NPES uses the Incident Decision Making Process (IDMP), a FIVE phase - NINE step process: Phase (1) Understand the Situation. Step (1) Mission Identification: (1a) Staff Alert Notification; Staff Preparation; Initial Mission Assessment (1b) Issue Initial Planning Guidance; Issue Alert Notification. Phase (2) Determine Objectives and Strategies: Step 2: Mission Analysis: (2a) Analyze Higher Echelon Guidance/Direction (2b) Conduct Information Preparation of the Incident (2c) Determine Specified, Implied, and Essential tasks; Review Available Assets (2d) Determine Constraints; Identify Critical Facts and Assumptions (2e) Conduct Risk Assessment (2f) Determine Initial Senior Leader’s Critical Information Requirements (CIRs) (2g) Determine Initial Reconnaissance Requirements; Plan Use of Available Time (2h) Write the restated mission; Conduct the Mission Analysis Briefing (2i) Approve the Restated Mission; Issue the Senior Leader’s Intent (2j) Issue the Senior Leader’s Guidance (COA/Priority, CIRs, Recon, Risk, & LE) (2k) Issue a Planning Order; Review Facts and Assumptions. Step 3: Course of Action Development: (3a) Analyze Threat/Friendly Capabilities; Generate Options (3b) Array Incident Response Capabilities; Develop Sequence of Response (3c) Task Organize Capabilities (Resources); Prepare COA Statement & Sketches. Phase (3) Plan Development: Step (4) Course of Action Analysis (War-game): (4a) Gather the Tools; List all Friendly Forces; List Assumptions (4b) List Known Critical Events and Decision Points (4c) Determine Evaluation Criteria; Select War-game Method (four basic types) (4d) Select Method to Record & Display Results (4e) War-game COA and Display Results -- IMPT members utilize ‘Action- Reaction-Counteraction’ cycle for each sequence. Step (5) Course of Action Comparison (5a) Staff Analysis; Incident COA Decision Matrix; (5b) Incident COA Decision Briefing. Step (6) Course of Action Approval: (6a) Senior leader approves COA, directs publication of plan, or directs staff to start over -- Product: Synchronization Matrix (6b) After senior leader approval - the designated planning lead will organize the staff to publish the order -- Draft CONPLAN or OPLAN; Planning Order. Phase (4) Plan Preparation: Step (7) Plans and Orders Preparation (7) Senior Leader Review of Plan; DHS Component Confirmation Briefings. Step (8) Rehearsal/Training: (8a) Organization conducts rehearsal of CONPLAN or OPLAN. Phase (5) Plan Refinement: Step (9) Plan Refinement/Revision: (9a) Execution – When Directed or Periodic Update; Assessment (DHS, Interagency Planning Workshop, November 29, 2007, slides 4, 8, 34-42)