Project phoenix

Associating Management Science Considerations to
Penren and Project Phoenix in Pre and Post 9/11
America Regarding Homeland and Information Security

Brian Steven Cheboski, MBA

Abstract

The renovation and restoration of the US military’s symbol of strength, and, at time of

construction, the world’s largest office building, The Pentagon, involves several elements

of management science.

From project management to the testing of new methodologies, mathematics and the

software that focuses on facilitating quick decision making for complex problems,

designers and engineers are greatly benefited by Management Science and the

Pentagon’s restoration is able to occur more quickly because of advances in this field.

{Keywords: Penren, Phoenix Project, Project Management, Primavera, Linear

Programming, Simulation}

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Introduction

Information security encompasses several aspects of the same realm. These

include, but are not limited to: physical security, information systems, counter

intelligence, and homeland security. These several aspects are part of the ongoing

renovations and restorations at the Pentagon site. Begun in 1991 by act of congress, the

Pentagon is a historic site that is undergoing renovation, which is expected to be

completed in the year 2010 (Penren) with an additional requirement of restoration of the

facade, due to terrorist attack (The Phoenix Project). Both projects are ongoing and

involve the several functions of management science for successful completion.

(Insert figure 1)

Public opinion and morale based on patriotism is centered on The Phoenix

Project, and the west façade, which has been nearly restored to pre-9/11 appearance.

This exterior project delves into the project management and polymer mixtures for the

cement, but lacks the scale and scope of Penren, or the total restoration of the 6.5 million

square foot office complex.

Maximization

George Dantzig conceived linear Programming in 1947 while he was a

department head at the Pentagon. It is a method of converting limited resources into

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maximum use, whether it be profit, coverage or material utilization with little or no left

over or slack supply and providing the tool to gauge the misuse of these resources. It is

highly likely that this tool, and the developments from it where implemented in the

decision process of Pentagon policy makers. Because of the limitations of this tool in

comparison to PERT diagrams, simulation and queuing, Linear Programming would be

used in conjunction with other tools. Figure two shows a composite of data within

management software that demonstrates range of optimal solutions can be further

analyzed with linear programming.

(Insert figure 2)

On an institutive level, congress used linear programming to judge the voter

perception of a dilapidated building that represents the US military strength. When

allocating the funds for 9/11 repairs, congress also added over 500 million dollars to the

Penren budget for more rapid results, weighing available funds versus public perception

and patriotism for the boost in moral and patriotism of a visually completed building.

The Penren project has been touted for ringing in a new form of contracting.

Because of the size of the renovation involved, the traditional design/bid/build scenario

became cumbersome with up to 3,500 design specs for the first of 5 wedges. The design

specs had been noted as redundant and non-binding constraints when a new form of

building was implemented. Now vendors are approved for building/renovation on a zero

profit basis and paid a bonus on work completed on time and accurately. This system

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allows concrete to be poured before paint color is specified and dramatically increases the

efficiency of the project and 3,500 pages of specs for the first wedge became an initial

call for work that was only 16 pages long for successive wedges.

Pouring concrete has changed since the first building of the Pentagon. Now

laboratories have developed impact resistant polymers and Kevlar laden concrete. These

labs have no doubt used the foundations of linear programming to develop these new

compounds. By varying the blends within the new formation, testing can be conducted to

find the efficiency of the result, but linear programming offers a useful tool. By studying

the characteristics of the components, linear programming can maximize any desired

result on paper prior to actual mixing so that the hardened structure has balanced

survivability. “Balanced survivability assessment (BSA) determines (a structure’s)

ability to survive against a specified threat spectrum and still perform its mission.

…[BSA] ensures that no threat is neglected, and that all threats are addressed

consistently.1 Some of the DARPA site testing of impacts on structures is shown in

Figure 3.

(Insert figure 3)

1
The AMPTIAC Quarterly, Volume 6, Number 4, Page 54 – Other functions of design include post attack
feasibility of the structure and also ability to shut down key operations quickly to prevent further damage.

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Queuing

The Pentagon has a population of 25,000 employees and approximately 1,000

contractors per day on site. Cars and supply trucks are subject to queuing when entering

the Pentagon Complex for security checks and completing the necessary task.

Simple queuing is the waiting line process defined by:

Infinite waiting population (new arrivals will continue)

Infinite capacity of queue (space allows lines to form)

No leaving the queue

First come, first served

Service rate is greater than arrival rate (to avoid infeasibility)

With multiple servers, each server has equal capacity

In actual use, some of the restrictions are changed and become more complex. A

four star general will not wait in the same line for the same length of time as a contractor

bringing a can of paint! However, in general these restrictions do apply, because of the

staging process.

