I N S T I T U T E F O R D E F E N S E A N A LY S E S User Manual for IDA Reading Guide Website Visitors Wade P. Hinkle, Project Leader Milton L. Tulkoff Rachel D. Dubin January 2012 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. IDA Document D-4426 Log: H 12-000028 INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES 4850 Mark Center Drive Alexandria, Virginia 22311-1882 About This Publication This work was conducted by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) under contract DASW01-04-C-0003, Task BA-6-2789, “Defense Resource Management Studies,” for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation (OSD (CAPE)). The views, opinions, and findings should not be construed as representing the official position of either the Department of Defense or the sponsoring organization. Acknowledgments The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to the reviewer, Mr. Paul Richanbach, for his perceptive comments, recommendations, and insights; to Ms. Beth Johnson, our editor, for her astute advice and assistance; and to Ms. Barbara Varvaglione, for efficiently supervising all aspects of the production process. Also, we are grateful to Mr. Matt Coursey for his enlightened advice and assistance on a wide range of technical matters regarding development and implementation of the IDA Reading Guide website. The efforts by our colleagues, as noted above, substantially contributed to the development of this publication. Any errors, inaccuracies, and omissions are solely the responsibility of the authors. Copyright Notice © 2012 Institute for Defense Analyses 4850 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22311-1882 • (703) 845-2000. I N S T I T U T E F O R D E F E N S E A N A LY S E S IDA Document D-4426 User Manual for IDA Reading Guide Website Visitors Wade P. Hinkle, Project Leader Milton L. Tulkoff Rachel D. Dubin Executive Summary This document serves as a guide for users of the Defense Resource Management Reading Guide website created by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). The IDA Reading Guide website (http://www.readingguide.org) was developed as a companion piece to the IDA study, Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System (PPBS)/Multi- Year Programming Reading Guide (IDA document D-4057, September 2010). The Reading Guide publication and the website support the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) program, Defense Resource Management Studies (DRMS). For more than two decades, DRMS has assisted over thirty U.S. security partners worldwide in improving their defense resource management capabilities. The Reading Guide is intended to provide up-to-date and authoritative reference sources regarding international defense resource management practices. Capabilities and Features Major capabilities and features of the website discussed in this manual include, among others: • Authoritative annotated citations • Rapid access to publications identified on the site • Rapid identification of libraries worldwide containing those publications • New generation search tools allowing users to examine the full contents of all documents referenced on the site • Intuitive organization of information and recommended reading sequence • Wiki-like process for website refinements Authoritative Annotated Citations A central feature of the Reading Guide is a comprehensive set of authoritative annotated citations—developed by subject-matter practitioner experts—addressing each publication. The key portion of each annotated citation is the commentary: a short narrative that is designed to convey the essence of the publication, so readers can readily assess whether the publication suits their needs. The commentaries include bibliographic information; the author’s credentials and the purpose of the publication; a concise iii description and evaluation of the contents; and evaluation of the information source and its utility to potential readers. The annotated citations are easily accessible from “The Publications List” drop down menu on the Reading Guide website. Each annotated citation also provides information on the publication type, authors, international standard book number (ISBN), uniform resource locater (URL), key words, links to the full text, and commentaries. Rapid Access to Publications Website users can quickly obtain direct access to publications addressed by the Reading Guide and website. Access is provided either via direct download of publication files on the website or via links to third-party websites that allow direct and free public access to selected documents. Rapid Identification of Libraries with Reading Guide Publications The Reading Guide website provides access to the WorldCat organization website— a global collection of library catalogs that provides information on public and other libraries throughout the world where Reading Guide documents can be obtained; bookstores and mail-order locations where users may purchase Reading Guide documents of interest; and other sources. A powerful feature is the ability of WorldCat to discern the actual, current geographic location of users and to provide them with a list of libraries worldwide, starting with those closest to their current locations. New Generation Search Tools This search function differs from most website search capabilities in that it does more than just locate information within the narrative material contained throughout the website itself. In addition, it also searches the full contents of the publications that are available as downloadable files on the Reading Guide website. This enhanced search capability will significantly facilitate research and analysis by website visitors. All of the documents that are downloadable on the website have been processed to make them fully searchable (regardless of whether or not they were originally created to be searchable). The combination of the ability to rapidly search the full contents of all of the documents on this website (that are downloadable) and the availability of fully searchable documents provides a powerful research tool for users. Intuitive Organization of Information and Recommended Reading Sequence The website provides multiple options for reviewing—and obtaining information on—the list of publications. Those options include viewing the list by group, as well as by functional topic, by author, and by publication title. The “By Group” menu option is, in effect, the core of the website. It categorizes the publications selected for the Reading iv Guide into relevant collections of references sharing common characteristics and presents them in a recommended