Effects Based Operations

Return to Series Post

Comment:   Effects Based Operations (EBO), to some folks, is controversial but only to the extent that they do not want to be accountable to a result. Furthermore, there is an even smaller percentage that feels the psychological aspects as applied in warfare are not ethical in industry despite marketing campaigns using the same techniques. I was introduced to EBO in the late 1990s and dabbled in its use up to 2005. However, during deployments between 2005 and 2008, EBO gained higher employment but not necessarily the highest acceptance. The most intensive use of EBO was during tours at Commander Naval Forces Europe.

Effects Based Operations

EBO has not been well accepted in many circles as it removes the smoke and mirrors, fudged numbers, and the mask of outrageous successes people often herald even when there is no such success. Hence, EBO does not tell the emperor what he wants to hear and does not leave the emperor naked. EBO is not about how well people do their jobs. Everyone puts forth a reasonable effort and tries hard. EBO is about how well actions were undertaken as an organization, department, or group serves the desired results. Whether competing in war or the marketplace, desired results are being pursued. While war fight tactics are for war, the management method can and should apply to companies operating in a marketplace.

Companies desire profits, market share, supply point control, price control, and other outcomes such as sustainability initiatives. During correct practice, companies express the path to the desired outcomes as a strategy then implement projects to create the desired end-state, a set of required conditions or objectives must be achieved. As in warfighting, companies have limited resources that must be economically rationed and deliberately applied to the efforts that give them the most significant gain or strategic advantage. For example, Warren Buffet operates on a concept of durable competitive advantage as a strategy. Companies need to manage strategy-to-task, and EBO offers an excellent framework.

EBO is nothing more than managing what was set out to be achieved. In a reality check, as business operations are mapped to EBO practices bear in mind these points:

1. EBO changes the management culture but not the nature or character of the market. The marketplace is a realm amicably at war in which competitive actors seek to deter, deny, diminish, deflect their opponent's advances using a host of tactics, techniques, and practices that shape the market place and attract loyal buyers to their offering in order to capture market share. The character of this marketing war is information-based and psychological.


2. EBO is not a substitute for marketing methods. EBO is a management method that enhances outcomes. Success is valued based on rationed deliberate actions and results achieved as opposed to the novelty of the means.


3. EBO causes reactions. Newton's law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. EBO seeks effects that result in outcomes. Therefore, for every EBO action, there is an equal reaction. The question is if the reaction is reasonable or not. If undesirable then adjustments are made to achieve the desired reaction or effects.


4. Measurements count, EBO captures measurements and links them to strategy. When measurements hit thresholds, then decisions are made as triggers as set into motion. Both qualitative and quantitative measurements are valued.


5. What-if. Hypothetical situations are abundant, and exploring them can cause paralysis. The fact of the matter is the marketplace and world we live in is dynamic and always in flux. Disruptive technologies change market directions in an instant and poorly support technologies become burdens. Designing adaptive operations to handle complex conditions can reduce organizational latencies and react swiftly to change.

EBO is not complicated but does require deliberate thought and effort. Refer to Figure 1.

Figure 1:  EBO Structure and Information Flow

In a nutshell, the effects-based method is a flow of information about progress towards goals and strategies. The ultimate goal is to achieve the end state through deliberate actions in seeking effects and objectives. There are measures of effectiveness that aid in determining when an effect has information-based.

The Effects-Based method is new to the private sector, and there will be a learning curve associated with the method. The Effects-Based method does not change the nature of the organization but does change the management methods on a project by project basis. Therefore, it can be introduced slowly and scaled to the operation. The method also applies to ongoing operations making use of triggers to indicate out of bound conditions.

I published a book, Effects Based Projects, that combines EBO with Agile project management and use hip pocket tools to focus on results more than reports and computer driven artifacts that take time to develop.  The Book is currently sold on Amazon in print and eBook form for Kindle. 

To Buy Print Version

To Buy eBook Version

References:

Bogden, J.T. (2019). Effects Based Projects: A practical guide that Puts Strategy-to-Tasks When Complexity and Uncertainty are High. Bogden: Nashville.

Return to Series Post

Project Management Series

Project Management Series

By

James T. Bogden, PMP

I am creating this collective of project management posts in order to focus knowledge of this discipline. Project management is a subset of Operations Management and Engineering. Engineering projects are have some different management methods than business projects. Specifically, engineering project are block funded and use cash flow methodologies versus earned value management with sunk cost and capitalization. 

I also strived to look at project management from many angles, present models, and use some thought leadership.

