A methodology for evaluating architectural solutions

The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (AFSAB) was tasked to develop “A Space Roadmap for the 21st Century Aerospace Force.” In order to complete this daunting task in less than a year, we had to develop alternative architectures and recommend a preferred architecture based on cost and performance trades. In order to perform these trades, we employed assessment tools and methodologies that were simple, yet provided some confidence that the architectural option being recommended and the corresponding changes to the current baseline force structure will achieve the intended purpose. In this paper we discuss the approach used in making these assessments. Inherent in our approach is a way to assess how various options for changing the baseline force structure contribute to achieving our vision. We have examined a range of possible changes to the current baseline program and evaluated them against a set of Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs). This analysis has led to the selection of a recommended option. The baseline and recommended force structures were broken up into functional areas. As a way to evaluate the operational effectiveness MOE, we have correlated the baseline and candidate force structure options against the operational tasks of the Air Force. The Joint Mission Element Task List (JMETL) provides a listing of the key tasks which a joint force must be able accomplish to fulfill the requirements of Joint Vision 2010 (JV2010) DoD operational vision for the future