Decision Lens software allows the Department of Defense to deliver the world-class, fiscally responsible planning necessary to ensure the United States remains the premier global military. As our near-peer adversaries mount an increasing threat to our well-being, we must transform how we plan, prioritize, and fund.
Considering geo-political factors, fiscal discipline is more vital than ever to setting priorities and making tough decisions among many competing demands. Once we effectively transform our approach to planning, the United States can achieve greater productivity and faster innovation per equivalent dollar spent to maintain a global advantage. Using Decision Lens allows the military to maximize the impact of every dollar with a platform designed to empower data- driven, fiscally informed decision- making.
Our roots in decision science uniquely position us to empower customers to overcome today’s critical planning challenges, including:
- Reliance on manual processes
- Lack of an enterprise data framework
- Disconnected planning phases
- Limited collaboration
Today, our customers across the United States Army, United States Air Force, the United States Navy, and a variety of intelligence agencies are transforming their planning with Decision Lens. These organizations benefit from the unique capabilities of our platform, which include:
- A proven framework for prioritization
- Process Automation
- Collaborative Planning
- Algorithms / AI for scenario planning
- Assessing variable time horizons
Each customer is benefitting in unique, yet critical ways such as:
- Focus on higher value activities. Customers using Decision Lens report significant time savings over previous planning processes allowing them to focus on data analysis not data aggregation.
- Re-allocation of Funds to Higher Mission Priorities. Most users realize a cost savings within their portfolio and re-allocate to invest in additional strategic imperatives.
- Reach Decision Points Faster through Automation. Reduction in manual errors, no need to go back and pull data and no version control issues make getting to a decision point faster.
- Enterprise Collaboration. Gathering real-time insight from colleagues and leaders in real-time in the software allows for better, more mission aligned decisions and tighter connection between planning phases.
Case Study: Modernizing and Automating the Unfunded Requirements Process from Cradle to Grave with Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
TRADOC was struggling to intake, prioritize, and fund nearly 100 unfunded requirement (UFR) requests annually. It needed a single platform, with more data transparency and a more streamlined and integrated process. UFRs were received and stored on a SharePoint database before prioritization. While the system was functional, management of UFRs was manual, tedious, and time intensive. Tracking changes, who made them, and when they were made was difficult. Microsoft Excel version control issues further compounded the difficulty and inefficiency of collecting, tracking, and managing UFRs.
Decision Lens’s Intake Engine allowed TRADOC to quickly create an easily editable UFR intake form with standardized inputs that they could distribute to the field for collection and input. This resulted in higher quality submissions that were aggregated on one platform, and accessible to all stakeholders. TRADOC then relied on Decision Lens to create a prioritized UFR 1- N list. Prioritizing based on objective, qualitative criteria and metrics provided TRADOC with a defensible, data-driven way to prioritize funding.
Navy Office Launches Initiative to Maintain Readiness while Cutting Expenses using Decision Lens Software
In 2019 the Naval Aviation Enterprise successfully achieved readiness goals for the Super Hornet/Growler fleet to meet the SECDEF’s mission capable (MC) requirement for aircraft platforms and is now focused on cutting expenses while maintaining the established MC goals. These goals will need to be achieved without assuming any additional risk to their mission and achieving MC aircraft in the fleet.
To maintain readiness while rationalizing costs and realizing savings over time in its sustainment portfolio, the Navy sought out software that could assist them in achieving these goals.
Leveraging Decision Lens, PEO(T) program offices can more systematically evaluate and prioritize cost-saving initiatives associated with fleet maintenance across the enterprise. Relying on already developed criteria, input from experts across the department, and a consistent data framework the office is now able to prioritize requests while meeting its mission of maintaining readiness despite expense reduction. As a result of the working group’s efforts, they have accomplished the following:
- Improved data management and workload for core team and stakeholders
- Tracked $220M in savings in FY22, 10% higher than the annual target of $200M
- Reallocated $26M in harvestable savings to UFRs
- Initiated development of enhanced reporting capability via Qlik integration
Army Technology Excellence Awards and Rankings 2022 – The Verdict
Decision Lens is a software vendor headquartered in Arlington Virginia. Its platform is designed to transform the public sector planning to a more responsive, connected process. The company is ranked this year in the Innovation category in the 2022 Army Technology Excellence Rankings.
Founded in 2005 and built on proven decision science, Decision Lens provides the prioritization framework, automation, collaboration, and scenario planning tools necessary to maximize every dollar and meet the mission.
Decision Lens has become entrenched across the Department of Defense with customers increasing reliance on the tool year over year, including the United States Army, Navy and Air Force. One major success story can be found at the US Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) division.
Decision Lens’s work with TRADOC – which is responsible for army recruitment and training – focused on improving the unfunded requirements (UFR) process within the G8 Division. The transformation began with the use of the Decision Lens Intake Engine which allowed TRADOC to create a living UFR list which could be updated continuously throughout the year and updated as priorities shifted. This process change created efficiencies, reduced human error and eliminated version control issues which delayed decision making.
The tight collaboration between TRADOC and Decision Lens provides a greater understanding of the specific needs and priorities required throughout the planning, programming, budget and execution process.
About Decision Lens
We have been transforming public sector planning since 2005, delivering the people, process and technology which empower agencies to effectively meet the needs of today while delivering the cutting-edge capabilities of tomorrow. Customers across the Department of Defense, intelligence community, federal civilian agencies and state and local government achieve a sustained operational advantage through superior long-term planning, continuous medium-term prioritization, and short-term funding execution.
Decision Lens software meets the security needs of the government. It is FedRAMP certified, IL 2-Compliant, IL 4/5-Ready, and is available on AWS GovCloud. We have been approved for several ATOs, meet emerging security compliance, and can be purchased through a variety of contracting vehicles.