A structured approach to information technology management in the Department of Defense

Abstract

Information technology management (ITM) in the Department of Defense (DoD) has changed significantly during the 1980's and early 1990's. The pace of this change seems only to be accelerating as computer processing power continues to increase, data storage and retrieval capacity continues to grow, telecommunications capabilities continue to improve, hardware and software become more readily available, and automation costs continue to decrease. Managers need to understand the answers to the following questions in order to manage DoD IT effectively and efficiently: (1) What impact are the Information Age and the Military Technical Revolution having on the DoD? (2) How can managers engineer and manage IT in the DoD more effectively and efficiently? and (3) What new applications of IT are now possible in the DoD? The author created and tested in class a course designed to help prepare military personnel and defense civil servants (DoD civilians) to serve as technical managers of defense-related IT. The course uses an integrated set of learning materials that provides answers the three questions presented above. Material covered by the course includes: Module 1 - The Military Technical Revolution: The Changing DoD IT Environment, Module 2 - A Structured Approach to ITM in the DoD: The Structured Approach Framework, Module 3 A Structured Approach to ITM in the DoD: The Structured Approach Process, and Module 4 - Command and Control Warfare: An Application of ITM in the DoD.