| Customer | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Users | People who evaluate or manage the progress of stability operations, including military and civilian staff from the US or coalition nations, staff from intergovernmental organizations such as the UN, NATO, or the African Union, and contractors who provide development or evaluation services to these organizations. |
| Need | Conflict transformation is achieved when the capacity of domestic institutions to resolve disputes peacefully overtakes the powerful motives and means for continued violent conflict. The Measuring Progress in Conflict Environments (MPICE) framework is a comprehensive, hierarchically-organized catalog of about 800 quantitative metrics for assessing the progress and success of stabilization and reconstruction missions. These metrics measure institutional performance and drivers of conflict in five sectors: stable governance, safe and secure environment, rule of law, sustainable economy, and social well-being. These outcome metrics (measures of effectiveness) enable planners to assess mission progress in an objective, systematic, and holistic way. |
| Solution | The MPICE Training System is a 12 hour self-paced computer-based training system that teaches facts, concepts, process steps, analytical skills, and strategies needed to use the MPICE framework effectively. The training system teaches the three main steps in the MPICE process: down-selecting and tailoring the generic MPICE metrics so they are appropriate for the mission and operational environment; collecting quantitative data, survey/polling data, expert knowledge, and content analysis; and analyzing data by weighting metrics, detecting statistical and geographic data patterns, and generating and evaluating causal explanations. The system also teaches cultural considerations, framing effects of question wording, sampling error and bias, geographic data analysis, and working with experts. Some topics, such as selecting and tailoring measures, are unique to MPICE. Other topics are drawn from traditional fields of study, such as psychology, statistics, social science research, and cultural anthropology, but they are taught in a focused way that emphasizes their application to MPICE. The system uses a variety of instructional methods, including direct presentation of facts and concepts, examples and anecdotes, interactive graphics, and exercises. The training is organized into about two dozen loosely-coupled course modules, so students can run the modules that are relevant to their training needs. |
| Status | Development was completed in 2011. The Commander’s Handbook on Assessment, published electronically by the Joint Warfighting Center (JWFC) at USJFCOM summarizes the MPICE Training System and lists it as a resource. The training system has been used at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. |
| Related Applications | This training system teaches concepts and principles that improve the assessment and evaluation of interagency, domestic public sector, and corporate programs. |
| Additional Information | TaskGuide web site |