Quantitative Capability Delivery Increments: A Novel Approach for Assessing DOD Network Capability

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Although Joint network enabled operations promise the DoD improved agility and effectiveness in dealing with a wide range of conflicts, missions & situations, such operations pose significant challenges for decision makers faced with the job of identifying major gaps in network capability and the potential contribution of investment alternatives to mission success. Traditional analysis methods based on information exchange requirements have been found to be resource intensive, time consuming, and often limited by the experience of the supporting subject matter experts who are unable to anticipate either the situations that might arise or the manner in which new capabilities and business processes might evolve over time. In a paper to appear elsewhere, the authors describe a new but complementary approach to estimate future demand for network capability based on the premise that aggregate demand for network capability is driven by trends in communication devices used to access the network. That paper describes the Quantitative Capabilities Delivery Increments (QCDI) demand model and tool developed to meet DoD’s need to project future network demands of military units. This paper proposes a flexible approach for applying the QCDI demand model to assess the adequacy of network capability offered by existing, programmed, planned or proposed capabilities to meet the needs of a variety of units in appropriate mission contexts. Key elements of the approach include: (1) relating the capability offered by a system or program to the demand for types of devices and classes of users by appropriately parsing the associated demand to match the needs of the problem being addressed; and (2) aggregating capabilities associated with component systems and programs within a portfolio to estimate overall network capability supplied to units. This paper describes a multi-level methodological framework that can account for interactions among programs or program elements to varying degrees depending on the data, time and resources available. Two illustrative applications, each with incrementally increasing analytical complexity are included. Extensions of the methodology and related research necessary to determine mission implications of capability gaps or degradation due to a spectrum of threats are also discussed briefly.