A Delphi Study Using Value-Focused Thinking for United States Air Force Mission Dependency Index Values

Abstract : Recently, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) identified that the Mission Dependency Index (MDI) had issues with reflecting the criticality of some mission sets. The MDI is a constructed value assigned to assets that reflects the consequence of failure. The primary mission sets having MDI issues were non-flightline assets. The current Air Force MDI metric relies on data collected using the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) methodology and adapts the data by using facility categorization codes. The result is a method that compares alternatives to each other to develop an individual asset's MDI value. As a corrective measure to this methodology, non-flightline centric mission sets have been allowed to adjust (i.e. increase) their asset MDI values. This modification in MDI values has led to inflation of the metric. To address the issue, this research focuses on how the MDI values should be assigned by examining both public and private methodologies. Leveraging the Delphi technique and Value Focused Thinking (VFT), three models are created to suggest the proper inputs that should be considered when producing the MDI values for the Air Force's assets. The models inputs were interruptability, redundancy, replaceability and the number of missions affected.