The Alliance relies on thoroughly considered and well-implemented plans, policies, and procedures taking into account the unique political, strategic, and operational issues it faces daily. The processes of their development however necessarily drive towards a consensus opinion for numerous reasons, often at the expense of unique or divergent perspectives. Applying independent critical thought to such problems offers the decision maker a broader view of the situation, a comprehensive understanding of the problem, and can expose unforeseen implications that are the cause of failure of otherwise well-considered solutions.
Alternative Analysis (AltA) is a widely-applicable capability that supports the inclusion of independent, critical thought and alternative perspectives that is essential for informed decision-making. It offers NATO staff the opportunity to inject additional knowledge – or knowledge perceived in a different way – into established decision-making processes alongside traditional problem-solving methods. In general, AltA reduces risk and ex-pands opportunities for innovative solutions, creating space for more timely decisions.
AltA provides a credible solution to tackling the current and future challenges of this ex-tremely complex and fast-changing world.
AltA comprises of a set of techniques that can be learned and put into practice by any NATO staff officer. The techniques were not invented by NATO, but are rather specifically chosen for NATO from a wide range of business and intelligence analysis practices. They are applicable to many different situations and are therefore techniques that staff officers will use throughout their careers. These techniques are complemented by an AltA training course held at NATO School Oberammergau and an active communi-ty of AltA facilitators.
As a comprehensive guide to AltA, this NATO Handbook constitutes a critical building block for project or planning work at any level of staff across the Alliance. It is specifically designed to be used as a quick reference guide for staff to assist in diagnosing prob-lems, understanding complicated situations, creating innovative solutions, challenging plans, and making decisions. It is applicable to almost any subject or situation, indeed many examples of its use on real-life NATO problems across Allied Command Opera-tions and Allied Command Transformation have been included in this handbook.
This handbook consists of three parts: (1) an introduction to AltA, (2) the set of AltA techniques, and (3) facilitation best practices. It concludes with a bibliography and glos-sary. Any questions about AltA or this handbook should be referred to [email protected] or [email protected].