Army Design Methodology (ADM)

The relevance of the Army Design Methodology (ADM) to the operations process cannot be overstated. It is important to note, from the onset, that ADM “is part of a continuing effort focused on improving the critical and creative thinking abilities of leaders and teams to understand and solve problems” (Department of the Army, 2015). Towards this end, ADM enables staffs and commanders to not only visualize and understand, but also outline and assess operations. From time to time, staffs and commanders encounter situations and scenarios that are largely uncertain or unfamiliar (Naveh, 2009). According to the Department of the Army (2015), when uncertainty reigns supreme, staffs and commanders could feel overwhelmed. ADM comes in handy in such instances. In basic terms, “by first framing an operational environment and associated problems, ADM enables commanders and staffs to think about the situation before developing ways to solve those problems” (Department of the Army, 2015). It is on this basis that staffs and commanders become better prepared to formulate courses of action to rein in the problems highlighted.

As a future sergeant major, my role in the ADM is likely to be well-pronounced. This is more so the case when it comes to conceptual planning. I will most likely make use of ADM as a tool in seeking to visualize as well as develop understanding of various kinds of problems so as to design or formulate an operational approach that makes it possible to overcome the prevailing concerns. Thus, thanks to ADM, my thinking about various scenarios is likely to be shaped by a well-defined framework that enables me to come up with a sound operational approach as a consequence of the proper conceptualization of not only the problem, but also the operational environment (in terms of understanding the present scenario in relation to the desired/future operational environment).

References

Department of the Army (2015). Army Design Methodology. Retrieved from http://data.cape.army.mil/web/character-development-project/repository/atp5-0x1-2015.pdf

Naveh, S. (2009). In Pursuit of Military Excellence: The Evolution of Operational Theory. New York, NY: Frank Cass.