The “Five Whats” Approach to Military MS/OR

Many inexperienced operations research analysts react to a new study requirement by immediately categorizing the problem into a solution methodology. In effect, they commit themselves to a particular technical tool and turn on the biggest computer they can find to run it before they fully understand the problem. We believe that a thorough front-end analysis of the problem allows you to determine the best solution approach and, in some cases, may even produce the answer as a result of the application of common sense. The “five whats” focus your attention on the key aspects of front-end analysis.