Effects-Based Projects

Effects Based Operations In Project Management

Effects-Based Operations: Taking Strategy-to-Task

SRA: Putting Strategy to Task

Effects-Based Operations 

Fixing Frankenstein: Rogue Monster Projects

Project Complexity Perplexes Procurements

Humanitarian Projects Built from a Model, Part 1

Earned Value Made Easy?

What is Win-Win?

The Tiger Team Improves Outcomes

Project Management Skills beyond Paper Documents

Ongoing Project: Combining Project Management with Hands On Skills

Ongoing Project Manages Business Rules

Creative Process and Project Management

I published a book, Effects Based Projects, that combines EBO with Agile project management and use hip pocket tools to focus on results more than reports and computer driven artifacts that take time to develop.  The Book is currently sold on Amazon in print and eBook form for Kindle. 

To Buy Print Version

To Buy eBook Version

References:

Bogden, J.T. (2019). Effects Based Projects: A practical guide that Puts Strategy-to-Tasks When Complexity and Uncertainty are High. Bogden: Nashville.

Effects-Based Operations in Project Management

Return to Series Post

Comments: Projects are short sided when they seek a deliverable that is not aligned with strategy and does not deliver some sort of business, market, or operational effect.  The Effects-Based method seeks to  go beyond traditional deliverables aligning strategy-to-tasks and seeks desirable outcomes or effects as a deliverable. This book blends the Agile project methodology with the Effects-Based method as both are iterative and center on high uncertainty and complexity.  

In developing this book, I drew on my experience as well as from the works of numerous experts in the business of complexity, effects-based operations, and project/operations management.  This first edition while somewhat breakthrough to industry is not new but combined in a new way for business and private sector application. 

Effects-Based Operations in Project Management

By

James T. Bogden, PMP

We have left the Information Age and entered the age of the hybrid. Systems we encounter in our work and everyday life are creating more uncertainty with higher degrees of complexity.  Causes and solutions to problems, outcomes, are more apt to produce sales than selling things, services, and slogans. Slogans like family owned means little to a buyer. Likewise,  buying things or services is what is being sold but are not in themselves a cause or solution, an effect or outcome, to their predicament.  The goal of any project is to create an effect or outcome for the market and the company that ultimately results in a measure of success such as profitability, market share, some sort of messaging, or other measure.  Simply initiating a project to do something like install a server, run an ad campaign, or open a new office is short sighted. By doing those activities what is the company seeking to achieve? Ask yourself, Why is this being done?  Begin with the WHY then the WHAT will follow. 

Complexity is at the root of many challenges in that systems and networks (social, logistical, informational, etc…) have become so complex that when someone takes action that stimulates the system   the effect is not easily predictable. However, by reducing the complexity problem to something more manageable not only will the network or system become more understood but outcomes can be limited to a smaller set that becomes more manageable. My new book goes through the process of achieving effects and producing things. I have outlined the chapters four your review.

Chapter two provides a complexity model and means to reduce the problem set to something more manageable. 

Chapter three discusses how to formulate strategy in a deliberate and purposeful manner by drawing on one  U.S. military method adapted to the civilian domain.  Having sound strategy is crucial to having vision, direction, and guidance so that activities may for focused as resources and limited. 

Chapter four discusses the general Effects-Based method developing an understanding how to perform the process of taking strategy-to-task then measuring effectiveness. 

Chapter five discusses Agile then blends the Effects-Based method into the Agile Micro-dynamic work flow providing a broadened model. The new model expands project efforts beyond a deliverable to attempting to achieve and outcome or effect then selects a means to achieving that effects objective. 

Chapter six looks at uncertainty providing hip pocket or on-the-fly tools to access causes and effects then identify risk event for resolution.  The complexity model discussed earlier provides a basic means from which to identify risk.

Chapter seven discusses the old-school method of programmed management in lieu of policies and expeditors.  The use of policies results in low performing organizations which suppresses aspiring leadership in the organization.  Also discussed in this chapter is agility which as principle reason the Agile and the Effects-Based methods

Chapter eight concludes the topic balancing theory and practice. 

My focus was to create this process in way that project and operations managers, PMs & OMs, would have tools and methods that are not cumbersome but quick and readily applied. In my experience, PMOs and companies often create administrative overhead that is unnecessary and shifts efforts to making reports and artifacts pretty rather than effective use of time and resources to get the job done. 

The Book is currently sold on Amazon in print and eBook form for Kindle. 

To Buy Print Version

To Buy eBook Version

References:

Bogden, J.T. (2019). Effects Based Projects: A practical guide that Puts Strategy-to-Tasks When Complexity and Uncertainty are High. Bogden: Nashville.

