Towards Defence strategic data planning

Abstract

Defence generates and receives vast quantities of data in relation to the specification, development and intended operation of its capabilities and related decision processes. As an organisation, Defence has made good progress in the collection and availability of these types of data; however, the growing pace of technological advancement and the rapid evolution of the spectrum of potential adversaries mean that Defence must become even more effective and efficient in its data analytics to ensure agile decision making at all levels of the organisation. Achieving this objective requires focused strategic data planning, rigorous data design, speedy and accurate data collection, and effective data validation, processing, and management. Current Defence data management practices in Australia do not, for example, provide a unified asset identification number, nor a unified asset naming convention, leading to confusion and ambiguity in the provision of timely and accurate advice to decision makers. This is in part due to the lack of rigorous definitions, data structures and effective data management mechanisms and policies, making universal data integration difficult. This also increases the risk of inconsistencies between Defence's many data repositories. Based on reviewing data management practices of Defence organisation internationally, the authors argue that the Australian Defence Organisation needs an improved strategic data planning mechanism in order to develop a more holistic and effective approach to managing its capability-related data. We propose a framework based on review of the literature and best practices internationally, as well as our experience in analytical support of Force Design and capability-related decision processes, albeit being mindful of the evolving structure of Defence as the implementation of First Principles Review is taking shape. The value proposition of the framework is four-fold: (1) it proposes an iterative strategic data planning process that helps to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of data management in support of effective decision making, (2) it provides a set of guidelines for developing a strategic data plan, helping to facilitate and streamline data management across the organisation, (3) it provides guidelines for data design, collection, and management, as well as resource planning, and (4) it helps develop consistent capture of 'quality' information and other critical data required for Defence capability planning. Our framework is intended to be useful to strategic data planners and data managers working at different levels of Defence, and will also better support robust analytics for capability planning. This can, in turn, help reduce costs in data management but, more importantly, enhance Defence's capability development and trade-off decision processes.