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The Vital Issues process is a strategic
planning tool developed by Sandia National Laboratories that is being used to
develop decision support systems, policy portfolios, and investment portfolios
for managing critical infrastructures in the global arena that impact a system
either positively (e.g., maximize energy and water resources) or negatively
(increase threat of disease, drugs, greenhouse gas). When used to develop a
decision support system, the Vital Issues process can provide an explicit and
accountable means for identifying and prioritizing issues considered vital to
the appropriate management of critical infrastructures and for identifying the
information needed to properly address those issues. The Vital Issues can also
be used to develop portfolios of appropriate policy options and to allocate
critical resources.
High Level of Stakeholder Involvement
The Vital Issues process affords a high level of key stakeholder involvement
and provides a means for incorporating stakeholder input into management
decision making. Stakeholders meet in day-long panel meetings to elicit a broad
range of perspectives on a particular topic in a nonconfrontational manner and
to facilitate the interaction and synthesis of diverse viewpoints.
A Combination of Facilitated Qualitative Group Discussion and Quantitative
Ranking
The Vital Issues process is unique in its incorporation of two approaches in
each panel meeting: a qualitative segment, which entails the synthesis of the
alternatives through negotiations or discussion, and a quantitative segment, an
analytical approach that involves prioritization of the alternatives using
pairwise comparisons (see Figure 1). This combination of facilitated group
discussion and quantitative ranking provides input to strategic management
decisions in the form of stakeholder-defined and -prioritized items as well as
information on potential barriers to the implementation of policies and
programs.
Figure 1. Format of a Vital Issues panel meeting.
Goal Setting and Identification and Prioritization of
Issues Vital to The Management of Critical Infrastructures
An initial panel clarifies the panel topic, defines a goal statement, and
identifies, defines, and ranks criteria used by a subsequent panel or panels.
Depending on the application, the products of the Vital Issues process range
from 1) selection and ranking of the issues considered vital to the management
of the infrastructure, 2) selection of the items in a policy portfolio, 3)
identification of information needed to address the vital issues, or 4) ranking
the programs in an investment portfolio.
Panel Meeting Format
Each day-long meeting begins with discussion and clarification of the panel
topic. This discussion continues until panelists reach consensus on a working
definition of the topic and other key terms. The panelists, in the case of the
initial panel, then brainstorm to select and define the criteria. In the case
of subsequent panels, the panelists define the vital issues, portfolio items,
or information needs, depending on the application. After selecting the items,
the panelists champion and rank each item (criteria, vital issue, or portfolio
item) using pairwise comparisons in a three-step process known as
point-counterpoint-score. During this process, one panelist champions the item
in the context of the selected criterion or criteria, another panelist provides
counterpoint or rebuttal of the champion's presentation, and the item is then
scored against all others previously presented (see Figure 2). The results
provide a group-averaged relative ranking of the items.
Figure 2. The point-counterpoint-score process of the Vital Issues
process.
The number and types of panels convened depend on whether the objective is
to develop a decision support system, a policy portfolio, or an investment
portfolio.
Decision Support System
When using the Vital Issues process to develop input to a decision support
system, three vital issues panel (VIP) meetings are held (see Figure 3):
- The initial panel (VIP I) develops a goal statement and criteria to be used
by the second panel to identify and rank the issues considered vital to the
management of the infrastructure under consideration. The results of the
pairwise comparison performed on the criteria are used to calculate
panel-averaged relative values and criteria weights.
- The second panel (VIP II) uses the goal statement and criteria generated by
the first Vital Issues panel to select and rank the vital issues. The results
of the pairwise comparison performed on the vital issues are used to calculate
panel-averaged criteria-weighted relative values of the vital issues. In
addition to group-average related ranking of the vital issues, the process also
provides a quantitative measure of the level of agreement among stakeholders.
- The third panel (VIP III) identifies a preliminary list of information the
decision makers would need to address each of the vital issues. The information
needs identified at the third Vital Issues panel meeting can then be
incorporated into the decision support system to ensure that the system is
responsive to the issues considered vital to the management of the particular
infrastructure under consideration.
Figure 3. The Vital Issues process as implemented for a decision support
system.
Policy Portfolio
In the policy portfolio case, four panels or sets of panels are required
(see Figure 4). The initial panel defines the overall objective and criteria
for ranking the issues. The second panel selects and ranks the vital issues
(Stage I). After an independent analysis of the existing strategies, a set of
panels, one for each vital issue, identifies response strategies or policy
options for addressing each issue (Stage II). A fourth panel refines a
composite list of strategies derived from the panels in Stage II and develops a
recommended portfolio of response strategies (Stage III).
Figure 4. The three stages of the Vital Issues process as
implemented in the development of a policy portfolio.
Investment Portfolio
When using the Vital Issues process to development an investment portfolio,
the Vital Issues process is combined with classical optimization techniques to
develop a value-optimized investment portfolio consisting of programs comprised
of two or more elements. Two panels are utilized. After the initial panel
identifies, defines, and ranks the criteria, the panelists on the second panel
submit budget requests for individual programs and program elements, champion
their programs, and use the criteria to rank the program elements. The results
of the ranking are combined with classical optimization techniques to generate
an investment portfolio consisting of only those program elements that
contribute to the maximum net value overall within specified budgetary
constraints. Alternative portfolios may also be generated in the context of
several proposed budgets and combinations of criteria.
Successful Implementation of the Vital Issues Process
The Vital Issues process has been under development since 1990. It has been
used successfully in more than 70 applications ranging from environmental to
energy to national security to human health. These panels are identified in the
Vital Issues Panels table.
Also read about the "Silicon" and "Protein" Computers.
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