Command centers or war rooms are stations built to provide centralized command for some situations like wars or major events. Most of the time, a command center is associated with military facilities like naval centers, government offices or large scale businesses. In addition, the "war room" is also related and used in politics, most of the time referring to teams of communications people that monitor and listen to both media and public, responding to inquiries and synthesizing opinions to determine the best action plan especially during crisis.
A typical command center is a select command that is able to provide real-time visibility and management covering an entire service operation. Examples of command center operations that you usually witness everyday would be air traffic control center and aviation center in airports and main police headquarters that route and monitor phone calls, like a local 911. Command centers allow organizations to collect, view, analyze, interpret and manage incoming data, and make necessary decisions that then relayed and carried out from within the command center to the outside.
Because of what they are capable of doing, command centers are well suited for industries to coordinate information and disseminate instructions. It will be more strategic to employ a central unit that will manage the facility so that a proper chain of command will be processed. Likewise, effective coordination will also ensure that you are maximizing all of your available resources and gets you nearer to your command mission. A few examples include workers, manpower, raw materials, equipment, parts, products and tools, to name a few. Considering economics, your resources would sometimes be limited or even not enough. Thus, a central body processing all decisive decision from data and information would be of great help in your management.
The command center environment is very hyped and fast-paced. The amount of data alone coming in and being processed at any given time already demands manpower to be processed in a timely manner. Time is important in command center procedure. Most of the time, especially during action-packed or drama-filled moments, a split second or an extra minute spells a big difference. In addition, variety is also an issue here. Multiple expertise and jobs for both general and specific fields are needed, especially for those complex central commands like military bases or space stations. The command center will train you in different fields and scenarios and will aim to expose you to countless software simulations and design rundowns.
If you are planning to work in one, you must prepare yourself for a very demanding environment. Expect very minimal time wherein you can relax because there will always be an incoming feed or info that needs to be processed or decided upon. Expect orders being barked every ten seconds or so and disoriented furniture and desks because of the movement and shouts coming from different directions. You must maintain focus and direction even over the dominant noise. Expect incoming requests for info that needs to be interpreted or even deciphered with the least available time given. As a command center worker, you will be trained to multi-task and work under pressure that will surely prove useful once you are already experiencing the real thing.
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