Combat Estimate

{{Short description|Combat estimate for military engagements}}

{{unreliable sources|date=October 2022}}

The Combat Estimate, also known as the Seven Questions is a sequence of questions used by military commanders, usually in contact with the enemy, to plan their response, such as a platoon attack.{{cite book | author= | title=Army Doctrine Publication: Operations | url=https://www.mod.uk/dcdc | pages=6–15 | publisher=Ministry of Defence Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre | year=2010 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.army.mod.uk/media/14177/21-07-267-army-leadership-doctrine-web.pdf|title=Army Leadership Doctrine|website=army.mod.uk|access-date=7 April 2024}} It provides a means for formulating a plan that meets the exigencies of battle, even in very difficult circumstances. However, it may also be used at all levels in the chain of command, from tactical to strategic.

The Combat Estimate was introduced by the British Army in 2001,{{cite news | first=Steve | last=Jeffrey | url=https://www.stevejeffrey.co/7-questions-to-plan-make-decisions-in-a-crisis/ | title=7 Questions to Plan & Make Decisions in a Crisis | work=Steve Jeffrey International | date=2020-04-16 }} although the military estimate or appreciation process is used widely by militaries around the world.{{cite book | author= | title=Decision-Making Process In Military Combat Operations | url=https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-4120.pdf | publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross | year=2013 }} It was developed to simplify and speedup the planning process at Battlegroup (BG) level.{{Cite book |last1=Jenkins |first1=Daniel P. |title=Cognitive Work Analysis: Coping with Complexity |last2=Stanton |first2=Neville A. |last3=Walker |first3=Guy H. |publisher=CRC Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-317-16470-8 |pages=7–5 |language=en}} The approach focuses all of the work strands carried out during planning and ensures that these works have purpose. Its effectiveness has led to variants of it being used as a tool for decision making in a variety of contexts, from surgery{{cite journal | last1=Wood | first1=Ryan | last2=Granville-Chapman | first2=Jeremy | last3=Clasper | first3=John | title=The seven questions: a novel surgical planning strategy based on military doctrine | journal= The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England| issue=10 | pages=363–365 | doi=10.1308/147363514X14042954770238 | year=2014 | volume=96 | doi-access=free }} to management consulting.{{cite web| last=Hewett | first=Mark | url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-questions-5-years-applying-military-technique-part-1-mark-hewett | title=The 7 Questions - 5 years applying a military technique in consulting: Part 1 | website=LinkedIn | access-date=2022-10-27 | date=2017-01-26 }}{{better source needed|reason=need a more general source not someone's specific linkedin article|date=October 2022}} An example is its application in identifying the process of plan development, the initial research stage for SMEs.{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Martin |title=Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors 2012: Proceedings of the international conference on Ergonomics & Human Factors 2012, Blackpool, UK, 16-19 April 2012 |publisher=CRC Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-203-10283-1 |location=Boca Raton, FL |pages=246 |language=en}}