EFFICIENCY TESTING IN A HUMAN-CENTRIC WORKFLOW: THE UNITED STATES ARMY TACTICAL CYBER REQUEST PROCESS

Abstract

The importance of United States (U.S.) Army Cyber operations is constantly increasing, along with the breadth of large-scale combat operations environments that must be considered. Traditionally, cyber operations support has been seen as a strategic asset. The U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) recognizes the need for tactical commanders to employ cyber effects and published an updated policy to allow tactical commanders to submit cyber support requests. Handling these requests effectively is important due to the far-reaching effects of cyber targeting and the limited capacity of cyber support resources. Efficiency, represented as the timeliness of processing requests, is the primary measure of effectiveness. Computational modeling provides an avenue to generate and process over one million requests within minutes while comparing different variants of the process, rather than waiting for lessons to be learned in the field. We created a simulation model to represent this request process, while including random variation in the proficiency and learning behavior of support teams, and then conducted structured testing through designed experiments to yield insights about the process performance. Request service times, arrival rates, starting proficiency, and learning curves play significant roles in overall efficiency. We recommend further experimentation once more data is collected. Our approach serves as a foundation for modeling human behavior effects in similar studies.