Which criteria are commonly used to evaluate COAs?

Which criteria are commonly used to evaluate COAs?

• A. Speed, secrecy, simplicity, reliability, and legality.
• B. Feasible, suitable, acceptable, distinguishable, and complete.
• C. Cost, risk, time, and political implications.
• D. Flexibility, robustness, redundancy, and audibility.

Answer: (B)

When evaluating courses of action, use five criteria to ensure the option is viable and clearly comparable. Feasible means the COA can actually be carried out with available resources, time, and constraints. Suitable means it logically advances the objectives and can achieve the desired end state. Acceptable means the risks and costs are tolerable to the stakeholders and align with risk tolerance. Distinguishable ensures each COA is meaningfully different from the others, so decision-makers can tell them apart. Complete means the COA covers all major aspects—time, space, resources, and risk—so nothing critical is left out. This combination is widely used because it addresses practicality, alignment with aims, stakeholder risk, clear differentiation, and overall thoroughness. Other lists may emphasize factors like speed, secrecy, or cost alone, but they don’t provide the full, balanced set used to evaluate COAs.

When evaluating courses of action, use five criteria to ensure the option is viable and clearly comparable. Feasible means the COA can actually be carried out with available resources, time, and constraints. Suitable means it logically advances the objectives and can achieve the desired end state. Acceptable means the risks and costs are tolerable to the stakeholders and align with risk tolerance. Distinguishable ensures each COA is meaningfully different from the others, so decision-makers can tell them apart. Complete means the COA covers all major aspects—time, space, resources, and risk—so nothing critical is left out. This combination is widely used because it addresses practicality, alignment with aims, stakeholder risk, clear differentiation, and overall thoroughness. Other lists may emphasize factors like speed, secrecy, or cost alone, but they don’t provide the full, balanced set used to evaluate COAs.