A Simulation Based Comparative Analysis of Alternatives for Tuition Assistance Organizational Structures

The military services have experienced enormous downsizing efforts in the last decade. With these initiatives, organizations have had to derive innovative ways to meet their objectives with fewer resources. An organization\u27s structure is an avenue to address these challenges within the atmosphere of a shrinking capital budget. Organizational structure changes can affect every aspect of the organization. Such an impact suggests proposals for drastic organizational changes must meet the rigors of a full analysis. The intent of this research is to provide a comprehensive analysis of centralization options for Air Force Tuition Assistance efforts. This thesis effort involves the development and subsequent analysis of multiple simulation models. The models provide insight into whether or not centralization will produce savings in processing times, manpower, and cost. Results show that centralization will positively impact the Tuition Assistance organization in meeting their objectives while allowing the Air Force to take advantage of efficiencies through technological advancements

Evaluation of the HARDMAN comparability methodology for manpower, personnel and training

The methodology evaluation and recommendation are part of an effort to improve Hardware versus Manpower (HARDMAN) methodology for projecting manpower, personnel, and training (MPT) to support new acquisition. Several different validity tests are employed to evaluate the methodology. The methodology conforms fairly well with both the MPT user needs and other accepted manpower modeling techniques. Audits of three completed HARDMAN applications reveal only a small number of potential problem areas compared to the total number of issues investigated. The reliability study results conform well with the problem areas uncovered through the audits. The results of the accuracy studies suggest that the manpower life-cycle cost component is only marginally sensitive to changes in other related cost variables. Even with some minor problems, the methodology seem sound and has good near term utility to the Army. Recommendations are provided to firm up the problem areas revealed through the evaluation

Simulation-based analysis and optimization of the United States Army performance appraisal system.

In this dissertation, a discrete event simulation framework is considered to replicate the dynamics, structure, and regulatory constraints placed on the officers in the U.S. Army. Using performance appraisal data provided by the United States Army Human Resources Command, we create a multi-objective response function that quantifies the human behavior associated with evaluating subordinates. Utilizing simulation-optimization techniques for model validation enables estimating unknown input parameters, such as human behavior, based on historical data. Furthermore, the model allows users to analyze the effects of current constraints on the evaluation system and the effects of proposed personnel policy changes.The effectiveness of the performance appraisal system is based on its ability to accurately evaluate the officers\u27 performance levels. An initial analysis showed that 20.07\% of the officers in the system do not receive as many above average evaluations as their performance level warrants. Additionally, structural changes such as decreasing the average number of a rater\u27s subordinates from fifteen to five increases the number of misidentified personnel by 59.86\%. Ranking and selection statistical procedures assist in determining the optimal combination of input parameters such as forced distribution constraints placed on raters, frequency of moves, number of subordinates assigned to each rater, and rater behavior. The simulation will serve as a tool for policy analysis to recommend policies and behavior that maximizes the extent to which the performance appraisal system accurately identifies the most qualified employees. Consequently, the results demonstrate broad applicability of simulation-optimization in the field of manpower modeling and human resource management

Optimization models and system dynamics simulations to improve military manpower systems

textManpower policy decisions are an extension of traditional operations management problems. Manpower policies strive to place the appropriate and accurate numbers of the correct types of people in the right jobs at the necessary time. Managers create inventory by hiring new workers, either in entry level or more senior positions. Over time, managers promote workers to satisfy demand for more advanced positions. Managers face the challenge of determining the number of people to hire into entry level positions, the number of people already in the work force to promote to more senior level positions, and in some open systems when and how many experienced employees to hire into these senior positions. This dissertation studies and develops three different methods and approaches to provide improved decision support to a healthcare organization’s manpower system. Our research goal is to design models of the organization’s manpower system to improve human resource operations. The healthcare system of interest is the United States Army’s Medical Department (AMEDD). The research will be arranged in three sections. We explore current practices and build improved optimization manpower system models. We use multi objective decision analysis techniques to enhance the optimization models. Lastly, we construct a system dynamics simulation model of the manpower system to address the limitations in the optimization models. There are three main contributions of this dissertation to the operations management literature. First, the development of improved manpower optimization models can be extended to other manpower systems. Second, we develop a technique to assess the manpower system value based on a series of value scoring transformation functions and weighting the over two hundred sub objectives in the optimization manpower system’s objective function. This application of multiple objective decision analysis makes it possible to compare different manpower systems. The system dynamics simulation of a military manpower system is new to the operations management literature as is how we use the system dynamics simulation to update optimization model parameters to construct a more realistic manpower system model.Information, Risk, and Operations Management (IROM

