The difficult problem of establishing measures of effectiveness for command and control: A systems engineering perspective

Noel Sproles

Systems Engineering, 2001, vol. 4, issue 2, 145-155

Abstract: Formulating Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) for complex sociotechnical systems is a difficult task. This can be seen in particular in the difficulties experienced when this is attempted for military command and control (C2). The intent of this paper is to demonstrate why this is so for C2 and for similar sociotechnical systems. Systems such as these only become purposeful when they are integrated as part of a parent system. Without this parent system they are purposive and are unable to perform a mission. The MOEs of these component systems are tightly linked to the contribution they can make to the achievement of the parent system's mission. In military operations, the purposeful system is the result of the synergy generated by the component systems that constitute the force assigned to the commander to accomplish a mission. These components combine to provide the emergent properties necessary to satisfy the need, and their individual effectiveness is assessed on the contribution they make to the parent system. An essential component of this purposeful system is Command and Control (C2), but it is difficult to separate the contribution that C2 makes to its parent system from those made by other component subsystems or to treat C2 as an isolated system. Because of this, the formulation of MOEs for C2, and for similar systems in other areas, is a difficult task. It is possible that the behavioral or “soft” sciences will offer a solution. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Syst Eng 4: 145–155, 2001

Date: 2001
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