sdm pulse

5
Enduring Challenges in Tactical Intel
Tasks in the Military Decision-Making Process
Commander
XO Exec Officer
S3 Operations
S2 Intelligence
S6 Communications
S1 Personnel
S4 Logistics
Operators
1
Receipt of
Mission
Alert key staff and participants.
Gather tools.
Update running estimates.
Conduct initial assessment.
Issue the initial warning order.
Analyze higher HQ plan or order.
Perform initial Intelligence Preparation of Battlefield.
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Organizational Design Challenges
• Experience Differential
• Organizational Culture
Determine specified, implied, and essential tasks.
0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
Review available assets.
0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
Determine constraints.
0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
Command, Staff, and Operator Roles in MDMP
2
3
4
5
Mission Analysis
COA Development
COA Analysis
COA
Comparison
Identify critical facts and develop assumptions.
Begin composite risk management.
Develop initial commander’s critical information requirements
and essential elements of friendly information.
Develop initial recon and surveillance (R&S) synchronization tools.
Develop initial R&S plan.
Update plan for use of available time.
Develop initial themes and messages.
Develop proposed problem statement.
Develop proposed mission statement.
Present the mission analysis briefing.
Develop and issue initial commander’s intent.
Develop and issue initial planning guidance.
Develop course of action (COA) evaluation criteria.
Issue a warning order.
Assess relative combat power.
Generate options.
Array forces.
Develop a broad concept.
Assign headquarters.
Prepare COA statements and sketches.
Conduct COA briefing.
Select or modify COAs for continued analysis.
Gather the tools.
List all friendly forces.
List assumptions.
List known critical events and decision points.
Select the war-gaming method.
Select a technique to record and display results.
War-game the operation and assess the results.
Conduct a war-game briefing (optional).
Conduct advantages and disadvantages analysis.
Compare COAs.
Conduct a COA decision briefing.
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0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
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Commander
XO Exec Officer
S3 Operations
S2 Intelligence
S6 Communications
S1 Personnel
S4 Logistics
Operators
Commander
18 17 17 16 10 6 6 8
XO Exec Officer
17 29 28 27 16 8 8 10
S3 Operations
17 28 45 39 17 8 8 13
S2 Intelligence
16 27 39 39 17 8 8 10
S6 Communications
10 16 17 17 17 8 8 10
S1 Personnel
6 8 8 8 8 8 8 4
S4 Logistics
6 8 8 8 8 8 8 4
Operators 8 10 13 10 10 4 4 13
6
7
COA
Approval
Orders
Production
Commander selects COA.
Commander issues the final planning guidance.
Issue warning order #3.
Deliver/ brief order to subordinate unit.
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
Figure 2. The domain mapping matrix (DMM) on the left matches tasks in the military decision-making process (MDMP) to individual roles.
Squaring the DMM creates the design structure matrix on the right, which shows the interdependent roles within MDMP.
Design structure matrix (DSM). The formal mapping of a unit’s staff using the design structure matrix made it possible to see that some
transfers of information occur as lateral exchanges while others occur hierarchically. Structural and organizational designs inherent to military
culture and hierarchy, including potential disparities in rank and experience, can unfortunately create artificial barriers to communication.
For example, it is not atypical for an intelligence officer to rank one or two levels below an operations officer. This means the operations officer
could have many more years of experience than the intelligence officer. To work well together, the intelligence officer must spend significant
effort building knowledge of the unit’s operations, specific standards, and tactics just to be conversant with the person on whom all of his
tasks depend. The communication barriers are significantly greater when an analyst perceptibly lacks competency in his field.
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