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The Combat Estimate, also known as the Seven Questions is a sequence of questions used by military commanders, usually in contact with the enemy, to plan their response, such as a platoon attack.[1][2] It provides a means for formulating a plan that meets the exigencies of battle, even in very difficult circumstances. However, it may also be used at all levels in the chain of command, from tactical to strategic.

The Combat Estimate was introduced by the British Army in 2001,[3] although the military estimate or appreciation process is used widely by militaries around the world.[4] It was developed to simplify and speedup the planning process at Battlegroup (BG) level.[5] The approach focuses all of the work strands carried out during planning and ensures that these works have purpose.[5] Its effectiveness has led to variants of it being used as a tool for decision making in a variety of contexts, from surgery[6] to management consulting.[7][better source needed] An example is its application in identifying the process of plan development, the initial research stage for SMEs.[8]

The questions

The Combat Estimate consists of seven questions as follows:

  1. What is the situation and how does it affect me?
  2. What have I been told to do and why?
  3. What effects do I need to achieve and what direction must I give to develop my plan?
  4. Where can I best accomplish each action or effect?
  5. What resources do I need to accomplish each action or effect?
  6. When and where do these actions take place in relation to each other?
  7. What control measures do I need to impose?

See also

References

  1. ^ Army Doctrine Publication: Operations. Ministry of Defence Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre. 2010. pp. 6–15.
  2. ^ https://www.army.mod.uk/media/14177/21-07-267-army-leadership-doctrine-web.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ Jeffrey, Steve (2020-04-16). "7 Questions to Plan & Make Decisions in a Crisis". Steve Jeffrey International.
  4. ^ Decision-Making Process In Military Combat Operations (PDF). International Committee of the Red Cross. 2013.
  5. ^ a b Jenkins, Daniel P.; Stanton, Neville A.; Walker, Guy H. (2017). Cognitive Work Analysis: Coping with Complexity. CRC Press. pp. 7–5. ISBN 978-1-317-16470-8.
  6. ^ Wood, Ryan; Granville-Chapman, Jeremy; Clasper, John (2014). "The seven questions: a novel surgical planning strategy based on military doctrine". Ann R Coll Surg Engl (Suppl). 96 (10): 363–365. doi:10.1308/147363514X14042954770238. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  7. ^ Hewett, Mark (2017-01-26). "The 7 Questions - 5 years applying a military technique in consulting: Part 1". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  8. ^ Anderson, Martin (2018). Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors 2012: Proceedings of the international conference on Ergonomics & Human Factors 2012, Blackpool, UK, 16-19 April 2012. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-203-10283-1.


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