(2) Details, (a) Conformity as to nature. Will the course of action, if successfully carried out, contribute, at least in some degree, to the accomplishment of the task? If not, such a course is rejected. Courses that do contribute, however, are not rejected until the possibilities of combination have been examined, later.
(b) Completeness. If the course of action is successfully carried out, will it accomplish in full the motivating task? If not, how much will it contribute towards such accomplishment? With what other courses of action can it be combined, to accomplish the motivating task in full? With what others can it be combined to accomplish the motivating task in part, and in such case how nearly does the combination contribute to full accomplishment?
This examination may lead to combinations of certain partial solutions.
(c) Desirability as to Urgency. The commander now considers the element of time. Complete accomplishment of the motivating task within his own theater may come too late to meet the requirements of the common effort of the entire force. Synchronization with the action of other task-group commanders may be so important that timing becomes vital. As to this consideration, two courses of action, equally competent, may differ greatly in their qualification relating to urgency; one may be found highly desirable and the other completely unsatisfactory.
As to feasibility, the commander considers the following:
(1) General. The test for feasibility (see [page 31]) is concerned with whether the course of action is practicable. Has it reasonable chances of success under the particular circumstances? Are the difficulties surmountable? Is it easily practicable, practicable with some difficulty, or very difficult?
The commander, if he concludes that the course of action is not a practicable one, rejects it from further consideration in the estimate of the situation. However, care is taken at this point not to dismiss, abruptly, courses of action which may later be combined advantageously with one or more others.
Here, again, as noted for the suitability test, the commander may sometimes profitably analyze the course of action by breaking it down into more detailed operations.
As a result of the tests discussed above, the commander is able to make a list of courses of action upon which his confirmed judgment has bestowed the qualities of suitability and feasibility.
He is also able to take stock to see how many of the solutions are complete, how many are incomplete, and in the latter case to what extent they constitute partial solutions. It is, of course, desirable to have as many complete solutions as possible, and at this point it may be possible to merge two or more incomplete solutions into a single course of action which better fulfills the test of suitability. The commander can also take stock, similarly, of the degree of feasibility, already referred to, as to the retained courses of action.