APPENDIX E: RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ON DEFINITION OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NEEDS AND REASSESSMENT OF THE MIS

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APPFTVT)7X F
Appendix E
Responses to questions on Definition
of management Information Needs and. Reassessment of the MIS
� This appendix essentially summarizes the responses, as received,
to questions posed to the Groups and Staff and the results of discussions
carried out during the course of the study.
The Groups, Staff, and PMB were asked to respond to two distinct
� sets of questions; the first dealt with the current MTS acid the second
with management information needs.l Unfortunately, the responses were
in some cases not as specific as might have been desired, undoubtedly
' due in great part to the short deadline for the project, but it was
felt that enough good information was provided and that a re-do for
purposes of this study was not required. In addition, a survey on usage
of the MIS, conducted by PSG~AID toward the end of the last calendar
' yeaY�, provided some added insights into the problem, as did discussions
with IAS concerning its usage of, opinions about, and desires for the
MIS. Although the problem must be viewed in its entirety and there is
a certain amount of. overlap in that tiahich follows, for convenience this
� appendix is subdivided into four sections: Costs; MIS Input Accuracy.;
MIS Output, and Management Information Needs.
Costs
With respect to current costs, it was felt that dollar values
� provided the best, most comprehensive common denominator, although cer-
! tainly man-hours and machine time are relevant statistics and have been
included where feasible. Replies to specific questions about costs were
' received in most cases from the Groups and Staff; approximate costs were
inferred where necessary and translated into dol_la.r equivalents. For
example, man-hour costs for time sheet preparation, input output acti-
vities, and MIS coordination were converted using the dollar values
found in the MIS Handbook; where specific grades were known the f5_gures
were converted directly and, in other cases, the average NPIC grade of
dollars per hour was used.
For this study, overly detailed costs are not necessary, nor. were
they feasible to obtain in the time period allotted. Such detailed
costs would be required only in the highly unlikely event that two or
more effective alternatives were so identical iri all aspects that the
1. See Appendices A and B.
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Appendix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
' ultimate decision would be based solely upon incremental dollar values.
The premise is that management needs certain information, and there are
a number of ways in which it can be provided. Once legitimate needs
are established and prioritized or defined at a certain level, within
' the constraints of available and justifiable expenditures, only what
amounts to an ordinal ranking of feasible alternatives, those which meet
the requirements within the constraints, is needed. That is, the system
objectives can be accomplished within the constraints with system alter-
natives A, B, and C and not D or E; therefore choose alternative B be-
cause it does the job and is less costly than A or C. It is not neces-
sary to say how much less, that is, to know the precise costs, but only
to say that the ranking according to costs from highest to lowest is A,
C, and B. (Of course, at least conceptually alternative B might be a
significantly or totally manual system.) Some other reasons, among
marry, for not including precise costs are that MIS costs can vary from
period-to-period, that is, they are not standard so certain assumptions
must be made; hardware costs are to a great extent sunk costs making
the only relevant measures functions of available machine time and~or
work precluded by the MIS or other. systems; estimates of man-hour costs
for a totally or significantly manual system would indeed be very rough
estimates since they must be predicated upon the system configuration
which, of course, does not now exist, and it is most difficult (again,
particularly in view of the time frame for the study) to impute a dollar
value to management information, particularly in this non-profit environ-
ment.
11~~
If purchased, computer time f would cost abou~l
25X1
per year at the current rate Keypunch time is about 25X1
56 hours per week at an average salary of per year. 25X1
The AID functions of input~output~maintenance dissemination cost about
i ~ annually, and the cost of filling out time sheets in AID is esti- 25X1
mated to be about The PSG~R&RD annual costs are about0 25X1
for time sheets an for I~0. TSSG anmial costs are estimated Z~X1
to be for time sheets and for I 0 activities. IEG annual 25X1
'� costs arOt for time sheets includes DIA) and or 2X11
I~0 activities. O~D7R and PPB Staff annual costs are about for
both time sheets and I~0 activities. The total annual cost more or less
directly attributable to the MIS then is about it is felt that 25X1
this is probably a very conservative estimate. For obvious reasons,
IAS input time has not been included in this figure. Or looking at it
in another way, less computer costs, the Center expends about 12 0 25X1
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Appendix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
(NPIC average grade) man-years on the MIS. The original cost of
analysis and programming, both in-house and contractual, was not avail-
i able; however, the contractual effort by Lockheed amounted to at least
six man-years and the tot a_1 NPIC contribution was at least double that.
