DOING MORE WITH LESS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP98S00099R000500920003-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: August 2, 1979
• Content Type: MEMO

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MEMORANDUM FOR: SRP
Also attached is the NFAC response to the
Attached is a memo from the Comptroller to
various Deputy Directors on an effort by the
Comptroller's Office to look into CIA activity
in the following areas:
1. productivity enhancement
2. product evaluation
3. allocation of resources
The man sponsible for product evaluation,
visited me briefly to advise me
o the effort. He would like to meet with the
SRP eventually, and suggested a general meeting
with the entire Analysis Group.
of the Plans & Programs Staff.
.OEM in, USE PREVIOUS
Date 13 September 1979
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Q AUG 1979
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Administration
Deputy Director, National Foreign Assessment Center
Deputy Director for Operations
Deputy Director for Science & Technology
FROM . James H. Taylor
Comptroller
SUBJECT : Doing More With Less
1. In light of the tight resource environment and ever-increasing
demands on the Agency, the Executive Committee has asked the Comptroller's
Office to examine the question of "doing more with less" (see attachment).
We have been asked to examine the usefulness of taking a fundamental
look at the distribution of resources, to identify initiatives to
improve productivity, and to examine the potential of establishing
evaluation procedures to track performances and judge new proposals.
2. In order to address these questions, we need to know what CIA
components have been doing, particularly with respect to productivity
and evaluation. For example, in our initial review, we found that some
initiatives had already been taken in the Agency--NPIC has developed an
experimental productivity measurement system for imagery exploitation
and DDO is currently investigating new procedures for evaluating human
source reporting. Since there may be other efforts that we can learn
from, we request that you provide a short, brief summary of activity,
current or past, in the following areas:
a. Attempts at productivity enhancement.
b. Methods of measuring productivity.
c. Procedures for evaluating quality and utility of your
products or programs.
d. Methodologies used for determining internal allocation
3. Please forward this information to the Comptroller's Office by
11 September 1979. If you have any auestions_ please contac
Chief, Analysis Gr
Attachment:
As Stated
James H. Taylor
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rST ROY
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Excerpt from Executive Committee meeting notes, 18 May 1979
DOING MORE WITH LESS. The belt tightening continues in the face of
greater demands on the Agency. The programming and budgeting process
provides a good way to make major decisions on resource allocation.
But it represents only one tool, albeit the most basic one, for get-
ting the most from the resources provided to us. We need to examine
carefully additional methods to pursue this goal. Are there ini-
tiatives we should undertake to improve productivity in labor-
intensive areas? Would a fundamental look at the distribution of
resources produce some alternatives which have the potential of
improving the Agency's performance? Are there evaluation procedures
we should consider at the Agency level to tract; our performance or to
judge major proposals that would lead to better resource allocation
decisions? Mr. Taylor should: (a) by July 1979, begin to look at
these three approaches-productivity enhancement, resource redis-
tribution, and evaluation--to*make a judgment on whether any or
all of them hold. enough promise to warrant further study; and
(b) report to the Committee by the end of October 19 tions
considered and recommended next steps in this area.
U CLAS IF!ED
STAT
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4 September 1979
MEMORANDUM FOR:
FROM :
Comptroller
John J. Hicks
Acting Director, National Foreign Assessment Center
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SUBJECT :
Doing More With Less
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REFERENCE :
Your memorandum dated 2 Aug 1979, same subject
Attached is our response to the referenced memorandum. As you are
aware the lack of homogeneity in our product makes the traditional
measures of productivity of little meaning. Neither the number of
publications nor the number of pages produced annually provide useful
measures of our efficiency. Nevertheless, we do take numerous steps to
insure that our publications are produced in as efficiently and as
timely a manner as possible and that the final product is both relevant
and useful. Those steps and our plans for additional ways of insuring
effective use of our resources are spelled* out in our response.