Please feel free to email me at JamesTBogden@gmail.com or comment here about the book Effects Based Projects.. 

Return to Series Post

Effects Based Projects

Return to Series Post

Effects Based Projects

A Practical Guide that Puts Strategy-to-Task When Complexity and Uncertainty are High

By

James T. (JT) Bogden, PMP, MSIT

Click To Buy

Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to many operational / project circumstances and methods of management. While serving with the United States military at an operational level command, we were forward-thinking deciding to use the Effects-Based method. In practice, we developed our strategies then broke them down into objectives and desired effects. We then initiated projects to achieve those effects.

Often the projects were of high complexity and high uncertainty. While we knew the endstate, the path to the endstate was often difficult to observe. Using methods to discern the complexity, we were able to reduce the challenge to a workable problem set.

The private sector has many challenges, among them rapidly changing business environments and complexity. Professionals tend to rush-to-results. I saw the Effects Based methods as ways that could be applied in the private sector. The Book, Effects Based Projects, discusses the processes and means of achieving effects in place of a rush to results or things. I combine the Effects Based method with Agile to arrive at solutions for effects to deal with the challenges.

The book touches topics on a high level and I try to present hip pocket tools to focus on results more than reports and computer driven artifacts that take time to develop.  The Book is currently sold on Amazon in print and eBook form for Kindle. 

To Buy Print Version

To Buy eBook Version

References:

Bogden, J.T. (2019). Effects Based Projects: A practical guide that Puts Strategy-to-Tasks When Complexity and Uncertainty are High. Bogden: Nashville.

Return to Series Post

Effects-Based Operations: Taking Strategy to Task

Return to Series Post

Comments: This post precedes the release of my book on Effects-Based projects. The planned released date is November 30th, 2019. I discuss the high-level concepts in this post and hope that you find interest in what I write. Please feel free to comment.

Effects-Based Operations

Taking Strategy to Task

By

James T. Bogden, PMP

The workplace gets caught up in cool things and achieving smoke-and-mirror results. Over the years, I have read countless Request for Proposals (RFPs) that herald unbelievable results by merely employing a new technology or doing what the RFP proposes. The challenge is the focus. The RFP or solution, in many cases, precedes the business then attempts to sell an impact or value to the business as an afterthought. This kind of thinking is backward.

A business should be about nothing more than the monetized exchange of goods and services, commerce, which is the core mission of any business. Even Thomas Jefferson commented on commerce. On March 14th during 1814, Jefferson wrote Horatio G. Spafford remarking;

“Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.” (Federer, 1996, p. 329)

There are only 24 ways to make money. These ways are known as profit models, which differ from a business model. Profit models are about making money. A business model is about the operation and methods such as Software as a Service, SaaS. In this example, the SaaS business model comes with a data center, developers, market channels, and other elements of the operation. A Profit Model associated with SaaS may be one of the Digital Profit Models (aggregator, auction house, Realtime Manufacturing, or Information Mediary Profit) or could be Customer Solution Profit, Specialist Profit, Low-Cost Business Design Profit, or Transaction Scale Profit. Focusing on profit and the business rather than solutions is right thinking. Business first, then seek the solution.

The challenge of focus and right thinking in a world gone mad has a business seeking things or solutions first, then attempting to argue the benefit to the business. Business seeks specific kinds of results first then searches for the means to achieve the result which is also the core purpose behind Effects-Based Operations; seek the effect, then find solutions to that end.

Effects-Based Operations has been in practice by governments and militaries for many decades. Technocrats and warfare commanders alike have sought strategies and objectives by deliberately applying resources as there is an economy of the effort or campaign. The Effects-Based process can become very burdensome if the science of the effects is applied. Fortunately, there is an art to the Effects-Based process that lightens the load. The art of Effects-Based Operations requires hip pocket tools and a deliberate iterative process of:

• Creating commerce focused strategies
• Reducing complexity to a workable problem set
• Creating a living model of applicable systems
• Breaking strategy down into objectives and desired effects
• An iterative process of systems response reviews to applied reactions
• An iterative process of solution projects and applied reactions
• Achieving desired effects, objectives, and strategies

There are many working pieces to the Effects-Based Operation. However, by keeping things simple and focused, the effort becomes lighter to handle. The process is also scalable as the entire organization does not have to restructure to support Effects-Based Operations, although the entire organization may participate in Effects-Based Operations at various levels of involvement and focused on a single effort.

The Effects-Based practice is controversial to the extent that operations, organizations, and professionals are held accountable to the desired outcomes. The outcomes can be difficult to achieve if not formulated correctly. Care must be taken not to over complicate effects or attempt to achieve effects not possible.

