Performance measurement of a carrier battle group: a case study of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet's participation as a performance planning and reporting pilot project for fiscal year 1996

Abstract

The Commander In Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT) participated as a performance planning and reporting pilot project (PPRP) in support of the short term requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA). Combatant military organizations have experienced, and will experience, some of the greatest challenges of changing from the management of inputs and outputs to defining, quantifying, measuring and managing for outcomes. The central core of this thesis is an exploration of how CINCLANTFLT and its action agent the George Washington Battle Group (GWBG) developed a performance plan, performance metrics for a carrier battle group (CVBG) and a performance measurement system that supported the process of performance management. To support the process of performance management the Battle Group Mission Capability Reporting System (BGMCRS) was created. The BGMCRS is an automated management information system that assists the Battle Group Commander in assessing the projected output capability of his command in seven critical mission areas. The system provided micro-level and macro-level performance information for use by the Battle Group Commander and his staff, and provided CINCLANTFLT with an archived data base that documented the performance of operationally deployed CVBG. Through its participation as a PPRP, CINCLANTFLT and the GWBG demonstrated that the performance of a CVBG is quantitatively measurable while demonstrating the process of performance management can assist in the effective and efficient management of a combatant force.