MIS Input Accuracy
Concerning input accuracy, which is at least a function of the
' structure or procedures of the system, the emphasis placed by manage-
ment upon the system, and the care with which input data is verified
' for accuracy, TSSG commented that time sheet accuracy for the Group
' ranged from "meticulous to meaningless." It further commented:
"The time of those employees primarily engaged in direct
project work is fairly well recorded. But much of the Group`s
resources is expended against general overhead, and time is re-
corded. rather casually. Probably the greatest detriments to
accurate time charging, where accuracy is aspired to, are the
practices of filling out time sheets weekly--so that many de-
tails are forgotten--and the complexities engendered by the
multiplicity of project numbers and activity codes. Overall,
the major factor behind poor reporting is lack of incentive:
This is the same problem widely recognized and often discussed
in terms of lack of understanding regarding the System's capabil-
ity and utility."
~ PSG comments with respect to input accuracy can be summarized
I~ as follows: AID, estimates a 95~fo level of accuracy; R&RD, the physical
{ recording of project numbers, activity codes, hours, component, name,
!!! etc., are entered with about 85~ accuracy; RD, accuracy is as good as
a quick check permits. R&RD elaborated upon the accuracy subject, say-
ing essentially that, despite a conscientious effort, as a service
i
organization many of its activities do not fit easily into the MIS for-
mat; for example, project numbers furnished to the Division must be
verified for accuracy but project listings are usually out-of-date,
the Division often supports very current projects or "pre-requirements"
which are rejected by the computer, people often forget project num-
' bers when requesting service and priority requests cannot be denied
for lack of a number, etc. RD added that most inaccuracies occur as a
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~endix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
result of transposed numbers; incorrect splits assigned by originating
components; inadvertent dropping of legitimate splits; flagrant misuse
of continuing project numbers, and a lack of understanding on the part
of the individual employees of both the functioning of the System and
its purposes.
The PPB Staff and the PMB expressed concern about the accuracy ard,
in certain cases, lack of input data, reflecting at perhaps a more
aggregated level the concerns of the Groups as pointed out, above. IEG
categorized MIS input as "not accurate".
MIS Output
Questions were asked the Groups and Staff concerning MIS output,
the uses to which it is put, its timeliness, and additional desired
reports.
TSSG receives the following listings: active projects; component
time allocation; cancelled projects; completed projects, and active
projects by component. It commented that these are "...low-level manage-
ment tools to keep track of active projects and employee activity."
During the previous year, TSSG also requested two special listings for
costing studies. It recommended that, if the MIS is retained, manage-
ment be given instructions in its usage. i
With respect to output, PSG~AID components receive the following
listings: active projects (two copies); component time allocation (two
copies); active projects by component (two copies); completed projects
(two copies); cancelled projects (two copies); and incorrect input (one
copy). It commented that actual usage of these listings varies by com-
ponent; however, most components agreed that the information generally
is not timely enough and that there are too many project numbers and
activity codes. A certain amount of non-routine output has been reques-
ted by A]~ for special studies, and an additional regular report giving
computer utilization time for peripheral equipment would be usefu]_.
PSG~R&RD Branch Chiefs routinely receive the component time alloca-
tion and active project listings; the Division office receives the above
plus Options 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. Certain special requests for output
have been levied by the Division in the past. The active project listing
is used to monitor projects and check the validity of project numbers.
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Appendix E: Responses to ~,uestions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
Component time allocation is used to assess the activities of Division
employees. The other options are used mainly to compile monthly running
totals of regular and overtime activities by project block. These totals
are portrayed graphically, hopefully to reveal significant trends showing
production gaps, slippages, or deficient reporting methods. PSG~R&RD
conunented that statistical information derived from MIS output is used
in the budget cycle and for special reports, but the inaccuracy of MIS
information "...may lead to false conclusions, particularly regarding
the various support activities of R&RD. This has occurred several times
in the past because of the inability to relate, in any meaningftii.l way,
projects to activities to products and finally to man-hours consumed.