During my military career, we kept the effects simple with clear and achievable effects. The triggers and indicators used to signal an action or achievement of an effect in many cases were often yes/no, true/false, or on/off type answers. We built spreadsheets that listed the objectives, effects, triggers, and indicators using stoplight graphics and reports in most cases.

I took this experience and my experiences in project management, developing a book that highlights and blends the Effects-Based process with Agile project management. My next goal is to develop a workshop that gives hands-on practicals for Effects-Based projects.  I hope that industry refocuses on commerce and the underpinning of creativity, leveraging the common sense and practical techniques I present in my book.

The Book is currently sold on Amazon in print and eBook form for Kindle. 

To Buy Print Version

To Buy eBook Version

References:

Bogden, J.T. (2019). Effects Based Projects: A practical guide that Puts Strategy-to-Tasks When Complexity and Uncertainty are High. Bogden: Nashville.

Federer, W. J. (1996). America's god & country: encyclopedia of quotations. USA: FAME Publishing, Inc.

Return to Series Post

Made In The Usa

Made in The USA

By

James T. Bogden, PMP

Made in The USA alluded to a sense of nationalistic pride in which an individual’s hard work is forged into quality and durability. The unfortunate circumstance is that Made in The USA turned out to be sandcastles in the surf’s wash. The mantra eroded as time passed, entire industries seemed to commoditize. The first attempt to resolve the commoditization problem was to send production offshore, outsource labor, and divest American businesses with foreign ownership diluting the Made in The USA sensibility. Made in The USA became a run-of-the-mill brand alongside Made in Japan, Made in China, and Made in Mexico. As the commoditization worsened, industry gained a growing and influential new partner, The Government, who contributes nothing productive and takes an increasing share of the revenue. At the same time, most business seems to have lost sight of their purpose; policy became king, human labor was treated as robots, narcissism became the new normal in workplace relationships, and sociopolitical causes seemed to have become the focus over commerce. Work had become a drudgery of endless tasks, political correctness, narcissistic personalities, and with little focus on commerce.

In another attempt to overcome the worsening commoditization, investor groups bought up companies using a brand saturation strategy to consolidate incremental market share and sustain earnings since markets were not growing at substantive rates. This effort usually bought companies competing in the same market then bought the tier 1 supply chain, sometimes both upstream and downstream to control the wholesale and distribution channels. Companies became product brands which then became bland as the investor groups sought to standardize production across all the purchased companies seeking an economy of scale to lower production costs. The result has been little difference between brands other than market perception.

The commoditization phenomenon will continue until some phenomenon ends the cycle. While all that sounds dreary, my focus is not on those issues so much in this post. That does set up the discussion on some of the critical factors affecting that commoditization cycle as well as solutions to the problem.

Aside from a maturing product or service, one of the Super Cycles known as the Kondratiev Wave is the underlying driver attenuating profits. The wave is characterized as the 30-year rapid growth cycle of wealth creation followed by a 30-year low growth cycle of increasing commoditization. Repeating the wave is indicated by 20 years at the end of the low growth cycle that has a short economic boom, a bust, a major war (the common phenomenon that breaks the commoditization cycle), then a new way of living upon entering the next rapid growth period. The emergence of this wave was with the formation of modern economies out of feudal Europe. The wave coincides with significant American history; The Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War II, and the current period.

The United States has seen the Dotcom and housing boom, a bust period, and many predict that a major war is coming. Futurists predict that networks, information, and the Hybrid age will be critical factors in the next rapid growth cycle. There are numerous networks to include social, informational, communication, and logistical that will become more important as rapid growth begins. Information is not limited to silicone-based binary data but also biological-based information to include nanotechnologies, the genome, and tri-state logic. The Age of the Hybrid is a blurring of domains to include virtual and physical realities, biological and silicone-based processing, and other domains that will become fuzzy. Out of this prediction by futurists will yield new markets for products and services not yet imaginable.

Given a future vision of the new way of living that is coming and the 30-year boom cycle, industry can be poised to act. Those actions should be based on a free market and free enterprise even though Governments have partnered with industry placing constraints on their ability act.

Free Market Capitalism is creativity in service to humanity. There are numerous instruments used to move the economy forward and overcome commoditization, such as creative destruction, disruptive technologies, as well as other forms of innovation and invention. The old axiom was that necessity is the mother of invention, but the accurate axiom is invention is the mother of necessity. Through invention and innovation, new markets are possible, and with new markets comes wealth generation opportunities. Commerce is the vehicle through which creativity, intellectual capital, is monetized.

