Decision Lens: Smarter Decision-Making for Mission-Critical Govt Spending

Decision Lens allows government agencies to make better, faster decisions by overcoming the current challenges of data management, prioritization, future planning and year-of-execution funding.

The strength lies in its integrated approach. Not only does its SaaS-based solution improve each of these planning phases, but it delivers a sustained operational advantage by bringing them all together into a single, cohesive platform. The result? Agencies can make smarter decisions, finally breaking free from the siloed methods that have constrained planning, budgeting and resource allocation. A holistic and modernized approach ensures every taxpayer’s dollar is strategically spent, driving impactful change where it matters most.

Decision Lens matters now more than ever. Government agencies, particularly the Department of Defense (DoD), are at a crossroads. Reliance on manual, static processes to plan, prioritize and allocate funds is increasingly misaligned with today’s fast-paced, unpredictable world.

How do we respond to emerging threats overnight? How can we maintain long-term readiness or shore up our industrial supplier base?

“These pressing questions have remained at the heart of Decision Lens, which provides tools to optimize planning, provide accountability and allow for data-driven, evidence-based decisions,” says John Saaty, CEO. “Real-time visibility into how much money has been allocated, spent and remains available also helps them determine where the money is being over or underused.”

Decision Lens is a vital tool for the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as for federal civilian agencies and state and local governments.

Strengthening Data as the Foundation of Smarter Decisions

Good decisions start with a decision framework fed with up-to-date data

For government agencies, access to critical data is often fragmented and scattered across departments and systems. Fragmentation exists for many reasons, but one factor is often a lack of an enterprise decision framework that clarifies which data is necessary to evaluate trade space and optimize every dollar. Decision Lens relies on a value-cost-risk-balance framework to co-develop the criteria and weights an organization will use for its integrated planning and budgeting.

The platform capabilities then automate much of the data collection through configurable collection forms, which can include a mix of qualitative and quantitative inputs. The platform’s powerful data engine then compiles all relevant information into a unified database, establishing a single, trusted source of truth. The data is mapped to an enterprise-wide framework, eliminating manual efforts and data errors, streamlining decision-making and allocating resources more effectively.

This structured approach shines in its ability to facilitate multiple portfolio management. Clients can aggregate and compare data across various portfolios, gaining a holistic view of how different initiatives interact and align with long-term objectives and broader organizational goals.

Strategic Priority Alignment for Effective Mission Implementation

In the face of countless competing initiatives, determining which to prioritize for mission success can be overwhelming. Decision Lens’ prioritization toolkit empowers clients to systematically evaluate initiatives, scoring them against mission-critical criteria—whether large-scale capital investments, unfunded requirements or science and technology grants.

“When clients must make decisions, they’re no longer limited to presenting one or two options. Instead, they bring a well-defined set of courses of action and their relative impact on their mission,” says Saaty.

With real-time data insights, clients can adjust investment on the fly, staying responsive to new information or shifts in market conditions. This agility ensures strategies remain aligned with evolving circumstances, keeping them relevant and effective.

Decision Lens’ scenario planning further enhances decision-making by allowing clients to create prioritized resource allocation plans for the current or upcoming year. They can conduct side-by-side comparisons of initiatives, factoring in cost, impact and risk. This process highlights the ‘cutline,’ turning speculative “what if” scenarios into clear, actionable outcomes that drive effective budget release.

Living the Promise: Where Actions Define Success

A major Air Force command embraced Decision Lens to transform its funding allocation process across sub-organizations. Previously bogged down by slow, manual spreadsheet olympics, the system lacked the efficiency and transparency required for optimal resource distribution.

With Decision Lens, each sub-organization now enters its data into a unified platform, providing command with a comprehensive portfolio view of all requests and priorities. This streamlined, structured approach optimizes resources to ensure funds are allocated to the most mission-critical projects.

We’re helping governments put their money where their mission is. Our goal is to make that path clearer, so they can move forward with confidence, knowing they are making the right decisions for the future

The new system also promotes transparency and accountability, offering detailed tracking that proves invaluable during evaluation by leadership and strengthens both internal and external trust. Decision Lens also helps organizations foster active stakeholder engagement, integrating valuable feedback to refine decisions and enhance overall buy-in.

Put Your Money Where Your Mission Is

As the public sector evolves, so do we,” says Saaty. “We focus on delivering solutions that solve today’s problems while anticipating the needs of tomorrow.”

This forward-thinking approach comes to life in how Decision Lens responds to its clients. The platform regularly releases new capabilities based on real conversations with users.

It also focuses intensely on security and trust to successfully introduce commercial software into the public sector. Decision Lens is available across trusted hosting environments like Second Front and AWS GovCloud, meeting the highest security standards demanded by government customers.

The platform’s FedRAMP accreditation stands as a testament to its commitment to safeguarding sensitive data with flexible deployment of multiple Impact Levels (IL).

Whether protecting non-sensitive, publicly accessible data with IL-2 or fortifying controlled unclassified information with IL 4-5’s advanced encryption, Decision Lens evolves with the client’s data sensitivity. With the launch of IL 6-7, it will reach new heights in data protection, offering defense-grade security fit for classified information and national security systems.

This trust is further bolstered by the recent strategic investment from Diversis Capital which will allow Decision Lens to further its mission of helping the government modernize how it prioritizes, plans and funds.

The timing couldn’t be more critical. Government agencies are facing seismic shifts in their operations, with once-in-a-lifetime transitions on the horizon. Decision Lens is designed to help agencies navigate these changes with clarity and precision. As initiatives like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) or the PPBE Reform efforts present new opportunities and challenges, Decision Lens enables agencies to prioritize the projects that will have the most significant impact.

“We are more than just technology,” Saaty explains. “We’re helping governments put their money where their mission is. Our goal is to make that path clearer, so they can move forward with confidence, knowing they are making the right decisions for the future.”