Our records have been kept manually and are accurate, but they are not
as acceptable to top management as an inaccurate machine run."
PSG~RD receives the following listings: active projects; component
time by project and activity; incorrect input; completed projects, and
PMB scheduling listings. Each RD component now uses these listings for
various purposes, but with the exception of the active project listing
and the PMB scheduling report, the information is mostly historical
and is used only for predictive purposes. RD added, "The information
never seems to be timely enough to answer questions regarding project
costs, overhead, or activity breakdot~ms. This is not necessari]_y a
fault of the MIS but rather the fact that the information seems always
to be needed by top management before it is actually available. Cost
data has been requested on an ad hoc basis in the past but could not be
interpreted correctly because of insufficient information in the MIS
record." RD feels that an additional, timely PMB listing for purposes
of project estimating and scheduling is needed and that the value of
the MIS could be enhanced if a "reorientation" of individual employees
toward the MIS were made available.
1 IEG "conducted a thorough review" of the MIS and found "its use
limited because of its very narrow reporting spectrum." The Group called
' for "an expanded MIS system," saying that "Whenever staff papers, budget
' reviews, yearly summations, etc., must be prepared, IEG must compile its
statistics through manual methods and finds these methods leave much to
' be desired." The output desired by IEG is covered below under the dis-
cussion of management information needs.
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Appendix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
The PPB Staff has certain routine output requirementsin order to
accomplish its functions (e.g.; situation reporting, CONIIREX quarterly
report, budget cycle documen-~ation, etc.), and it must answer a number
of ad hoc requests based, at least in part, upon MIS data, ranging from
in-depth analytic studies to brief respoxises to specific one-shot ques-
tions posed by the O~DIR. You are quite familiar with the scope and
content of this taork, so the details have not been included. Specifi-
cally with respect to MIS output, the PPB Staff feels the inaccuracies
of input are also applicable to output, the levels of retrieval are
clumsy, skill activity codes are poor, weekly reports need revision,
timeliness is not adequate, product reporting is next to worthless, the
DIA~CIA time reporting problem needs resolution, the category codes are
obsolete, there is useless information in the system while, on the other
hand, there are very significant information gaps; in short, the entire
system needs attention, including revision and~or eventual replace-
ment and the solid backing of all levels of NPIC management and supervision.
The PMB finds the MIS impractical for its uses. A special re ort
format incorporating the desires of the PMB was written by 25X1
0 of the PPBS; however, the PMB still finds its informa ion re- 25X1
quirements unsatisfied and now recommends one of two alternative report-
ing systems, one being a real.-time reporting system and the other being
a graphic approach to forecasting showing estimated and scheduled man-
hours versus projected on-hand strengths.
. IAS makes positive use of the MIS and can cite examples of decisions
~~ based upon MIS data. Specifically, IAS uses MIS data in combination with
a manual system, where applicable, to generate the following standard
reports: Five-Year Plan of the Imagery Analysis Service; Summary of IAS
Workload (Monthly); New Projects in Work for Period---(Weekly); and
Charts (Quarterly and Yearly) showing IAS Division of Labor (PI time)
by consumers, geographic area, and subject. IAS obviously has a good
deal of confidence in the IAS portion of the MIS output, and it is used
by IAS top management. However, this was not accomplished without effort;
the Service spent considerable effort on tightening up the system, par-
ticularly the activity codes and project establishment, and conscientiously
validates input. In IAS, the top management requirement that data input
be accurate has been and is explicitly made known. (This is not univer-
sally true within the Center.)
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Appendix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
It was mentioned that, at the close of the 1_ast calendar year,
PSG~AID ran a survey on the "Usefulness of Standard Management Infor-
mation System (MIS) Reports." At the time, 17 standardized reports
were available, 10 on a regular basis and seven on an ad hoc basis.
