Collaborative multinational mission planning system with support for macrocognitive processes

Abstract

The Crisis Action Planning (CAP) process is a collaborative team effort wherein military planners work together to quickly understand an emergency situation and make decisions about a response. Additional challenges to team cognition ensue when planners from multiple nations work in a distributed environment, as is the case with the multinational planning augmentation team (MPAT). A cognitive model of team collaboration provided the theoretical basis for development of a tool to improve the synchronisation of distributed decision-making and information management among coalition planners. The Multinational Crisis Action Planning (MCAP) tool was implemented by configuring a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) collaborative web environment. The tool supports the macrocognitive processes of Individual Knowledge Building (converting data into knowledge), Team Knowledge Building (developing knowledge interoperability among team members) and Developing Shared Problem Conceptualisation (promoting team shared understanding). There is some support for two additional processes: Team Consensus Development and Evaluation and Revision.

Keywords:

• military planning
• team collaboration
• macrocognitive processes
• multinational forces

Acknowledgement

This work was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research under contract no. N00014-04-C-0392.

Notes

Notes

1. Actually, multiple OPREPs may be sent during the first phase. OPREPs detail the current happenings of an event. Situational Awareness extends throughout the planning process, and the type of update information that is initially contained in the OPREP is later contained in designated sections of subsequent products.

2. These subsequent products are the Commander's Estimate (CDR ESTIMATE) that contains a recommendation for military action, the Alert Order (ALERTORD) that directs detailed planning, the Operation Order (OPORD) that contains the detailed plan and the Execute Order (EXORD) that initiates the operation.