Joint Essential Tasks and a Framework for Evaluation

摘要

In Jan 2000, DSTO embarked on a task to develop a list of Australian Joint Essential Tasks (ASJETs) to support the planning and evaluation of exercises. This process has been very successful and has seen ASJETs incorporated into the planning for the next major Australian-led exercise -- Crocodile 03. Evaluation may be used for a variety of purposes: to monitor progress; to determine whether or not objectives can be achieved; to assess the suitability of new processes, systems, or structures; and to identify deficiencies or dependencies. Each of these purposes has different evaluation requirements. Also, evaluation may be limited to determining which activities have been conducted, or be based on subjective opinions, repeatable subjective measures, or objective measures. While rigorous objective evaluation is often considered the most desirable and reliable method, it may prove to be impractical or too expensive. A risk-managed approach may be a good alternative. The evaluation approach selected needs to take into account a number of factors, such as the purpose of the evaluation and the time and results of the last evaluation, to determine which measures should be used. With experience, it should be possible to identify a suite of reliable measures, both subjective and objective. This evaluation approach is discussed in the context of planned evaluations for future military exercises.