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Disruptive solutions process

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The disruptive solutions process (DSP) is a form of iterative, low-cost, first-to-market development created in 2005 by fighter pilot and the United States Air Force/Air National Guard Colonel Edward Vaughan.[1] It is primarily used by the Air National Guard at the tactical or operational level to prevent mishaps during the combat operations process. However, it has been used successfully in other government agencies and the private sector. The term 'disruptive' was borrowed from the marketing term disruptive technologies.

Overview

The typical defense industry bureaucratic approach to problem-solving involves long lead times and relative inflexibility. Long development cycles and lead times results in solutions that are no longer relevant.[2]

Recent attempts to resolve inefficiencies include overwhelming the problem with funding, resources, and manpower—for example, major weapon systems development, such as a new fighter jet or IT system.[3] Conversely, when resources are constrained, bureaucratic staff adopt continuous process improvement, similar to Kaizen, total quality management, and Lean Six Sigma. This perpetuates low-value programs that should be eliminated, rather than "improved".

Because most preventable safety mishaps are caused by human factors,[4] safety should apply a disruptive, iterative approach that may not be appropriate in hardware-focused programs, such as aircraft production.

To address the cultural issues associated with mishap prevention in a large bureaucracy, the Air National Guard safety directorate used Boyd's Observe, Orient, Decide, Act Loop to assess the effectiveness of the process. This was the origin of DSP.

DSP is persistent and adaptive:

"Persistence is about refusing to give up even in the face of adversity. Adaptation is about shortening the time to success through ingenuity and flexibility. 'Adaptive persistence' entails alternating between anticipation, changing course, and sticking with it, deftly navigating that paradox with aplomb."[5]

Basic process

Essentially DSP is a six-step process that runs counter to the military mantra of being "requirements-driven", instead focusing on projecting future market needs. This is accomplished by looking at front-line problem solving activity and scaling these solutions up. These six steps, when applied rapidly, can get ahead of recognition, providing viable solutions at the point and time of need:

1. IDEA MINING: use professionals at the field unit level to identify best practices for mishap prevention. Project unpublished requirements by including end-use customers in the idea mining process.

2. CONSOLIDATE: Heuristically sort ideas into groups based on resource requirements, proven record, technology leveraging, mission accomplishment, identified needs. Order all projects based on overall value.

3. ELIMINATE BAD FITS: Scrub the list for items requiring major hardware or other difficult to acquire funding.

4. SELECT: Rapidly source funding in the sub-$50K range to perform a limited DEM/VAL of concept. The key is to remove barriers to execution that typically delay other military efforts.

5. ITERATE: Establish definition of success at the outset. Demonstrate measurable results within six months. Match requirements to resources and solutions.

6. MARKET: lead the effort on behalf of the United States Department of Defense, etc. and tighten the OODA loop. Market the solution and seek buy-in by returning the solution to same experts that initially proposed it.

History and program successes

DSP was initiated during OIF in 2004, when a joint, interagency team, led by then-Major Edward Vaughan and then-Major Cameron Guthrie, created Project BLACK MOUNTAIN. The project evolved from a combined requirement to better share real-time tactical data among ground and air forces, as well as promote mid-air collision avoidance (MACA) within the area of responsibility (AOR). This project, which is no longer classified, assembled an ad hoc tactical datalink using in situ components within an Internet Protocol-normalized network throughout United States Central Command's AOR. Data from otherwise incompatible systems were shared in near real time using data packet conversion methods developed on ___location. BLACK MOUNTAIN provided a viable fill in the gaps left by the dismantled Battlefield Universal Gateway Equipment (BUG-E)[6] gateway solution by distributing a redundant, universal concept of operations to remote stations. The disruptive and austere nature of the solution project, and its unexpected and rapid success, led to the creation of DSP as one way of streamlining bureaucracy in both combat non-combat environments.

More recently, DSP has been used in the ANG and USAF to create and field mishap prevention programs. Safety programs created, executed, or developed using DSP:

SEE AND AVOID – Joint DOD and Interagency with AOPA, EAA, and FAA. It is a web based civilian-military midair collision avoidance program created by then-Lt Col Ed Vaughan and led by ANG Safety directorate from 2005 to 2009, considered a best practice. ACC is partner; AFCENT asked for Iraq, Afghanistan coverage, now under contract, currently led and funded by FAA and ANG.[7]

WingmanDay.org: Originally fielded as RealBase across the Air National Guard...this Comprehensive Commander’s Toolkit identifies safety issues, resiliency subject matter, and provides tools for commanders, leaders, and care practitioners to address; created by ANG Safety directorate after 2007 Safety Stand Down Day to provide ONE STOP SHOPPING for commanders and leaders. The RealBase web portal ran through 2009, when IT officials at the National Guard Bureau suspended it. In 2011, the program was relaunched as Wingman Day. The Air Force Safety Center took the RealBase Toolkit concept and developed one-stop-shopping online tool kits hosted on the secure Air Force Portal.[8]

Maintenance Resource Management (MRM): Joint DOD-wide. Originated by Lt Col Doug Slocum (AZ ANG) --see Maintenance Resource Management. ANG included it in DSP and took it DOD-wide with ANG and DOD funding...now Air Force program mandated by Air Force Instruction 21–101. Air Force Safety Center will propose way ahead on ORM revitalization & role of CRM / MRM.