In a simple-minded thought, commerce and business cannot exist without people but people will persist without business or commerce and people did persist before the formation of modern complex economies and communal farming. Commerce’s purpose in a free market is to redistribute wealth based on productive value. Business is the vehicle to redistribute wealth. Therefore, business at its core serves humans by providing each human with just rewards for the fruits of their efforts. People who are business owners take a risk and have responsibilities, and they receive rewards for those risks and responsibilities. Owners, at one time, touted about their responsibilities to the staff and their families. Staff perform duties and have responsibilities receiving just rewards for the fruits of their labor. The opportunities are equal, but the rewards are not equal due to the inherent nature of risk and responsibility. Business is really about giving people the incomes that dignify their lives and families. Businesses have to be successful to provide for those people.

Success in the coming rapid growth period begins with proper strategy, deliberate decision-making, and the ability to put the strategy-to-task in a way that manages complexity and risk. Unfortunately, leadership seems to have become distracted trying to stay afloat in commoditizing markets, overwhelming regulation, and social causes that have little alignment to the business. A newer model is needed to refocus industry, and a fresh approach must be employed. Effects-Based methods used by the military and applied to the private sector offer some exciting solutions to put vision and strategies to the task.

The Effects-Based method is an ideal instrument when combined with deliberate strategy development and the proper implementation methodology. Effects-Based thinking is a paradigm shift in thought. The old way of thinking was attempting an increase in revenue, which is a measure of effectiveness and not an objective or inventing a thing. The goal should be to achieve a desired effect or outcome while managing undesired effects or outcomes. Solutions such as inventing a thing, creating a tangible deliverable, or providing a service, are then a chosen means in the process of achieving the effect. A measure and indicators determine when the effect is achieved. In this effect’s framework, there are ways to manage complexity, uncertainty, develop the strategy, and apply actions to pressure points that aid in delivering the desired effect. I will discuss the Effects-Based method in more detail later.

Made in The USA has the possibility of meaning something again, but only if the industry leaders can focus on the core purpose of business and monetizing creativity. The refocusing industry may require Governments to rethink the relationship with industry as well. Corporate Governance should have a stronger alignment with the business; dropping sociopolitical causes not fully aligned with the operation. Then apply deliberate decision making and planning to take strategy-to-task in the rapid growth cycle that is quickly approaching. Significant wealth creation is coming. Will you have the right stuff to monetize creativity and put strategy-to-task?

SRA: Putting Strategy to Task

Return to Series Post

Foreword: Several years ago while in a leadership role over an operationalized telecommunication cell, I was challenged with a variety of knowledge levels within the staff as well as high staff turn over. I needed a method to bring the staff up to speed and continually increase knowledge. After looking around, I drew upon operations management practices and my own educational experiences looking to McGraw-Hill's SRA program. SRA is the acronym for Science Research Associates, Inc but also has become known as Short Read Archive. The concept was short read lessons that drive a point home and were not too time-consuming. In short, learning on the fly. The SRA cards had the assignment on the front and a quiz on the back. This is one SRA lesson without the quiz.

Short Read Archive: Putting Strategy to Task

Discussion

Paradigms of thought are important to various disciplines; engineers, mathematicians, songwriters, politicians, etc… who have unique paradigms or frames of mind they operate within. Project management is no different. This lesson discusses how to think in terms of putting strategy to task or taking a broad vision and putting that to task.

Terms

Strategy: A long term statement that involves an end state and frames at a high level the approach to the achievement of that end state.

Objectives: A smaller elemental goal of a strategy that is focused on a specific accomplishment. Usually, multiple objectives are necessary to achieve a strategy.

Constraint: An externally-imposed limitation or control that is generally fixed and cannot be changed without approval from the external entity.

Restraint: A self-imposed limitation or control that is changeable by an internal or local authority.

Lesson

Putting strategy to task is a challenge. Any strategy is not easily handled for most professionals who are operators who are task and process-oriented with a can-do attitude. Relating strategy to the task is the process of scoping a project and one methodology for this process is effects-based operations. In short, the path to task is:

Doing something in support of an objective causes an effect that is then measured in some way to ensure that it meets an established quality standard. In order to ensure that all actions contribute to the scope, everyone on the project needs to know the strategy as that defines the scope. Strategy is the ‘why’ a project is undertaken. In mobilizing people to task, the ‘why’ is a greater motivator than the ‘what’. The ‘why’ creates a unity of effort and focus for a team.

Supplemental Video: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

The objectives and desirable effects become constraints and restraints for the project. However, constraints and restraints can be other limitations such as legal, financial, privacy, etc… Overall, putting strategy to task involves a deliberate focus.

Return to Series Post