The Power of the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), 2020-2030 Strategy
Abstract
The ERDC 2020-2030 Strategy outlines where our organization came from, where we are headed, and the ways and means by which we accomplish our R and D mission. One simple construct for strategy development is to define the Ends, Ways and Means, a very typical framework for many military strategies. The ERDC 2020-2030 Strategy will use that simple construct: it will describe the Ends (where we are going and why), the Ways (how we will get there) and the Means (there sources we will need to get there) by which we will achieve the strategy. Part of the answer to the questions above is laid out very simply in our vision statement: To be a world-class research and development organization (ends) that discovers, develops and delivers new ways (ways) to make the world safer and better every day (ends). This document will take a closer look at the end, ways and means components of the strategy (Figure 7), and how the strategy can be used as a springboard into the future, laying the foundation for how we will focus our capabilities and resources to solve the critical challenges of tomorrow. One paradigm that is useful for understanding current ERDC research programs, and will be useful in helping contemplate, develop and define future research programs, is the Understand-Predict-Shape (UPS) Paradigm: Understand the Present, Predict the Future and Shape the Outcome of the Operational Environment (Figure 8). This simple three-element paradigm can be used to explain what we do in every research program ERDC executes today and can help shape all major ERDC programs of tomorrow. Future research programs may contain one or more of the elements of this paradigm.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 21, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1118918