Respondents were asked to categorize reports according to "Presently
Useful, NQ Present Need, Would Like to Receive, and Did Not Knoia Report
Existed." Replies were received from all the Groups, the PPB Staff,
and IAS; specifically, of the 69 NPIC organizational elements listed
in the MIS Handbook, 39 replied, including a significant portion of
the substantive components. In this sample, of the 17 reports avail-
able to each of the T+0 potential users, responses were received indi-
cating that the reports were of use in 30.1of of the cases. That is, of
the sample space of 680 (~+0 componerit;s X )_7 reports = 680), only 30.1�fo
of the replies indicated a report to be either "Presently Useful" or
"Would Like to Receive"; 6a.9afo of the answers indicated the report to
be of no use. Similarly, of those 10 reports regular~_y available, 35�8�fo
of the responses indicated a use for the report, and 6~.2�~ indicated no
use, and of the seven ad. hoc reports not regularly disseminated, 16.~fo
indicated a use for the report and 83.lofo indicated no use.
Management Information Needs
With respect to management information needs, IEG expressed a desire
that the following data elements be included in the MIS:
1. Target information -- Number by mission, collection
system, and geographic area, completed weekly, monthly, and
yearly; number added and deleted weekly; number by country,
reporting phase, mission; number in each basic report category
and completed quarterly and yearly; number of NAC and IDO by
mission and system, monthly and yearly; on a real-time basis,
number to be read out on each mission and IEG progress in com-
pleting readout.
2. Publications -- Number by type, monthly and yearly;
number of pages by report type, monthly and yearly; number. of
graphics by type, monthly and yearly.
3. Briefing Boards -- Number by mission, system, and
geographic area monthly and yearly; special boards by type,
monthly and yearly.
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Appendix E: Responses to ~ia.estions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
I+. Monthly First- and Second-phase Statistical Report --
Number of targets by country and reporting phase, and target counts
by mission as the exploitation and reporting are completed.
5. Processing -- Weekly total of units received in PCS~IEG
categorized by processed, forti~~arded, and pending; weekly total
of briefings conducted with preparation and presentation time.
6, Visitors -- Number of visitors and time spent on tours,
briefings, etc., monthly and yearly.
7. Scheduling -- Plan for a real-time system to show progress
toward completion of est9.mated level-of-effort to complete a given
project with daily output showing, for example, First-, Second-,
and Third-phase project time, briefing time, leave, training,
etc., by section, branch, division; that is, daily information
available to managers and supervisors each morning to help them
direct or reassess the effectiveness of their operation. The
computer could provide machine runs to show, for examp]_e, a week
or month ahead, the time needed to accomplish First-, Second-,
and Third-phase reporting and other tasks, such as briefings.
8. Aircraft Missions -- Number by type of mission, footage,
and geographic area, received and completed daily, weekly, monthly
and year]_y.
' IEG added that, i.f current pn a daily basis, the A4IS would be a
main production control tool and cited an existing example of such a
system (AC IC, St.Louis). Such a capability would allow management to
adjust schedules in time to avoid production problems. IEG concluded,
~ "Until the system goes on a more real-time basis, the information that
i is entered is not accurate because the average NPIC employee only fills
out his time sheet once a week and this creates errors, thereby making
the system ineffective except for general studies to show trends or his-
! torical information."
PSG~AID, in considering management informatiion needs, cited that
it now uses certain routine MIS outputs (active project list, component
time use, active projects by component, projects completed, cancelled
projects, and incorrect input notices) for the purpose of determining
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Appendix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of management
Information Needs arrd Reassessment of the MIS
if the MIS is current and to verify projects~r.equests levied on the
component. Three AID Branches were mentioned as having requested
special runs for time studies on particular projects. The Division
commented that, with the exception of the active project listings and
certain ad hoc output, it feels the MIS information is not current
enough. It concluded, "In the case of AID, it is essential that manage-
ment knows~at any given time its manpower and machine allocation. This
is important in the scheduling of tasks according to priority with the
capability of handling crisis-type projects upon demand."