A Generalized Decision Support System for the Contracting Career Field

This research effort develops a generalized decision support system (DSS) to assist contracting career field managers in making recruiting and retention decisions. The DSS focuses on the skill level inventories of the contracting enlisted force. The interest in this research was identified by contracting career field managers due to the recent negative trends in recruitment and retention and the lack of analytical tools available. To accomplish this objective manpower models were developed using a combination of techniques gathered through interviews with Army and Air Force analysts and a literature review focusing on manpower modeling. The models developed in this study are intended to assist career field managers in recruiting and retaining the correct number and skill level mix of personnel in the contracting career field. The models are generalized enough to serve as a DSS for other Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) with minimal revision

MODELING SYSTEM BEHAVIORAL OF INDIVIDUAL PROCEDURES AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL OF THE MARINE CORPS HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS—DO HRDP POLICY, PROCEDURES, AND IMS SUPPORT OR HINDER THEMSELVES?

In February 2021, the Marine Corps released its official guidance on the Human Resource Development Process (HRDP). The Marine Corps outlined the HRDP phases of Guidance, Planning, Production, Assignment, and Assessment as co-occurring and continuous operations. Each process within the phases produces vast amounts of qualitative and quantitative data for the Marine Corps. Using Monterey Phoenix to model both the HRDP and Information Management System (IMS) system behaviors supporting the HRDP, I evaluated the Marine Corps' IMS ability to support Talent Management 2030. First, processes designed in the industrial era and carried into the digital age should not persist. This study recommends IT IMS changes to deal with the legacy processes and methodologies from a bygone era. Secondly, this report provides a framework, tools, and examples to conduct process analysis across all administrative functions across the force, allowing Marine Corps leadership to capitalize on efficiencies already gained by Fleet Marine Forces.Captain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Ready and Able: Addressing Labor Market Needs and Building Productive Careers for People with Disabilities through Collaborative Approaches

The report describes market-driven practices that increase hiring, retention, promotion and accommodation of people with disabilities through partnerships with employers.Approaches profiled in the research include: collaborations between major national employers and public sector agencies; models that focus on an industry or occupational sector; private and "alternative" staffing services that place people with disabilities; partnerships that expand opportunities for college students and graduates with disabilities; and local and regional hubs that connect people with disabilities and employers. The research also profiles two organizations where lead disability and employment partnerships act as catalysts

Developing Advanced Academic Degree Educational Profiles for Career Fields

This research develops a career field\u27s educational profile through use of the decision analysis approach of value-focused thinking (VFT). VFT is used to solicit the capabilities that the career field manager (CFM) desires its officers obtain from an advanced academic program. This process generates a value hierarchy and a focused set of alternatives (degree programs). The academic programs\u27 content are evaluated against the hierarchy to determine how well it meets the values of the functional area. A rankordered list of degrees is produced and a portfolio of degrees is selected through the use of CFM-approved goal-setting criteria. The specific breakdown of the portfolio into percentages of the force that should attain each degree is then determined through the CFM\u27s specified relative value increments of the goal-setting criteria. The resulting effort creates a guide for CFMs to communicate to their corps on the types of degrees to earn and provides justification for fully-funded degree slots

United States Air Force Officer Manpower Planning Problem via Approximate Dynamic Programming

The United States Air Force (USAF) is concerned with managing its officer corps to ensure sufficient personnel for mission readiness. Manpower planning for the USAF is a complex process which requires making decisions about accessions. Uncertainty about officer retention complicates such decisions. We formulate a Markov decision process model of the Air Force officer manpower planning problem (AFO-MPP) and utilize a least squares approximate policy iteration algorithm as an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) technique to attain solutions. Computational experiments are conducted on two AFO-MPP instances to compare the performance of the policy determined with the ADP algorithm to a benchmark policy. We find that the ADP algorithm performs well for the basis functions selected, providing policies which reduce soft costs associated with shortages and surpluses in the force