Resolving organizational inefficiencies through crowdsourcing

Phase I research resulted in an overall framework and set of component algorithms for the Visual Argumentation for Resolving Inefficiencies (VARI) platform. VARI uses best-in-breed algorithms and a novel visual interface to enable contributors to better structure their arguments and increase the quality of contributions of the system. Through standardized, yet adaptable processes, contributors can readily identify and characterize inefficiencies and, more importantly, brainstorm and come to consensus on the best course of action to resolve the inefficiency. Phase II will focus primarily on the development and testing of a prototype system, whereby we will conduct formative and summative testing. Formative testing will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the different components (content creation, argumentation, etc.) and summative testing will be a long-term (several months) deployment with participating organizations. Using a mixed-methods approach of subjective (survey and questionnaire) data and objective (usage patterns, voting, etc.) data, we will analyze VARI and determine how to improve output quality. In the Option, we will mature the VARI prototype by applying lessons learned and making it compatible with relevant Navy Networks (e.g., NMCI). We will conduct a round of summative testing with a Navy organization before transitioning the technology in Phase III.