Jo J. Hicks
Attachment:
As stated
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31 August 1979
Doing More With Less
NFAC has embarked on a major, long-term program to improve the
quality of intelligence analysis. Key to the program is an upgrading of
analyst skills through more language training, sabbaticals, and foreign
residential experience. It is our convinction that these experiences
will make analysts more productive--qualitatively, rather than quantita-
tively. Unfortunately more production per se in our case is not
indicative of a higher performance. Rather, our task is to improve the
ancy and the quality of the analysis we provide to policymakers.
A. Attempts at Productivity Enhancement
The analytical challenges faced by NFAC over the past decade have
'far outstripped the growth in positions--4 percent from 1970 to 1980.
During this period the demand for intelligence production has steadily
increased; military analysis has become more complex, in part because of
a growing sophistication in Soviet arms and a need to develop new?
methodologies in support of arms control verification; economic-intel-
ligence now affects broad areas of US policy, and policymakers' interest
in non-Communist areas of the world has grown manifold over the past
decade.
The computer has been the single most important analytical tool
that has permitted NFAC to keep pace with these demands. It has enabled
NFAC to produce higher quality analysis--e.g., more scenario analysis,
weapons studies--with existing manpower. We are clearly planning on the
power of the computer to continue providing NFAC with the capability to
enhance its productive capabilities through-the next decade. Project
SAFE, which is at the heart of these plans, will become operational
sometime in 1985, and is designed to provide significantly more time for
analysis by lightening the burdens of raw intelligence manipulation and
file building. It will speed the distribution of voluminous daily
intelligence data directly to interested analysts; ensure that all
sources of information are made available quickly; rapidly search and
assemble data; and allow for the preparation and coordination of finished
intelligence. It will have a major impact on our analytical effort, and
we are confident that, in turn, our suaaort to US policymakers will be
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Although ADP is central to our effort to enhance production, it is
far from being the only initiative being undertaken. Within the past
year we have taken several steps aimed at streamlining procedures and
increasing the productivity of our publication process. The creation of
the Publications and Presentations Group (PPG) two years ago consoli-
dated all publication activity in NFAC. This was done to save positions
and realize efficiencies. Those goals have been realized. Positions
saved by the consolidation have been devoted to analysis; and efficiencies
are now being realized that would not have been possible under the
former de-centralized approach. The number of NFAC ad hoc intelli ence
publications processed by PPG during the first eight months of CY 1979 -' _
increased 77 percent over the same period in CY 1978. At the same time,
the average number of days required to produce a publication was cut by
38 percent. The reduction in turnaround time--brought about by streamlining
procedures--has been largely responsible for PPG's ability to dramatically
increase its productivity. And there are. additional steps being taken
that will result in greater efficiencies. The principal step is the
development of a word-processsing strategy that will result in a 33
percent reduction in keyboarding activity in PPG. This plan, which
calls for all production offices to put their manuscripts on electronic
media, will give NFAC a flexibility to move text electronically through
the coordination and publication system.
NFAC is also looking to advanced technology to improve its productivity.
The acquisition of the Genigraphics System in the Office of Geographic
and Cartographic Research (OGCR) has given NFAC a capability of producing
hi
h
li
g
qua
ty color graphics on slides or viewgraphics in a matter of
minutes instead of days at a fraction of the cost in manpower and
materials. The presentational means program is experimenting with new
and better ways of presenting complex intelligence analysis. An NFAC
Television Center has been established, which is expected to become
operational on 1 October 1979. We have already begun to exploit the
unique capabilities of television with the?nrndurtinn of yirinn tancc nn
NFAC is not ignoring its people.- We are stressing the need for
more training. We have initiated a new seminar on intelligence analysis
which will stress various analytical approad eT-i s foie-tefifiigerrce-re-l-ated
been established; and a language incentive program will begin in FY
1980. We are also attempting to improve the working conditions in the
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production offices in the face of declining space by using more efficient
furniture. In the Office of Central Reference (OCR), for example, this
has resulted in space savings and the creation of a working environment
m
d
i
ore con
uc
ve to research
.
