Disruptive Solutions Process
Encyclopedia
The Disruptive Solutions Process (DSP) is a concept applied to the mishap prevention part of the combat operations process
, often at tactical
or operational level, primarily in Air National Guard applications. However, it has been used successfully in other government agencies and in the private sector. The term 'disruptive' is borrowed from the marketing term disruptive technologies. DSP was created by fighter pilot
and United States Air Force
/Air National Guard
Lieutenant Colonel
Edward Vaughan.
, Total Quality Management
, and Lean Six Sigma
.
Because most preventable "safety" mishaps are caused by human factors (83% of FY07 AF Class A costs due to HF per AF Safety Center) and can be traced to human cultural and behavioral issues, according to DSP, safety can and should uniquely apply a "disruptive" solution set to addressing the issues. Such a disruptive, iterative approach may not be appropriate in otherwise hardware-centric programs, such an aircraft procurement or production.
To address the safety cultural issues associated with mishap prevention in a large bureaucracy, Air National Guard safety pursued a disruptive approach in requirement definition, problem identification, solution vetting, funding, and procurement. Using Boyd's OODA Loop
to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the process, DSP was created. However, taking on a bureaucracy is not without its downside. Fiefdoms and stovepipes within the system attempt to protect their "turf" and "lanes" with rules, regulations, and non-stop administrative delays and paperwork. All this requires commitment to a long-term solution set, while constantly changing the solution itself in order to work through the bureaucratic hurdles.
The DSP approach is both persistent and adaptive, which makes it entrepreneurial, according to Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek in their article "Fending off the Recession with 'Adaptive Persistence'", published in the Harvard Business Review, April 2009. They write... "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."
Essentially it is a six-step process:
1. POLL FIELD—IDEA MINING: use network of professionals at the field unit level to identify best practice mishap prevention, education, mishap investigation, procurement, and other tools. Look for full and partial solutions.
2. CONSOLIDATE / RACK AND STACK: Heuristically sort list of ideas into groups based on resource requirements, proven record, technology leveraging, mission accomplishment, AFI directives, and NGB identified needs. Rank order all projects based on overall value to the force using DSP assessment algorithm (citation forthcoming after public release of algorithm).
3. ELIMINATE BAD FITS: Scrub the list for those items requiring major hardware, POM, or other non-O&M (3400-type) funding or processes. Eliminate those programs that are not scalable in scope.
4. SELECT AND DEM/VAL: Consider resource requirements and rapidly source field unit funding or headquarters seed monies in the sub-$50K range to perform a limited DEM/VAL of concept. Use rapid contracting mechanisms through government contracting office, primarily employing SBA
set-asides, blanket purchase agreements, or previously procured assets that may be re-roled into current use. This requires expert contracting officers and staff who possess training in performing basic functions of government contracting officer representative, or contracting officer technical representative.
5. RESULTS: Establish definition of success at the outset. Measurable and reportable. Demonstrate measurable results within six months and seek further external and scalable funding from sources such as DARPA, Defense Safety Oversight Council (DSOC), other services, other government agencies, etc. Match requirements to resources and solutions.
6. LEAD AND MARKET: lead the effort on behalf of the United States Department of Defense
, Joint, Interagency, etc. and tighten the OODA loop down to nothing. Essentially creating an agile, continuous loop so tight, Boyd might describe it as an OODA Point. Market the solution intensely and seek buy in by returning the solution to same experts that initially proposed it. Identify capable project leaders to run with the project.
REPEAT PROCESS.
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 was shared in near real time using data packet conversion methods, developed on location. The disruptive and austere nature of the solution project, and its unexpected and rapid success, led to 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 ANG, considered best practice. ACC is partner; AFCENT asked for Iraq, Afghanistan coverage, now under contract, led by ANG and Air Combat Command
.
RealBase.org: ANG-wide…Comprehensive Commander’s Toolkit identifies safety issues, provides tools for Commanders to address; created by ANG after 2007 Safety Stand Down Day to provide ONE STOP SHOPPING for commanders and leaders. This web portal ran through 2009, when IT officials at the National Guard Bureau suspended it. The Air Force Safety Center took the concept and developed one-stop-shopping online tool kits hosted on the secure Air Force Portal.
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.
Wingman Project: The Wingman Project
went live on 2 Feb 09 at Tucson, Arizona. 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.
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 collboration with Dr. Bob Figlock. The Defense Safety Oversight Council later funded the Joint Safety Climate Assessment System , 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.
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.,
ANG Chief of Safety Course (ARCCOS) – tailored to ANG/AFRC needs; 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.
Combat operations process
Combat operations process is undertaken by armed forces during military campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements to facilitate the setting of objectives, direction of combat, and assessment of the operation plan's success....
