Supporting the design, field trial delivery and data analysis of military experimentation events

Challenge

Designing and delivering military experiments, often with a wide variety of objectives and a significant number of moving parts, is complex, resource intensive and time consuming.  An integrated system for design, delivery, data capture and exploitation is required to deliver the required evidence, assurance and exploitable information.

Solution

Exonaut® provided the client with an integrated Trial Management System (TrMS) to support the implementation of the data collection plan, the design and delivery of experimental activities, observation, assessment and evaluation of performance, report generation and lessons capture.

4C Strategies consultants worked closely with the client to design a data collection plan methodology that combined both objective question sets and subjective user questionnaires against which to evaluate experimental objectives in the field using the Exonaut® mobile observation tools.  These and all relevant data sets, including supporting information, were loaded into Exonaut® allowing the development of tactical serials to test against the experimental objectives.

Performance data was then collected in the system, allowing assessment and the generation of reports all from within a single integrated software suite.  This also included collecting user feedback via pre-set questionnaires at the end of a trial serial.  All real time data was integrated in the software to provide a series of configurable dashboards and reports. This allows the experiment directors to monitor, track and assure performance findings and make evidence based decision on the on-going conduct of the trial.

Key Benefits

• Enhanced Objective Data Capture. Trial team observers, deployed with Exonaut® enabled mobile devices are able to collect objective performance data against specified experimentation objectives, knowing exactly what they are looking for (questions) and what to consider when making their observation (considerations).  This has increased the potential for much wider data collection.
• Combined Subjective Data Capture. Equally, trial participants are able to complete feedback questionnaires immediately having completed an activity and this subjective information is available alongside objective observations in a single system for analysis in near real time.
• Evidence of Performance. Photos and videos can be collected as part of an Exonaut® OBS observation, negating the need for separate collection devices providing and subsequent integration and data matching and coherence.
• Information Management. Exonaut® negates the need to carry hard copy documents and questionnaires as all the required information can be made available on the users mobile devices.
• Assurance of Captured Data. Observations collected in Exonaut® are time stamped, with the author’s name. This allows trial managers to track the level of data collection against each objective, identify issues, and assure the quality of data collected.

4C Strategies’ Development Cycle, Customer Development Academies and User Fora, in addition to our very close working relationship with the client, ensures that we have early visibility of their requirements and are able to be appropriately agile in meeting them so our solutions and support remain cutting edge and relevant.