1

Needs Assessment Cycle

William Swoveland
CUR/528
March 11, 2016
Sherri Martinez

Purpose
The US military is comprised of various forces and branches. Artillery is one of these
branches and delivering rounds on time and on target is what they are known for. Due to the
complexity and danger, certifications must be done at the various jobs and levels. The most
technical certification is the fire direction control (FDC) manual computations of safety. It is a
demanding certification that requires a 100% to pass and is a course that covers two months.
Certifications are a vital part of artillery. Units are not able to fire a round unless they
have the proper certifications. Instruction for the FDC certification is a three-month course that
teaches how to do every problem manually. Since the incorporation of the Advanced Field
Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), many of the procedures that were done manually are
now done with the AFATDS. While it was once a necessity of knowing how to manually
compute data for everything, parts of it has become obsolete. This has raised a number of
questions brought up by instructors, students, and commanders as to the length and
comprehensiveness of the course. Some think the course should be modified to incorporate the
AFATDS and all manual computations removed. Other believe the course is too long and needs
to be shortened. This assessment cycle will look at both of these issues.
Level of Assessment
The level of this assessment will be limited to the FDC Certification Training Course
(FCTC). It will begin with an internal assessment to engage the stakeholders, assemble a picture
of the efficiency and thoroughness of the FCTC. The data and analysis collected from the
assessment will help to determine if further assessment is needed.

Stakeholders
There are several stakeholder that are to be considered in this assessment. First are the
learners that have taken and will take this course. Their experience with this course will help in
determining the thoroughness and efficiency of the instruction and curriculum.
Second, the instructors of the FCTC are vital in deciding the thoroughness and efficiency
of the course. They are the subject matter experts (SME) in this area and in everything that
concerns the curriculum. If the assessment results in the course being modified, they will need to
know immediately.
Third, are the commanders of the artillery units. Their units are able to shoot artillery
rounds only after their FDC personnel have been certified. The commanders jobs are in direct
relation to the FDC certification. If FDC personnel are not certified or adequately trained,
rounds could land outside the designated area, possibly resulting in loss of friendly forces. The
commanders at the minimum would be relieved for this. .
Information Needed.
There are several pieces of information needed to determine the detail and length of the
course. Since the implementation of AFATDS into the artillery community, the surveys from
the FCTC classes are needed. This is critical as most students have vast experience using the
AFATDS during training prior to attending this course. Data from instructors and senior
members that are experienced in manual computations and are familiar with AFATDS
capabilities. This can include personnel from the National Training Center in Fort Irwin,
California, and the personnel stationed at the current base.

Available Information
The majority of this information will come from after action reviews (AAR), interviews,
and surveys. As units exit the National Training Center, an AAR is conducted about what went
right and what went wrong. As new equipment is fielded, this is often the testing and proving
grounds. Senior personnel stationed there, observer/controllers (OC), oversee all training and
provide an outlook on how it all works. Each rotations data from the AAR and OCs is analyzed
and uploaded to an accessible database. Surveys from the students that attend FCTC ask about
the length of the course, the quality, what should be added and/or eliminated. This data is
consolidated, analyzed, and uploaded to a database that is accessible. To get this data, simply
requesting access to the databases is required. Interviews of stakeholders, OCs, and senior
subject matter experts will provide insight on what is needed and what works. Once data is
gathered, it can be analyzed for course length and detail and provide a summary. The course
design will be based off the analysis and evaluated through field exercises of artillery live fire.
Budget
Below is a rough breakdown of funding needs to complete the assessment:
Resource

Tasks

Three Soldiers
(Qualifications)
10 years

Contact/Interview Stakeholders

$600 (30hrs @ $20)

Request Access/Gather Data

$400 (20hrs x $20)

Analyze Data

$1000 (50hrs @ $20)

Create Reports

$200 (10hrs @ $20)

Develop Curriculum Rough Draft

$200 (10hrs @ $20)

experience
E6 or above
AFATDS and
manual experience

Total

Approximate Cost

$2400

Time Allotted
Completion of this assessment should take no more than 90 days. The first month will be
used to contact and speak with all the stakeholders in order to develop a plan for the assessment.
The second month will be acquiring the necessary passes to access the databases to gather the
data. Other data through interviews will also be gathered at this time. The final month will be
analyzing the data and creating reports and a rough draft of proposed class curriculum. The
assessment timeline could be shortened if more personnel are released to complete the
assessment.