four day course with a practicalexercise requiring team building, understanding groupdynamics, forming an “informed” consensus, andproviding recommendations based on that consensus.This exercise provides a common experience to relateback to throughout the workshop.The exercise is followed by an introduction to theconcepts of Decision Support followed by a SeniorLeader’s perspective regarding the importance ofimplementing decision support concepts at all levelsand what he / she expects from advisors.The course then incrementally walks through thedecision- support model illustrating the steps orareas that can be positively affected utilizing variousquantitative and qualitative skills. Students explore “realworld” scenarios submitted by fellow students on Day4, integrating the concepts discussed with their workenvironments. They spend the last day working throughan in-depth exercise requiring the use of all the toolsand techniques previously discussed, preparing them tobetter support informed decisions in the future.