, often at tactical
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
or operational level, primarily in Air National Guard applications. However, it has been used successfully in other government agencies and in the private sector. The term 'disruptive' is borrowed from the marketing term disruptive technologies. DSP was created by fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
and United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
/Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Edward Vaughan.
Overview
Typical defense industry bureaucratic approach to problem solving might be to either overwhelm with superior funding, resources, and manpower—take any major weapon systems development such as a new fighter jet, for example—or secondarily, when resources are constrained, adopt a stance of continuous process improvement, similar to that espoused in KaizenKaizen
, Japanese for "improvement", or "change for the better" refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, game development, and business management. It has been applied in healthcare, psychotherapy, life-coaching, government,...
, Total Quality Management
Total Quality Management
Total quality management or TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of products and processes....
, and Lean Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma
In recent years, some practitioners have combined Six Sigma ideas with lean manufacturing to yield a methodology named Lean Six Sigma. Lean manufacturing – addressing process flow and waste issues – and Six Sigma, with its focus on variation and design, are viewed as complementary disciplines in...
.
Because most preventable "safety" mishaps are caused by human factors (83% of FY07 AF Class A costs due to HF per AF Safety Center) and can be traced to human cultural and behavioral issues, according to DSP, safety can and should uniquely apply a "disruptive" solution set to addressing the issues. Such a disruptive, iterative approach may not be appropriate in otherwise hardware-centric programs, such an aircraft procurement or production.
To address the safety cultural issues associated with mishap prevention in a large bureaucracy, Air National Guard safety pursued a disruptive approach in requirement definition, problem identification, solution vetting, funding, and procurement. Using Boyd's OODA Loop
OODA Loop
The OODA loop is a concept originally applied to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level in military operations. It is now also often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes...
to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the process, DSP was created. However, taking on a bureaucracy is not without its downside. Fiefdoms and stovepipes within the system attempt to protect their "turf" and "lanes" with rules, regulations, and non-stop administrative delays and paperwork. All this requires commitment to a long-term solution set, while constantly changing the solution itself in order to work through the bureaucratic hurdles.
The DSP approach is both persistent and adaptive, which makes it entrepreneurial, according to Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek in their article "Fending off the Recession with 'Adaptive Persistence'", published in the Harvard Business Review, April 2009. They write... "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."
Basic process
The "process" is executed similar to a venture capitalist's portfolio of projects in that the team invests small amounts of resources in many disruptive ideas. Then the team assesses initial demonstrations and validations (DEM/VAL) of those solutions, choosing only to fully develop those that show success and return on the investment.Essentially it is a six-step process:
1. POLL FIELD—IDEA MINING: use network of professionals at the field unit level to identify best practice mishap prevention, education, mishap investigation, procurement, and other tools. Look for full and partial solutions.
2. CONSOLIDATE / RACK AND STACK: Heuristically sort list of ideas into groups based on resource requirements, proven record, technology leveraging, mission accomplishment, AFI directives, and NGB identified needs. Rank order all projects based on overall value to the force using DSP assessment algorithm (citation forthcoming after public release of algorithm).
3. ELIMINATE BAD FITS: Scrub the list for those items requiring major hardware, POM, or other non-O&M (3400-type) funding or processes. Eliminate those programs that are not scalable in scope.
4. SELECT AND DEM/VAL: Consider resource requirements and rapidly source field unit funding or headquarters seed monies in the sub-$50K range to perform a limited DEM/VAL of concept. Use rapid contracting mechanisms through government contracting office, primarily employing SBA
SBA
SBA may stand for:* Survivable Branch Appliance* Santa Barbara Airport* Santa Barbara Airlines* SBA Towers, radio masts and towers* School-based assessment, a programme of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education which composes parts of the marks...
set-asides, blanket purchase agreements, or previously procured assets that may be re-roled into current use. This requires expert contracting officers and staff who possess training in performing basic functions of government contracting officer representative, or contracting officer technical representative.
5. RESULTS: Establish definition of success at the outset. Measurable and reportable. Demonstrate measurable results within six months and seek further external and scalable funding from sources such as DARPA, Defense Safety Oversight Council (DSOC), other services, other government agencies, etc. Match requirements to resources and solutions.
6. LEAD AND MARKET: lead the effort on behalf of the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, Joint, Interagency, etc. and tighten the OODA loop down to nothing. Essentially creating an agile, continuous loop so tight, Boyd might describe it as an OODA Point. Market the solution intensely and seek buy in by returning the solution to same experts that initially proposed it. Identify capable project leaders to run with the project.
REPEAT PROCESS.