PSG~RD regularly receives those reports listed previous]_y, plus
time reports on specific projects on an ad hoc basis and the PMB esti-
mating and scheduling listings. There uses are chiefly as a historical
record for project costing, as a basis for flzture personnel strength
' and~or overtime requests, and as a reference tool to maintain the accu-
racy of individual time sheets. The PMB runs are used to determine
project status, to improve estimating and scheduling methods, and to
provide a record of committed time by activity versus available time.
The Division stated, "With the exception of the active project listing
and ad hoc requests for total time to date for specific projects, the
available MIS information is of little use to RD personnel. All of the
' MIS statistics can obviously be put to some use but, as far as the various
options are concerned, one system of reporting time charged by project,
component, and ac't;ivity should be sufficient for all." RD expressed the
hope that, through the PMB vehicle, eventually all of those projects that
can be estimated and scheduled will be, so that "we can then deal with
,J the ad hoc, non-schedu]..ed, almost daily crash projects, such as PSG~RD
II support to the CIA budget and to NRO," the immediate goal being "...to
i have the capability to manage our seemingly endless crises more purpose-
fully." RD closed by offering a concept of future operation of an MIS:
"The ultimate in availability of MTS-type information should be built
into the future IIS. A manager, sitting at a console, should be able
to determine the status of any project at any time merely by flicking
~ a switch. The idea, in any event, is to obtain essential information
i regarding production planning and management on a near real-time basis."
PSG~R&RD uses both manua]_ systems and the MIS to compile statistics
mainly relative to products and requests processed by month. The MIS
has no capability for clocking processed requests or backlogged material,
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' Appendix E: Responses to questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
and certain statistical information is maintained manually for compilation
of monthly reports. In view of the above and the MIS output utilized,
as mentioned previously, R&RD comments, "Because of the basic structure
of the MIS and the difficulty the Division has in participating in it,
most of the information derived from the system is of little value.
For our purposes, it is an inaccurate and inadequate picture of our
activities because the basic data put into it is distorted in order to
' conform to the pattern set. We use time sheet data to match with statis-
tical information kept manually in order to arrive at an average figure
for processing materials or answering research and reference questions.
But with the known inaccuracies of input, the resulting inaccuracies
cannot be considered as anything more than an estimate. Mueh of the
information contained in the various option runs reveals only that an
' individual is performing the duties for which he was hired." The Divi-
sion stated that it needs basically the kind of data it now compiles
manually, and often on an immediate basis, specifically, numbers and
originators of requests for services; types and numbers of materials
processed, on hand, and disseminated; regular and overtime allocations
to these activities; a print format to relate time, product, activity,
and requester, and information on the inter-relationships of projects
among various responsible components. It would like to have the capabil-
ity for on-line display or printed graphical forms of this information.
R&RD summarized by saying that management information is needed by the
Division to give an accurate picture of its overall services to the Center;
to identify the chief users of Division facilities; to develop service
~ time statistics; to develop trend information so appropriate actions
cari be taken; to plan for the future; to provide standards for compari-
son with similar facilities in other organizations, and to provide
higher management with the information it needs for planning.
..~
In responding to the questions on management information needs,
TSSG noted that the Group, aside from SSD, has only a few formal systems
for obtaining and maintaining information. This is a function perhaps
of the facts that the Group is small in size, is charged with activities
of a radically diverse nature, and has some strict compartmentalization
because of security, all of which encourages many person-to-person infor-
mation exchanges. Also, the Support Services is regulated by DDS proce-
dures and has what is tantamount to a separate information system. Aside
from records kept for DDS activities, the main TSSG information files
concern personnel and project status. These files may be largely overlapping
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Appendix E: Responses to Questions oii Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the NIIS
and redundant, but they are manual, rudimentary means of keeping managers
aware of where their. employees are and what they are doing, what tasks
are pending, and whether deadlines and cost estimates are being met.
TSSCz commented that, for all intents and purposes, "...the people in
this Group do not use the MIS. ,Furthermore, most managers have only
vague notions about the System's capabilities." The Group suggested
that a "NPIC Data Center," keeping both manual and machine records,
might answer some Center problems and obviate duplicate files to a cer-
tain extent. The stated TSSG managerial information needs are:
1. New Collection System Data -- For Planning R&D Programs
and Center operations.
