REVIEW OF PROJECT ORIENTATION PROCEDURE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B04747A001700060004-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: April 20, 1966
• Content Type: MF

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/26: CIA-RDP78BO4747AO01700060004-4
NPIC/P&DS/D/6-1313
20 April 1966
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Support Systems Section, Development Branch
Plans and Development Staff
SUBJECT: Review of Project Orientation Procedure
REFERENCE: Draft of Project Orientation Procedure dated 11 March
1966
1. Basically, the idea of a formalized procedure is excellent and
is almost mandatory if available, money and manpower is to be allocated
intelligently. However, the proposed procedure, although workable,
seems to contain a number of superflous steps.
2. A diagram of the proposed procedure is shown in Attachment I.
The following criticisms are offered:
(a) While it is feasible for internal NPIC sources to
fill out the Project Suggestion Form (PSF), it seems unrealistic
to expect a contractor or potential contractor, offering an
"unsolicited proposal," to complete an internal NPIC form.
It would undoubtedly become the task of a P&DS employee to
extract the necessary "meat" from an outside proposal and
generate the PSF.
(b) The procedure recommends that each time a step is
completed, a copy of the Project Suggestion Routing Sheet
(PSRS) be sent to the Administration Assistant for control
purposes. This could result in 7 or 8 copies of the PSRS being
duplicated, if the project got the total treatment. If such
a control system is needed a simple tear-off ticket type of fors
could be utilized whereby a segment of the form is returned
after each step in the procedure is completed.
(c) There is serious doubt concerning the necessity of
a project passing through the evaluation committee and the
Assistant for P&DS, twice. Also, there seems to be no valid
reason for a P&DS Branch investigation step. Before the
Evaluation Committee can make a preliminary recommendation, it
will be necessary for each member to ascertain for himself the
desirability and feasibility of the suggested project. This
work will undoubtedly be carried out by members of each branch
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/26: CIA-RDP78BO4747AO01700060004-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/26: CIA-RDP78BO4747AO01700060004-4
at the request of his respective branch chief. In many cases
the branch chief will be able to pass judgment based on his
knowledge of center operations. In either case an additional
investigative step would seem to add very little. It would
also seem that sufficient information could be assembled at
this point to enable the Assistant for P&DS to make his
"stop or go" decision. If these changes to the procedure
are made, the process could be diagramed as shown in
Attachment II.
3. The reference procedure in either of the above forms, would
seem to negate the present requirement for the inter-branch review of
all projects. In as much as the branch chiefs, as members of the
Evaluation Committee, would become conversant with each project as it
was evaluated, an additional review should be unnecessary.
4. It is suggested that the Administrative Assistant could act as
the secretary for the Evaluation Committee. In this capacity he could
issue the agenda for each meeting in time to permit investigation
before the meeting, establish the time and place of each meeting through
liaison with each member, write the minutes and recommendations from
each meeting and circulate the desired copies to all interested parties.
The Administrative Assistant could also maintain all the files pertain-
ing to the project evaluation process.
Attachments: 2 (As Stated)
Distribution:
Original - Addressee
1 - Chrono/DB
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/26: CIA-RDP78BO4747AO01700060004-4