Constructing a Bivouac: a Complex Problem
In my last post, I talked about Lean and Agile approaches to solving complicated and complex problem. Here’s the example I promised of a complex problem, in the form of a story.
Two hundred paratroopers dropped down behind enemy lines. The captain ordered the lieutenant to establish camp on the plain between the mountain on the east and the river (flowing south) on the west.
The lieutenant called for the sergeant and said, “Our plan is to erect the field kitchen and supply depot in the center of the plain, the men’s tents south of the supply depot and the latrines two hundred feet south of the tents. The rest of the supplies should be dropped onto the plain by sundown. How long will it take the latrine team to dig the latrines?”
“About two hours,” said the sergeant.
“Start digging the latrines,” the lieutenant said. “Also, assign the logger team to cut down trees for the field kitchen and supply depot. Commission the reserve team to unload the supplies when they arrive and have the sentry team set up sentry posts around the perimeter of the plain.”
A half-hour later, the sergeant reported back. “The logging team is trimming branches from the felled trees. But the latrine team has run into rocks. I now expect it will be another six hours before they are complete. The supplies have not arrived. The sentries say that the risk of enemy attack is extremely low from the East, the South and the North.”
The lieutenant responded, “Send a pair from the latrine team to find a good place to ford the river and let it be known that until we get the latrines dug, the men will need to ford the river, then travel south of the plain to relieve themselves. Send the rest of the latrine team to the east and north edges of the plain to search for an easier place to dig the latrines. The logging team should proceed according to plan. Report back in thirty minutes.”
Thirty minutes later, back came the sergeant. “The east and north edges of the plain are as rocky as the south. But some of the men have reported that the ground is soft on the west side of the river. PFC Johnson slipped on the rocks when fording the river and sprained his ankle. The logging team has dragged the logs to the center of the plain and has nearly completed framing the field kitchen. No sign of the supplies. And there’s a new development: thunderclouds are mounting overhead.”
“Send another pair to find a good location on the river’s west side to dig a latrine,” said the lieutenant.
“I’ve taken the liberty to do that already, sir. In this new location, I estimate it will take ninety minutes to dig the latrine.”
“Good, sergeant. I assume if we deploy the reserve team to help the latrine team we can dig the latrines in forty-five minutes?”
“Actually, it can’t be done any sooner than sixty minutes, and we won’t be able to fully utilize the reserve team.”
“Well, then take the surplus from the reserve team and have them drag some logs from the center of the plain to build a bridge for safer passage over the river.”
“There won’t be enough logs to complete the supply center, sir.”
“I’m well aware of that sergeant. Report back in thirty minutes.”
Ten minutes later: “Sir, the supplies have arrived.”
“Sergeant, pull back the sentries from the north and east and have them begin to unload the supplies. And have the sentries in the south cut the trees we need to finish the supply center.”
“Yes, sir.”
Twenty minutes went by. “The latrines are half finished, sir. The supply depot is framed, except for the replacement logs. Unfortunately the kitchen equipment was destroyed, along with all of the supplies except for hotdogs, buns and marshmallows. And it’s beginning to rain.”
“Tell the logging and sentry teams to load the supplies into the field kitchen and cover the frame with our parachutes.”
“They’re already working on it, sir
After thirty minutes more, the sergeant reported, “The latrine and logging teams crammed into the field kitchen to get out of the rain. The sentries have been reposted. The supplies are directly adjacent to the field kitchen and protected by parachutes. The full reserve team is working on completing the bridge. Although the rain is letting up, the bridge engineer has reported that the river is rising and we need more logs.”
“Sergeant, disassemble the supply depot and use the logs to beef up the bridge. Have the logging team help the reserve team with the construction.
“I’ve already done so sir.”
An hour after sundown, the lieutenant surveyed the camp with the captain. The field kitchen was converted into a combo clothes-drying room and infirmary. The sole occupant of the infirmary was Johnson, who had passed out — not because of pain medication (which never arrived), but from a flask filled with Crown Royal that had been anonymously donated after the sergeant informally solicited the troops for help. The supply depot partial frame no longer existed. The men had pitched their tents on the west rather than the south side of the plain to make the hike to the latrine more convenient. The tents were pitched in quadrants with room in the middle for a fire, where clusters of men were finishing their recent weenie roast with toasted marshmallows.
When the captain arrived, the lieutenant was ready to provide an explanation about why the tents were arranged in a non-standard way, but the captain never asked any questions. He was satisfied by his inspection that his order to establish camp on the plain had been properly executed. The details of how the order was executed were of no interest to him.
“I just got off the phone with my son-in-law, the one married to my daughter, the real estate developer,” the captain said. “He’s always trying to convince me that military field operations and the chain of command leave too little room for human creativity. Dag Nabbit! I keep trying to tell him, but his brain is like sieve. A military field operation is no place for innovation!”
Without a shred of ironic intent, the lieutenant said, “ I couldn’t agree with you more, sir.”
Three days later, they set up a new camp thirty miles to the south.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:04 am
The activity of the lieutenant reminds me of Colin Powell’s 18 points on leadership. Number 2: The lieutenant encouraged his troops to bring their problems to him. Number 16: The field commander (in this case the lieutenant) is always right and the rear echelon wrong unless proven otherwise.
http://www.chally.com/enews/powell.html
There is a common misconception of the military as a rigid bureaucracy, due to its hierarchy and command structure. If this were true than it would be unable adapt to new situations. This may be true in some departments. Yet in order to win a battle leadership must be distributed to field commanders able to make decisions based on the facts on the ground. This is due to the “fog of war”, which represents uncertainty. While in software projects lives typically aren’t at stake (unless you work for military or health care), the environment is similar. Uncertainty around means and ends makes almost all custom development a complex problem.
The essential ability this group of paratroopers demonstrated was adaptability. Since the problem the lieutenant faced was complex this was the correct approach. Rather than optimize his speed at implementing the standard bivouac formation, he relied on his paratroopers to survey the terrain and make decisions — while keeping him in the loop. Similarly for software teams, adaptability is typically more valuable than straight line optimization, due to the nature of the problem space.