2. Higher Management Policies and Objectives -- A self-
evident need, but one which some managers feel is of.'ten
overlooked.
3. Status of Projects -- In TSSG, emphasis is placed upon
ascertaining and documenting the status of R&D proj-
ects. Each manager must have available certain
project information; although some smaller components
tend to rely on memory for the information, the most
orderly and efficient keep some written records regard-
less of size.
~+. Contractor Standards and Performance -- Currently, this
need is met by information recorded mainly in individual
project files; such a file should be part of the Agency-
wide systems being developed by DDS&T and O~L.
5. File of Technical Specifications -- A library of "boiler-
plate" papers giving routine passages in development
objectives and specifications.
6. NPIC Equipment Inventories -- An inventory with consistent
terminology giving items on hand, age, condition, main-
tenance requirements,~and technical specifications such
as size, weight, and power needs.
7. Mission Schedules -- Size, type, and date of anticipated input.
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Appendix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
8. Personnel Locator and Attendance Records -- The need is
well established and being met, but not efficiently
since many duplicative files exist.
The specific needs of the PMB were mentioned under the Output
section; essentially, this comprises near real-time z~eporting of avail-
, ability and utilization or resources versus on-hand and estimated require-
ments and other valid tasks. Obviously, this is both an accounting and
! forecasting function. PPB~RAD now accurately forecasts satellite mission
processing man-hour requirements, based upon numbers of targets, for the
PMB using MIS data. In addition, the PMB is moving toward better fore-
casting for the other NTP categories or whatever meaningful breakdown
of Center activities is devised in the ftiiture. The PMB needs data in
a timely fashion to greatly improve both the accounting and forecasting
capabilities.
' The needs of the PPB Staff can be divided into routine and special
or non-routine. The routine needs are the data and properly formatted
output relevant to the budgeting cycle and the five-year planning and
programming effort and the data to keep the O~DIR and other legitimate
author9_ty adequately informed concerning operations, current and future.
Although these may appear to be rather straightforward requirements,
~ they are complex endeavors which require accurate measurement and re-
porting of resources and their uses, classified at least three ways
(dollars, human resources, anu materiel resources) with a crosswalk
'capability, meaningful assessments of the future environment and its
~ demands upon and resource implications for the Center, and policy and
plans to meet these future requirements, expressed in appropriate units
of resources required. The non-routine or special needs are more diffi-
cult to assess, which implies a significant degree of flexibility in the
data base and the system with respect to content and input and output.
However, certain data needs can be foreseen and incorporated in the sys-
~ tem with the assurance that the expense will be less than the benCfits
to be derived; other needs must be carefully weighed, cost versus benefit,
' before they are routinely incorporated. And one other capability, not
now present in the MIS, is that the results of certain significant special
studies, including the data generated, must be incorporated in the system.
It is also worth mention that, to a greater or lesser extent, within
~' the Groups certain scheduling and production controlmechanisms exist.
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WORKINC7 PAPER S-E-C-R-E-T WORKING PAPER
Appenclix E: Responses to Questions on Definition of Management
Information Needs and Reassessment of the MIS
If their existence is justified by efficient performance of essential
tasks, even given new or greatly improved system capabilities, then
the system should serve these activities where, from a system view-
point, it is efficient to do so.
As was pointed out, the IAS now uses the DAIS and does not want to
see it discontinued. However, the Service is in favor of unproved capa-
bilities, to be accomplished either through the current System or through
a new system. It can be stated with assurance, for example, that it
would be in favor of and willing to participate to a reasonable degree
i in the design and implementation of a new system and~or redesign of the
i current System were the benefits projected to be worthwhile to the
Service.

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1doR1;ING PAI~C-,R � 1c�~:l~TG PAPE1:
APPCNUI:C F. Samples of I`1iS Standard Output

This appendix includes samples of the RtIS Standard Output, except
f_or Option 7, a copy of which was not available. Option 7 shocti~s xegular
time, overtime, and equivalent dollaxs by vranch, Activity, and Project
Number.
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