Military Review English Edition May-June 2016 | Page 102

186 countries.13 The winning team submitted an algorithm that could improve the existing Netflix movie
selection algorithm by just over 10 percent.
Big data. The phrase big data refers to data sets
too large for traditional programs, and the advanced
analytics and speedy processing that can analyze them
to help solve complex and multivariable organizational challenges. In “Big Data: What It Is and Why
it Matters,” the analytics company SAS Institute, Inc.,
shows big data’s importance in relation to reducing
costs and time, developing products, and making smart
decisions.14 One example of a company using big data
to improve operations is UPS, a global delivery and
logistics network. Critical to the company’s success is
how well its drivers pick up and deliver on time (customer satisfaction) and how efficiently they conduct
operations (safety and cost savings). UPS introduced
the Orion driver routing system in 2013, which designs,
validates, and improves driver delivery routes. UPS
estimates that Orion will save the company up to $400
million by 2017.15
Mobile gaming. By 2017, mobile gaming—gaming
on handheld devices—is expected to account for approximately one-third of all gaming revenue, according to
market research firm Newzoo.16 Mobile gaming is growing at a rate of two times traditional electronic gaming
platforms (such as consoles and personal computers).17
Newzoo reports that, as of 2013, about 1.6 billion people
around the world played games on mobile devices, with
Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe comprising
the largest segments.18
Private companies are finding a variety of ways to use
mobile-gaming technology for improving operations.
For example, the insurance company Allstate is using
gaming technology to teach and reinforce ethics and
legal compliance in its business practices for over eighty
thousand employees.19 For the Army, mobile gaming
offers maximum ability to rapidly design, test, and learn
how different tactics, techniques, and procedures would
succeed or fail when played against an engaged user base.

A Twelve-Step Process
The complete MDMP consists of step 1, receipt of
mission; step 2, mission analysis; step 3, COA development; step 4, COA analysis; step 5, COA comparison;
step 6, COA approval; and step 7, orders production,
dissemination, and transition.20 The complete FA-CDT
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process comprises twelve steps, nested primarily within
steps 3, 4, and 5 of the MDMP. FA-CDT supports the
most difficult aspects of planning—viable COA development and analysis. Planners can organize the process
as a whole using the major mission command activities
outlined in the Army’s operations process: plan, prepare,
execute, and assess.21
Plan. The first two FA-CDT process steps fall within the planning activity:
Step 1. Test and validate the game software and
platform.
Step 2. Determine game and simulation objectives,
friendly force capabilities, threat capabilities, and evaluation criteria.
The planning steps focus on creating the mobile
gaming piece of the platform that enables full game
play and simulation. The results of game play and
simulation over millions of iterations drive the data for
COA development (for step 3 of the MDMP).
Prepare. The third FA-CDT step falls within the
prepare activity:
Step 3. Design mobile and individual technology
interface with data collection, data storage, and data
analytics capabilities.
The third step focuses on ensuring that the data collected via gaming can be stored, analyzed, and recalled.
The purpose is to ensure it can be used for steps 3 and 4
of the MDMP, developing and analyzing complete and
effective COAs.
Execute. The next four steps in the FA-CDT process fall within the execute activity:
Step 4. Run the game and identify pilot and control groups for game results validation.
Step 5. Analyze the initial results to meet development objective and evaluation criteria.
Step 6. Incorporate tactical learning and adaptation into the initial game results.
Step 7. Deliver proposed COAs in electronic format to the commander.
The execution steps involve running the game,
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