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 Camron 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 collisionMid-air collision
A mid-air collision is an aviation accident in which two or more aircraft come into contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and any subsequent impact on the ground or sea, very severe damage or the total destruction of at least one of the aircraft involved usually...
avoidance (MACA) within the area of responsibility
Area of responsibility
Area Of Responsibility is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to a Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan , that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and conduct operations; for which a force, or component commander...
(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
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
's AOR. Data from otherwise incompatible systems was shared in near real time using data packet conversion methods, developed on location. The disruptive and austere nature of the solution project, and its unexpected and rapid success, led to creation of DSP as one way of streamlining bureaucracy in both combat non-combat environments.
More recently, DSP has been used in the ANG
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
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 ANG, considered best practice. ACC is partner; AFCENT asked for Iraq, Afghanistan coverage, now under contract, led by ANG and Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
.
RealBase.org: ANG-wide…Comprehensive Commander’s Toolkit identifies safety issues, provides tools for Commanders to address; created by ANG after 2007 Safety Stand Down Day to provide ONE STOP SHOPPING for commanders and leaders. This web portal ran through 2009, when IT officials at the National Guard Bureau suspended it. The Air Force Safety Center took the concept and developed one-stop-shopping online tool kits hosted on the secure Air Force Portal.
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
Orm
Orm became an Anglo-Saxon personal name during period of the Danelaw...
revitalization & role of CRM
Crew Resource Management
Crew resource management or Cockpit resource management is a procedure and training system in systems where human error can have devastating effects. Used primarily for improving air safety, CRM focuses on interpersonal communication, leadership, and decision making in the cockpit...
/ 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
Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool
Fatigue is a major human factors issue in aviation safety. The Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool was developed by the United States Air Force in 2000–2001 to address the problem of aircrew fatigue in aircrew flight scheduling. FAST is a Windows program that allows scientists, planners and...
. Under direction of program manager Captain Lynn Lee, the ANG integrated it into the DSP and took it ANG-wide, then DOD-wide.
Wingman Project: The Wingman Project
Wingman Project
The Wingman Project is a layperson suicide intervention program that shows U.S. military members and their families how to intervene to save a life...
went live on 2 Feb 09 at Tucson, Arizona. 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.
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 collboration with Dr. Bob Figlock. The Defense Safety Oversight Council later funded the Joint Safety Climate Assessment System , 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
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
, Smithsonian, NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, USDA, DHS, and NOAA under ANG leadership to track, target, and predict movements of pathogen-infected bird flocks using BASH
Bird strike
A bird strike—sometimes called birdstrike, avian ingestion , bird hit, or BASH —is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft...
resources such as BAM/AHAS, NexRAD radar system, and others.
BASH: ANG has comprehensive full-service BASH assessments and plan writing program, with MIPR
Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request
The Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request is a method for transferring funds amongst U.S. military organizations. It allows for multi-organizational cooperative efforts to be performed, rather than limiting funding to a single organization....
and contracts from ANG to USDA and the world’s leading expert in avian wildlife biology, Dr. Russ DeFusco.,
ANG Chief of Safety Course (ARCCOS) – tailored to ANG/AFRC needs; 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
Made
Made or MADE may refer to:*Made - town in the Netherlands*van der Made - Dutch family name*Made *Made *Made *Made - by Scarface*M.A.D.E...
program to provide collision avoidance for military aircraft operating in low altitude environment.
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 hereSee also
- OODA LoopOODA LoopThe OODA loop is a concept originally applied to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level in military operations. It is now also often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes...
- Problem solvingProblem solvingProblem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
- SystempunktSystempunktA systempunkt is a point in a system reactive to many small interactions, which through a network of objects in a surrounding environment or dependent network, exhibits a cascading collapse in the specific system and possibly the networked components...
- Maintenance Resource Management
- Mid-air collisionMid-air collisionA mid-air collision is an aviation accident in which two or more aircraft come into contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and any subsequent impact on the ground or sea, very severe damage or the total destruction of at least one of the aircraft involved usually...
- IntrapreneurshipIntrapreneurshipIntrapreneurship is the act of behaving like an entrepreneur, except within a larger organization.-Definition:In 1992, The American Heritage Dictionary acknowledged the popular use of a new word, intrapreneur, to mean "A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning...
External links
- The Wingman Project: Suicide Intervention
- See And Avoid: Civil/Military Mid-Air Collision Avoidance
- Richards, Chet: OODA explained. Seven-slide presentation explaining the OODA Loop
- Air Force Maintenance Resource Management: Human Error Reduction in Military Maintenance
- Macrosystems, primary contractor on some of the programs: Macrosystems
- Lockheed's Skunkworks: Kelly's 14 Rules
- Seamless Compassion, One-stop Automated Public Assistance: Seamless Compassion Link
- FlyAwake: Pilot Fatigue Mitigation