reading sequence that the IDA study team believes will be most meaningful and helpful to users of the Reading Guide website—novices as well as experienced practitioners, researchers, and academics. Wiki-like Process for Website Refinements The website encourages users to nominate, through a wiki-like process, additions and deletions to the reference sources. These user recommendations will be reviewed for quality, annotated, and implemented on the website by subject matter expert curators to create a “living” body of references and readings. Organization This document is organized into three chapters and five appendices. Chapter 1, Overview, provides background on the Reading Guide website. Chapter 2, Using the Reading Guide Website, provides helpful hints and a discussion of the special features of the website. Chapter 3, Website Technical Overview and Principal Functions, elaborates on pertinent details of the Reading Guide website, accompanied by graphical displays. The appendices present background on the DRMS program, a briefing on the Defense Resource Management Reading Guide publication and companion website, a site map of the Reading Guide website, a glossary, and a list of abbreviations. Other Defense Resource Management Studies (DRMS) Publications This publication represents only a portion of the work that IDA has pursued with the DOD regarding the DRMS program. The following publications document other aspects of IDA’s work in this area. Best Practices in Defense Resource Management. IDA Document D-4137. C. Vance Gordon, Wade P. Hinkle. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses. January 2011. Defense Resource Management Studies (DRMS): Introduction to Capability and Acquisition Planning Processes. IDA Document D-4021. Mark E. Tillman, Alfred H. Gollwitzer, Gregory H. Parlier, Charles V. Fletcher, Wade P. Hinkle. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses. August 2010. Force Oriented Cost Information System (FOCIS) User’s Manual. IDA Document D- 4318. Charles V. Fletcher, Bonnie A. Glaser, Timothy J. Graves, Wade P. Hinkle, ‐David Tran, James L. Wilson. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses. In Draft. To be published in 2012. v Institute for Defense Analyses. “IDA Reading Guide: Planning, Programming and Budgeting (PPBS), Multi-year Programming, Defense Resource Management” website. http://www.readingguide.org/. Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System (PPBS)/Multi-Year Programming Reading Guide. IDA Document D-4057. Milton L. Tulkoff, C. Vance Gordon, Rachel D. Dubin, Wade P. Hinkle. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses. September 2010. References for Capability Assessment, Acquisition Planning, and Cost Estimation. IDA Document NSD-4400. Wade P. Hinkle, Milton L. Tulkoff, Rachel D. Dubin. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses. August 2011. vi Contents 1. Overview .....................................................................................................................1 A. Organization ........................................................................................................1 B. Background on the Website ................................................................................2 2. Using the Reading Guide Website ..............................................................................5 A. Logging On ..........................................................................................................5 B. About This Website .............................................................................................5 C. Helpful Hints for Using the Website ...................................................................6 D. New/Special Features ..........................................................................................7 1. Enhanced Website Search Function ..............................................................7 2. Abbreviations and Glossary Terms ...............................................................8 3. Assistance in Locating Publications ..............................................................9 E. Latest Publications ..............................................................................................9 F. Feedback ............................................................................................................10 3. Website Technical Overview and Principal Functions .............................................11 A. Technical Overview ..........................................................................................11 B. Website Layout and Principal Functions ...........................................................12 1. Report Excerpts Tab ....................................................................................13 2. The Publications List Tab ............................................................................14 3. Latest Publications Tab ...............................................................................15 4. Terminology Tab .........................................................................................16 5. Site Map Tab ...............................................................................................16 C. Sidebars .............................................................................................................16 1. Left-hand Sidebar: New/Special Features ...................................................16 2. Right-hand Sidebar: Groups ........................................................................18 3. Right-hand Sidebar: Functional Topics .......................................................19 D. Contact Us Tab ..................................................................................................20 E. Annotated Citations ...........................................................................................21 vii Appendices A. Defense Resource Management Studies (DRMS) Program ................................... A-1 B. IDA Planning, Programming, Budgeting System (PPBS) Reading Guide and Website Presentation ...............................................................................................B-1 C. Reading Guide Website Site Map ...........................................................................C-1 D. Glossary .................................................................................................................. D-1 E. Illustrations .............................................................................................................. E-1 F. Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... F-1 viii