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HARTLEY CONSULTING
Solving Complex Operational and Organizational Problems

PROJECT: Set Documentation Standards for Combat Models

Dr. Dean S. Hartley III

Project Metadata Keywords
Label Name Other Year DurationYrs
Client SAGA The Joint Staff
Dates 1973 4
Employer US Army, NMCSSC/CCTC
Partner Science Applications Incorporated
Partner Vector Research, Incorporated (VRI)
Partner Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
Pubs TANDEM RE-ARRAY software, NMCSSC programmer 1975
Pubs SATANDEM user documentation, NMCSSC author 1975
Pubs TANDEM RE-ARRAY user documentation, NMCSSC author 1975
Pubs VECTOR-1 System for Simulation of Theater-Level Combat UM, CCTC editor 1976
Pubs Tactical Nuclear Damage Evaluation Model (TANDEM) UM Part I, NMCSSC editor 1975
Pubs UNICORN (Version III) Methodology, CCTC editor 1976
Pubs SATANDEM software, NMCSSC programmer 1975
Pubs Tactical Nuclear Damage Evaluation Model (TANDEM) MM Part I, NMCSSC editor 1975
Pubs VECTOR-1 MM Part IV VECTOR-1 Variable Glossaries, CCTC editor 1976
Pubs VECTOR-1 MM Part III Data Preprocessor Variable Glossaries, CCTC editor 1976
Pubs UNICORN (Version III) User's Manual Volume I editor 1976
Pubs UNICORN (Version III) User's Manual Volume II editor 1976
Pubs Tactical Nuclear Damage Evaluation Model (TANDEM) MM Part II, NMCSSC editor 1975
Pubs Tactical Nuclear Damage Evaluation Model (TANDEM) UM Part II, NMCSSC editor 1975
Pubs Tactical Nuclear Damage Evaluation Model (TANDEM) MM Part III, NMCSSC editor 1975
Pubs VECTOR-1 MM Part 1 Logic Descriptions, CCTC editor 1976
Pubs VECTOR-1 System for Simulation of Theater-Level Combat TM, NMCSSC editor 1975
Pubs VECTOR-1 MM Part II Source Listings, CCTC editor 1976
Pubs VECTOR-1 MM Part V VECTOR-1 Variable Glossaries (continued), CCTC editor 1976
Pubs VECTOR-1 MM Part VI I/O Record Descriptions, CCTC editor 1976
Team John A. Battilega, L. M. Blackwell, Larry A. Caid, Henry Cowell, H. E. Hock, William E. Judnick, Glenn Kern, T. A. Kriz, Arleen Lichtenstein, Kathryn Molamphy, D. A. Otey, Harold Pollitt, David E. Thompson, S. I. Weston, R. N. White, William W. White
Classification issues
Configuration management
Documentation standards
Modeling, Simulation & Gaming (MSG)
Software issues
Verification, Validation & Accreditation (VV&A)
Warfare modeling

BACKGROUND

Sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s the US government decided to replace its IBM computers with those manufactured by Honeywell.  The replaced computers included those used to run the Joint Staff's combat models.  All of these combat models needed to be converted to run on the new machines and tested to ensure that they produced the same results as before.  See Converting Combat Models from IBM to Honewell for details.

RESULTS

We determined the four categories of documentation were required to ensure the proper use of combat models:  Users Manual, Analysts Guide, Program Maintenance Manual, and source code commenting.

Users Manual

The Users Manual describes the purpose of the model and the purpose, general function, and operational characteristics of the various system components.  It also includes instructions for preparing inputs and interpreting outputs, with examples.  The intent is to supply the necessary information for using the combat model.

Analysts Guide

The original name for this category was simply "Technical Memorandum."  This name was changed to the more descriptive name, "Analysts Guide."  The Analysts Guide describes the mathematical details of the process models of the combat model and the algorithms in these process models.  The intent is to supply the necessary information for understanding how the combat model works and why it works that way.  This information is needed for non-standard uses and to support validation of the model.

Program Maintenance Manual

The Program Maintenance Manual includes the technical details of the combat model's implementation.  Subsections include logic descriptions, source code listings, variable glossaries, and input/output record descriptions.  The intent is to support later changes to the code and investigation of anomalies in the model's use.

Source Code Commenting

During the course of the conversion process, we discovered the critical importance of complete commenting of the source code.  These comments should describe each function of the source code and each algorithm within the code.  The intent is to place any needed information about the code as close to the place where it will be needed as possible - withing the code itself.

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