FlyAwake: ANG-wide, soon to be DOD-wide Joint Service. 201 Airlift Squadron (DC ANG), under command of Col Woody Akins, originated the basic concept for a web-based fatigue risk management tool which returns quantitative fatigue analysis for given flight schedule. This tool was based on the algorithm contained within FAST. Under direction of program manager Captain Lynn Lee, the ANG integrated it into the DSP and took it ANG-wide, then DOD-wide.[9]

Wingman Project: The Wingman Project was created by Lt Col Edward Vaughan, chief of aviation safety at the Air National Guard in August 2007. Wingman Project is an ANG suicide intervention initiative that SHOWS, not tells, family and friends of distressed Airmen how to intervene to save a life, using a validated model known as ACE (Ask, Care, Escort). The Wingman Project provides training and awareness through media outreach in 54 U.S. states and territories.[10]

ANG AFCAST (online safety cultural survey) was the first Air National Guard variant of AFCAST. Dr. (Lt Col) Tracy Dillinger developed AFCAST for the US Air Force. In 2006/2007, Air National Guard provided key funding to the Air Force Safety Center to keep the AFCAST program viable. In return, a customized cultural tool for ANG, called ANG AFCAST was developed in 2006/2007 by the Chief of ANG Flight Safety in collaboration with Dr. Bob Figlock. The Defense Safety Oversight Council[11] later funded the Joint Safety Climate Assessment System,[12] under the leadership of Col Don White. ANG adopted JSCAS in lieu of ANG AFCAST based on better effectiveness. JSCAS and Joint MRM were briefed together in 2007 by ANG Safety officers to the Chief of the Navy Safety Center at Norfolk as complementary programs. Used to assess unit cultural issues and target solutions to the base needs. JSCAS

dBird bird mortality model. Created and developed as interagency program combining partners from CDC, Smithsonian, NSF, USDA, DHS, and NOAA under ANG leadership to track, target, and predict movements of pathogen-infected bird flocks using BASH resources such as BAM/AHAS, NexRAD radar system, and others.[13]

BASH: ANG has comprehensive full-service BASH assessments and plan writing program, with MIPR and contracts from ANG to USDA and the world’s leading expert in avian wildlife biology, Dr. Russ DeFusco.[14][15]

Air Reserve Component Chief of Safety Course (ARCCOS) – created by the ANG safety directorate in 2005, ARCCOS is tailored to ANG/AFRC needs; syllabus designed and course taught by ANG, well represented at active duty mishap investigation courses.

Low Altitude Deconfliction Program – Deconflict.org is online scheduling function with FAA's MADE program to provide collision avoidance for military aircraft operating in low altitude environment.[16]

Ready 54 – Ready54.org is online joint resiliency outreach and education tool with associated mobile apps. Ready 54 is a joint endeavor between the Air and Army National Guard.[17]

In the news

On September 25, 2009, Dr. John Ohab of the American Forces Press Service, and host of Armed With Science interviewed Lt Col Edward Vaughan about the Disruptive Solutions Process. An article about that interview can be found here Defense News Service. A direct link to the interview here [18] [19]

See also

Citations and notes

  1. ^ Face of Defense: Air Guardsman Entrepreneurial Approach..
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ [2]
  4. ^ Catalog of Air Force Statistics by Aircraft Type, considered typical for US Military [3] Archived December 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Adaptive Persistence article from HBR
  6. ^ [4]
  7. ^ See And Avoid Archived October 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Wingman Day". Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  9. ^ Fly Awake, User-Friendly Fatigue Assessment and Mitigation
  10. ^ The Wingman Project
  11. ^ "DSOC". Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  12. ^ "JSCAS". Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  13. ^ "dBird, Bird Mortality Model". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  14. ^ "Dr. Russ DeFusco's BASH Firm". Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  15. ^ US Avian Hazard Advisory System
  16. ^ "Low Level Deconfliction". Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  17. ^ Ready 54 About Us
  18. ^ Wingman Project
  19. ^ About Aditya Raj Singh

References

  • Lee, Lynn "Face of Defense: Air Guardsman's Entrepreneurial Approach Earns Safety Award"[5]
  • Boyd, John, Organic Design for Command and Control [6]
  • Kotnour, Jim, Leadership Mechanisms for Enabling Learning Within Project Teams in proceedings from the Third European Conference on Organizational Knowledge, Learning and Capabilities, Proceedings OKLC 2002 [7]
  • Osinga, Frans, Science Strategy and War, The Strategic Theory of John Boyd, Abingdon, UK: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-37103-1.
  • Richards, Chet, Certain to Win: the Strategy of John Boyd, Applied to Business (2004) ISBN 1-4134-5377-5
  • Ullman, David G., “OO-OO-OO!” The Sound of a Broken OODA Loop, Crosstalk, April 2007,
  • Ullman, David G., Making Robust Decisions: Decision Management For Technical, Business, and Service Teams. Victoria: Trafford ISBN 1-4251-0956-X – ties the OODA Loop into decision making processes.[8]
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