At the Pentagon, this area of Management Science has been studied and is

featured in the official publications. Because of the massive amount of entry and exit of

vehicles within the parking lots and also persons within the building, an extensive and

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complex array of queuing channels has been developed and re-engineered for the Penren

project.

Once within the Pentagon, personnel are subject to search and verification of

biometric information, such as personal identity as bags are checked, much like visiting

any government building or museum. These lines also become queuing channels,

especially during shift changes when the input flow is greater and lines form with more

channels being used and more formally resemble the no reneging and infinite wait of the

simple queuing model.

To dissipate the enormous number of people coming in and out of the Pentagon,

alleviate queuing congestion, and also because of the displacement of employees for

renovation purposes, Verizon was awarded the Tempo Contract. This contract was one

of the largest telecom contracts and called for state of the art modem capabilities of swing

space employees (employees dislocated during renovation) using both fiber optics and

wireless transmissions.

Many of the physical queuing considerations of moving trucks and people in and

out of spaces occurs when setting up a new network and moving data to and from servers,

secure sites and the internet. Each user has a channel to a central node, server or access

point. The data is then converted at that service area to a secure transmission to firewalls

and allowed exterior access. The same process occurs for incoming data, all based on

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queuing theory to facilitate smooth transmissions in a timely manner. With data, much

like the four star general analogy, priority can be given to certain data bytes or to certain

users if a backlog occurs.

Simulation

Biometrics, the verification of human users makes use of simulation. By the

process of a statistical decision tree, flowing in a series of yes-no, or probable answers, a

user can be identified. Height, weight, eye color and fingerprints and passwords are

common uses of biometrics in the decision tree process. Penren uses many of these

methods in determining authorized users on a daily basis both within the structure and it’s

surroundings as well as logging into servers containing project management data.

With the massive amount of co-ordination and data that must be transferred to

contractors and swing space employees, and the large scale of the office space, the

Pentagon has made the decision to test a system of wireless, wearable computers, raising

several issues for Wireless Security and Information Security for the users that this

hardware comes to.

Two stages of a simulation tree allow for verification of the user and the

hardware. The hardware verifies users with passwords and logins and probably some

form of physical identification. The decision tree would return a statistically dependable

verification that the user is consistent with the authorized user. The next stage is the

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wireless transmission to the Access Point of the wireless network with a similar decision

tree. Sample questions (in simplified form) include:

Has the physical user been authorized?

Is the hardware originating from a Pentagon Source?

Is the hardware within Pentagon physical space (using Blue tooth

technology to determine if the hardware is a victim of theft or loss)?

Is the hardware configured properly?

Are the transmissions free of virus, or malware?

What is the destination and source of the transmission?

Are there any transmissions to send to this user while logged on securely?

A simulation model would have been designed earlier based on expected answers

for both the biometric verification and the hardware verification. At the end of the tree

would be an expected statistic for that hardware/user combination based on their security

level. When the questions had been answered, access would be granted if the statistical

model matched actual results.

Because of the data required to complete a simulation decision tree for accurate

information, many IT professionals are calling for reliable metrics to base these decisions

on. As budgets increase and more pressure is placed on departments to demonstrate a

proven record of preventing security breaches, there currently is no standards for

detecting, recording and reporting these attacks. With this data properly compiled,

department heads can easily compile reports that illustrate the effectiveness of their

solution verses the expected effects of a malicious attack.

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Another interesting development of simulation according to the October 2003

edition of OR/MS Today magazine is the ability to create virtual stock markets based on

prior statistics and the documentation of the results. The Pentagon at that time had

expected to establish a stock market of world leaders and the threat they posed or the

amount of danger they were in. Perhaps of the bad PR this might involve, the project has

not received much news, however the tool could be very effective to help monitor and

prevent US physical targets and cities when terrorist chatter is high.

Project Management

Penren was a project conceived by the fact that the largest office building in the

world had never undergone a major renovation and had been designated as a landmark by

Congress in 1992. The expected completion date was 22 years in the future.

A Pert or Gant diagram to encompass the entire project would be unfathomable,

and then current systems could not house the engineering/design specific data requested

of the specs, and each contractor was using their own project management system.