Within OCR an automated directory program is paying big dividends
OCR has been able to produce more than double the
was insta ed roduced as compared to the year before the system
.
NFAC management has sought out means of creating the necessary
organizational and institutional flexibility to tackle interdisciplinary
problems. This has resulted in the establishment of centers, some of
which are permanent in nature, such as the Environment and Resource
Analysis Center in OGCR, and others, such as the Cuban Analytic Center
and the Iran Center, which are of limited duration. This approach
ermit
NFAC t
p
s
o concentrate a greater analytic effort on critical
bl
pro
ems than would be possible if left to individual offices.
Finally, the key measure of NFAC's performance i
h
th
s w
e
er or not
its production is relevant to policymaker's needs. At the President's
request, a group of key policymakers developed a list of short-term and
long-term substantive requirements in priority order. This list is
called the National Intelligence Topics (NITs). The big difference
between the NIT process and the system which it replaced is that
guidance in the past was prepared by the Intelligence Community based on
what.it assumed were the policymaker's needs. The NITS are updated to
keep them current e principal voice in that process is, again, the
policymaker.
Since their inception, the NITs have served as a basis for reviewing
the analytical production program to ensure that the output is responsive
to policymaker needs. NFAC's resource planning is responsive to the
11ith requests for resources tied to.satisfying these priorities.
B. Methods of Measuring Productivity
Several offices in NFAC have their own management information
systems. The system usect in the Office of Imagery Analysis (OIA) has
been in existence the longest and is used to support management decisions
on how best to utilize their resources--imagery analysts. The system
provides manhours devoted to major activities or projects. This data
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quickly permits OIA management to reallocate resources to meet high
priority requirements or to tell NFAC senior management what research
can not be accomplished with a given level of resources. The Office of
Strategic Research (OSR) has a similar system.
In the Office of Central Reference there is a computerized system
that collects statistics on all service provided. The system records
data on the number of requests received, the number of requests of each
type serviced by each OCR component, the number of requests levied on
OCR and the amount of manpower expended by each OCR unit, on each type
of request.
At the NFAC level, PPG manages a computer-assisted Production
Monitoring System. This system provides NFAC senior management with
current data on NFAC publications--those currently scheduled; those
produced within the past week; and those produced within the past month.
It permits NFAC to monitor how its analytical resources are being used
and ;to match that.effort more closely to the NITS.
Finally, NFAC is looking to ODPI to provide
management with utilization data on computer terminals. Givefi the
proliferation of terminals and the shortage of space, it is becoming
increasingly important that we know where the needs are greatest or
where savings can be realized. should give us that
C. Procedures for Evaluating Quality and Utility of Products and"Programs
Two important elements of the NFAC management structure that
reflect our commitment to improving the quality of analysis are the
Senior Review Panel and the Production Board. The Board has strengthened
NFAC quality control through its role in planning, reviewing and monitoring
NFAC production. It brings together the National Intelligence Officers
(NIOs) and office directors on defined problems and serves as a forum
for the discussion of new analytical approaches, allocation of analytic
resources, and the aligning of research topics with the NITs. A major
effort is underway to define long range areas-of substantive concentration
between OGCR, OPA and OER. They are looking for ways to mesh their
activities in order to use manpower more efficiently and to ensure
coverage of the most important subjects.
The Senior Review Panel, comprised of three distinguished experts
from government, the military and academia, has begun to review critically
the entire range of NFAC analyses and National Estimates. In time the
Panel expects to widen its scope to review on a selected basis other
major Intelligence Community products. We are looking to the Panel to
provide NFAC production with a unique, fresh viewpoint that will ensure
that NFAC analyses relevant to policymaker's needs and of the
highest quality.
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analysis.
To further stimulate alternative viewpoints, NFAC has begun publishing
a journal called "Contra" to encourage and disseminate unconventional
hypotheses or dissenting views on subjects pertinent to intelligence
suggest for review alternative courses of events.
