Presented in London, England in May 2012 for AIIM Executive Summit.

1. Thoughts on Information to Support
Decision-Making
Dr. Curtis A. Carver Jr.
Vice Chancellor & Chief Information Officer
University System of Georgia
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

2. Vocabulary Word of the Day
Overensure: to allow the scope and pace of
change to be dictated by the lawyers, naysayers
and quartermasters of the world
Author: Rommel
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

3. • First Attempt at
Decision-Making
• Decision-Making in
World War I
• Decision-Making in
World War II
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

4. First Attack
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

5. World War I
Where is
Enemy
Rommel? Friendly
Where is
Rommel?
Enemy
Friendly
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

6. GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

7. What are the Characteristics of Information
to Support Decision-Making?
• Right information
• Right format
• Right time
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

8. Decision-Making through Tactical Web
• Problem: Faced with one year tours, an extremely high
operations tempo, and the 4th largest and quite hostile
army in the world only 15 miles away, the young
soldiers assigned to 2nd Infantry Division could not
effectively use the Maneuver Control System.
• The problem is so severe that the Commanding
General calls Washington to have the software fixed.
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

9. Decision-Making through Tactical Web
• Build a new system that is:
– Easy to use
– Presents information in increasing levels of detail
– Runs on a secure 16kbps backbone
• Oh, I almost forgot, you have two weeks.
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

11. Why did it Work?
• Right Format • Right information
– Visual – Subjective and
– Exception-based Quantitative
– Increasing levels of detail – Easy to Use
– Based on Army doctrine
– Based on leadership
• Right Time style
– Fast
– Agile
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

12. What Happened Long Term?
• Mini informational mutiny: adopted by about
half the units in the Army.
• Used as principal command and control by 3rd
Infantry Division during Bosnian War.
• Briefed at Microsoft, to Microsoft, of what could
be done with Microsoft technology.
• Influenced the redesign of Maneuver Control
System
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

13. Questions, Comments,
A Conversation: Part 1
Dr. Curtis A. Carver Jr.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer
University System of Georgia
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

14. • Background: President Bush announces
Afghan campaign will be the first to employ
effects-based warfare which integrates all of
the instruments of national power: political,
economic, informational, and military
• Problem: No information or decision-support
system does that
• Solution: PowerPoint (if the only tool you
have is a hammer, every problem is a nail….)
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

15. • Build a New System that is:
– Easy to Use
– Better than 500 slides of hyperlinked PowerPoint
– Supports nuanced decision-making with multiple
instruments of national power at a very local level
– Can be briefed to the President
• Really need it now but we will give you six
weeks.
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

16. Why did it Work?
• Right Format • Right information
– Visual – Based on relationships
– Exception-based between instruments of
– Increasing levels of detail power
– Historical and real-time – Provided historical
context
• Right Time – Different view of the real
– Fast battlefield
– Agile
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

17. What Happened Long Term?
• Used to brief President Bush
• Used by the Army from at least
2004-2008
• Lead to thinking about war
differently
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

18. Questions, Comments,
A Conversation: Part 2
Dr. Curtis A. Carver Jr.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer
University System of Georgia
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

19. Problem: We need information to support
strategic decision-making for a $7 billion state
system of 35 colleges and universities.
Old Approach Issues?
• Collection of 1,000 reports • Data Governance – we don’t need no
• Provide the report if asked for stink’in data governance
• Modify existing report if slight • Strategic alignment – why would we
modification ask what decisions they are trying to
• Ask the campuses for emergency make when we have 1000 reports
collection otherwise –sometimes • Data validation – we don’t need no
weeks/months pass stink’in data validation. We will fix
the campus errors for them.
• Retire previous system – no time, no
need
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

20. Build a new System that supports:
– Different dashboards for every user
– Self-service reporting
– Integrates multiple informational stores
– Rigorous data validation
– No transform of campus data after submit
(accountability)
– Extensive data governance with participation and
transparency
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

21. Dashboard
(Think Peeling an Onion)
“Peel the Onion”
Even More detail
on any sub-attribute
Top Dashboard
Overview
Everyone’s
Dashboard
can be Different “Peel the Onion”
More detail
on any attribute
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123
21

22. Dashboard Engine
Onion Level 1
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123
22

23. Dashboard Engine
Onion Level 2
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123
23

24. Dashboard Engine
Onion Level 3
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123
24

25. Analytical Engine
• New Question Arises at 3 AM
• Self-Service Model
• Authorized User can build report on the fly
without the intervention of RPA or ITS.
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123
25

26. Analytical Engine
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123
26

27. Campus Quotes from New System on Day 1
• "This is a positive move from the past , quickest
implementation that has been done very well. Thanks that
you incorporated all of us into this."
• "These metadata reports are awesome...you should have
done a BIG launch for the ODS with all campuses in it...you
should consider presenting this in RACRA."
• "These errors reports are so modern, so much easier to use
and access. Much better than the current system we use."
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

28. Campus Quotes from New System on Day 1
• "I love the SharePoint website, it is very helpful method of
communication."
• "Data submission application is built very well, I am looking forward
to using the error relief option.“
• “You really need to publicly celebrate this – this deserves a moment
in the sun”
• “I almost stood up and clapped when I saw what you have done
with Cognos: this is amazing”
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

29. Campus Quotes from New System on Day 1
• “If this is what we are getting then all of this hard
work has been worth it – you listened”
• “This system runs two times faster than the
previous one and is so well organized from a
campus perspective that it changes everything”
• “Thumbs up!”
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

30. Questions, Comments,
A Conversation: Part 3
Dr. Curtis A. Carver Jr.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer
University System of Georgia
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

31. “On the Internet, the First Amendment is
• Data…. a local ordinance,” said Fred H. Cate, a
law professor at Indiana University.
• Big Data…..
• Location-based Big Data…..
• Big Data Driven Decision Making…..
What are folks saying about your
Need decisions now
organization on Facebook?
Requires a report
What are doing about what they
Report requires a collection
are saying?
Collection requires months
Do you even know?
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123

32. Study or Die
80 Hard Questions
Provided in Advance
Teams of Four Students
Last level is an exact copy of
the Department of Electrical Answer Incorrectly
Engineering and Computer
Science at West Point except
the faculty are now monsters Answer Correctly – more
aid kits, armor, and
weapons
GALILEO GeorgiaBEST GeorgiaFIRST Georgia ONmyLINE GeorgiaVIEW GIL PeachNet USG123