Special software was developed called Primavera Project Planner or P3. Primavera

became the standard for all Penren contractors in 1995 and the data was archived and

maintained by Pentagon staff. From an information security standpoint this aided the

military, as they could view the project in its entirety and also monitor individual

contractors and components as the several phases moved through completion. The

general five phases of renovation were:

1) Demolition and abatement

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2) Core and shell construction

3) Tenant fit-out

4) Information Management and telecommunications installation

5) Furniture, fixtures and equipment installation

Within these five phases were several considerations and sub-projects other than

beautifying the space. These included the decision process regarding HVAC, water

consumption, combat situations, biometric access, telecommunications, OSHA standards

and environmental controls. Figure 4 demonstrates a few of the notes for improving the

environment within the building.

(Insert figure 4)

Individual design/build subcontractors have also written programs that download

into Primavera and handle the specifics of those offices core responsibilities in regards to

the decision tree of project management.

(Insert figure 5)

The 22 year long Penren project had one major component added to it due to the

terrorist attack – The Phoenix Project. Within one year the façade had been restored due

to excellent project management. For the one year accelerated portion of the total Penren

project, schedules and analysis occurred on an hourly basis with several nodes of a pert

diagram happening at once, and little room of crashing, or speeding the process, as

minimum tolerances had all ready been programmed into the project.

One great aid to The Phoenix Project is that because 10 years of work had all

ready been completed on the Pentagon by competent subcontractors, a purchasing

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process was all ready reviewed and renewed with vendors in place, streamlining

traditional design/build projects.

New technology such as the impact resistant polymers for the concrete and

electrical concerns for the interior as well as the wearable computers mentioned earlier,

had also all ready been evaluated and did not need further approval to begin the

restoration of the terrorist damage.

Conclusion

The government and especially the military have been forerunners in the uses of

science, mathematics, organizational behavior, and management. It is not surprising that

a project of this size, both monetarily and physically, when combined with the national

patriotic cry for rapid resolution to the gaping whole in the façade, would not facilitate

the innovative uses of methods and practices originally developed by the military and

even within the walls of the Pentagon. Management Science as a discipline may not be

widely practiced, but has become highly developed as demonstrated by the Penren and

Phoenix Project achievements.

Resources, whether they be for troop movements or production supplies are

always limited and the search for best uses combined with best practices by

subcontractors will produce a project result that can display the finest of our abilities but

also open the doors of information to the general public.

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It typically takes several years for government and military methods to reach

public knowledge and use, if ever. By encouraging the vast number of engineering,

design, information technology and subcontracting firms to become familiar with the

sacred halls of the Pentagon and admire the rapid ability to move resources, perhaps a

trickle down theory of supply use will occur and Management Science will encourage

others to find ways to preserve natural resources.

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Bibliography
3di website:
http://www.pubs.asce.org/ceonline/ceonline01/0106feat.html
http://www.3di.com/Code/Media/Essays/informationsystems.pdf

Air Force Website
http://www.af.mil/bios/bio_5379.shtml

Amptiac Quarterly Volume 6, Number 4, Department of Defense
http://amptiac.alionscience.com/pdf/AMPQ6_4ART07.pdf

DOE Report: Greening Project Status Report – The Pentagon
http://www.eere.energy.gov/femp/techassist/pdf/greening_pentagon.pdf

Earthtech press release
http://www.earthtech.com/news/031203Pentagon.htm

Farnsworth, Christian B., Bullet-Proof Structures, BUILDER Magazine, Feb. 8, 2002
http://www.builderonline.com//article-
builder.asp?channelID=59&sectionID=62&articletype=1&articleID=1000021475

Ganz, Jennie, Pes Erase Terror’s Scars From Pentagon in Fast-Track Effort, Engineering
Times, August/September 2002
http://www.nspe.org/etweb/18-02pentagon.asp

Horner, Peter, Ed. Virtual, Viable, Valuable, OR/MS Today, October 2003
http://www.lionhrtpub.com/orms/orms-10-03/inside.html

Mark, Roy, Pentagon Testing Wearable PCs During Reconstruction, Internetnews.com
August 29, 2002
http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/1454361

Pentagon Website sublink – renovation
http://renovation.pentagon.mil/

Pilla, Louis The Phoenix Project – Up from the ashes
http://www.primavera.com/files/customers/Pentagon_092002.pdf

SMS Corporation Press Release
http://www.sms.com/tempo.htm

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Vijayan Jaikumar, IT managers see need for risk metrics, COMPUTERWORLD, June 9,
2003
http://seclists.org/lists/isn/2003/Jun/0038.html

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 5

Figure 6

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