Defining Agility extractions from FACT team submissions

1. Defining Agilityextractions from FACT team submissions FACT Meeting April 18, 2008

2. Properties of a “Good” Definition Some definitions are better than others. • Useful definitions are • Valid - represents the concept correctly based on theory • Reliable - yields the same result on repeated application • Credible - believed by the intended audience • Practical - can be affordably applied to real situations • In the case of agility, we are seeking a definition that would help us • Recognize agility when we see it (across the subjects of interest) • Determine the degree of agility • Identify ways to improve agility

3. Essences of Agility • Why is agility needed? • What needs to be agile? • What capabilities constitute agility? • How do we measure degree of agility?

4. Essence of Agility: Why is agility needed Success must be achieved / maintained in light of Success = effectiveness, efficiency, survivability, control Dynamic environment Complexity and chaotic environment Unknown futures Unpredictable states Rapidly changing situations New, diverse circumstances Unexpected events Unfamiliar situations Changing tasks, purposes Loss, Damage, Threats

5. Essences of Agility: What Needs to be Agile The concept of agility can be applied to Organizations Systems People, minds Processes Plans Architectures Tools Culture Acquisition Nations Policies Doctrine, Tactics C2 levels and approaches

6. Essence of Agility: Agile Capabilities • Being agile requires BOTH the ability to, in a timely manner - recognize a relevant change in the environment - respond appropriately • Being agile includes one or more of the following Adaptability Flexibility Responsiveness Survivability Resilience Robustness Reflexive Requisite variety Nimbleness Innovativeness Learning Tolerance Re-configurability Re-engineering

7. Complexity and Agility • Increased complexity translates into greater difficulty • in prediction and greater residual uncertainty • Greater uncertainty increases risk • The response to increased uncertainty and risk is • Agility • - Agile Command and Control arrangements • Agile People • Agile Organizations • Agile Systems • Agile Acquisition Processes • Agile …………….

8. Agility: Key Requirement of the 21st Century 21st Century Security Challenges characterized by huge amounts of uncertainty and risk. Situations are dynamic and unpredictable. Agility is the ability to successfully cope with changes in the environment (situation) maintain acceptable level of - performance, - effectiveness, - efficiency e.g. - degradation / loss of capability - change in objectives - change in coalition - requires • Timely recognition • Appropriate response • Timely response

9. Essence of Agility: Measuring Agility • Developing an operational definition of agility requires being able to measure the degree to which something is agile. • A quantitative definition is desirable • An entity (person, org, system) works (is adequately successful) only in “one” circumstance would have “no agility” agility = 0 • As the ability of an entity to maintain success over varying conditions / situations of interest increases, the measure of agility would increase. • Agility is a relative measure (e.g. increases in the agility metric relate to increases in agility but the absolute number does not translate)

10. Essence of Agility: Measuring Agility(continued) • Measurement challenges • How to characterize the environment in question • Potential v. actual agility • Factoring in the unpredictable • Indicants of Agility are also of interest. • Measuring the properties of an entity that are related to more or less agility. • Indicants may be easier to measure