Air Education and Training Command Cost and Capacity System: Implications for Organizational and Data Flow Changes

Abstract : The goal of this study was to help establish the strategic design for a comprehensive system to assess and manage the cost and capacity of the Air Force's pipeline for enlisted technical training. The study team concluded that such a system is useful only insofar as it supports the decision processes necessary for managing effective training. Therefore, this report examines training management and decision processes to determine the need for data to support informed decisionmaking. It briefly reviews training management systems and associated organizational arrangements in the other services and the private sector to draw insights for a model management system for the Air Force. The study identifies impediments to training planning and management in the current Air Force organizational structure that inhibit the flow of cost and capacity data and hinder effective decisionmaking. It also outlines analytic developments that could help convert raw data into information useful for decisionmakers.