ATP-5-0-2-1 Staff Reference Guide Volume 1 Download
Page 31 of 440
Planning 07 December 2020 ATP 5-0.2-1 15 THE MILITARY DECISION-MAKING PROCESS 2-36. The material in this topic is derived from ADP 5-0 and FM 6-0. 2-37. The military decision-making process is an iterative planning methodology to understand the situation and mission, develop a course of action, and produce an operation plan or order (ADP 5-0). The MDMP facilitates parallel and collaborative planning and helps leaders apply thoroughness, clarity, sound judgement, logic, and professional knowledge to develop situational understanding and produce a plan or order. Situational understanding is the product of applying analysis and judgment to relevant information to determine the relationships among the operational and mission variables (ADP 5-0). Collaborative planning is two or more echelons planning together in real time, sharing information, perceptions, and ideas to develop their respective plans simultaneously (ADP 5-0). Parallel planning is two or more echelons planning for the same operations nearly simultaneously facilitated by the use of warning orders by the higher headquarters (ADP 5-0). 2-38. The MDMP consists of seven steps as shown in table 2-1 on page 16. Each step of the MDMP has a purpose, inputs, substeps, and outputs. The step outputs lead to an increased understanding of the situation and facilitate the next step of the MDMP. Commanders and staffs generally perform these steps and substeps sequentially; however, they may revisit several steps in an iterative fashion as they learn more about the situation before producing the plan or order. Ultimately, the MDMP is a means to an end. The actual decisions a commander makes is more important than the decision-making process. 2-39. Commanders initiate the MDMP upon receipt of, or in anticipation of, a mission. Commanders and staffs often begin planning in the absence of an approved higher headquarters' operation plan (OPLAN) or OPORD. In these instances, they start planning based on a warning order (WARNORD), a planning order, or an alert order from higher headquarters. This requires active collaboration with the higher headquarters and parallel planning among echelons as the plan or order is developed. 2-40. Depending on the situation's complexity, commanders can initiate ADM before or in parallel with the MDMP. If the problem is hard to identify or the operation's end state is unclear, commanders may initiate ADM before engaging in detailed planning. ADM can assist commanders and staffs in understanding an operational environment, framing the problem, and considering an operational approach to solve or manage the problem. In time-constrained conditions, or when the problem is straightforward, commanders may conduct the MDMP without incorporating formal ADM efforts (see discussion of the rapid decision-making and synchronization process (RDSP) beginning in paragraph 4-29). Note. The techniques described in this section assume that proper time is allocated and multiple courses of action will be developed.