We have introduced NIO meetings that bring together Intelligence
Community counterparts in a given area of analytical interest'to discuss
situations potentially inimical to US interests. These meetings help
sensitize the Community to the intelligence warning function. Participants
not only assess the likely outcome of a particular Situation. but also
NFAC goal.
NFAC is also seeking to enrich its analysis through a scholars-in-
residence program, which brings leading scholars into an NFAC production
office for one or two years. It brings new depth especially to the
political and economic research programs, whose improvements are a major
to provide on-site perspectives on events in their host countries.
We also are doing more to review and evaluate our assessments by
consulting with ambassadors and chiefs of station who are uniquely r.b1e
forming stage of analytical research.
Intellectual exchanges with distinguished experts outside government
are another way we review and evaluate our analysis. We have cleared 38
consultants, representing a wide range of specialized fields, who are
working closely with our analysts. They meet with small groups several
times a year to comment on work in proqress and to help in the concept-
nevertheless, have an interest related to it.
Furthermore, to foster this kind of responsiveness and to alert
policymakers to the range of current NFAC analysis available to them, we
now publish "Selected NFAC Intelligence Reports," a weekly annotated
list of important NFAC products. This helps us reach people who may not
be on regular distribution for a particular assessment but who may,
NFAC to focus on important issues and analytical questions.
NFAC has also taken specific steps to ensure the utility of its
products. As mentioned previously, the NITS provide a measure of NFAC's
responsiveness to policymaker's needs. But responsiveness also requires
feedback, which we are seeking and obtaining in a variety of ways. We
are emphasizing direct contact with consumers through frequent intelligence
briefings for senior policymakers. To help establish more informal
contacts, the analysts' names and phone numbers are included in NFAC
publications to encourage readers to register follow-up questions or
comments.. This is building bridges to intelligence consumers and helDing
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NFAC receives crucial feedback on our work through the DCI's
meetings with the President, Secretary of State, and Secretary of
Defense. There are also established mechanisms for working with the
Political Intelligence Working Group and,there are regular m ings with
Dr. Brzezinski's staff and State Department officers.
D. Methodologies Used for Determining Internal Allocation of Resources
NFAC has been a forerunner in the Agency in its centralized approach
to resource management. The Deputy Director, NFAC is vested with the
overall responsibility for resource management. His staff arm--the NFAC
Plans and Programs Staff--is dedicated full-time to management problems,
primarily the management of resources. The Plans and Programs Staff was
created in 1967 to centralize financial planning, budgeting and resource
management at the directorate level. do on y as this contributed to
an overall improvement'in the quality of the budget submissions to the
Office of the Comptroller, but it has given NFAC senior management r
more effective control of its resources with fewer personnel;
A key management tool in managing NFAC resources is the monthly
financial status report produced for each office and staff component by
the staff. This analysis includes a breakdown by subobject class. of the
obligations to date, and a projection of what the staff believes that
component will spend during the remainder of the fiscal year by subobject
class based on office plans. This analysis is used to alert senior
management to potential problems in a timely manner to permit corrective
action. A more thorough mid-year review is undertaken to provide NFAC
management with accurate financial trend data on obligation rates and
area of unexpected cost growth.
NFAC also has long-standing firm procedures for authorization of
contractual services, an area of high potential waste. Central to
NFAC's control over contractual services is the quarterly review of all
external analysis contracts by the Deputy'Director. This review serves
to establish the need for the analysis; identify the substantive reasons
for seeking a contractor rather-than doing the work in-house; prevents
potential duplication within NFAC; and ensures that NFAC offices adhere
to standard Agency procurement procedures. No contract may be negotiated
until it has been approved by the Deputy Director. In addition, at the
beginning of the fiscal year all proposed contracts are ranked in priority
order on an NFAC-wide basis. This permits orderly review and timely
f
di
f
un
ng o
high-priority contracts.
Further strengthening NFAC's control over contractual matters has
been the establishment of an NFAC contract team, which consists of two
contracting officers and one security officer. The team negotiates and
processes all external analysis contracts. The existence of the team
within NFAC's management structure has permitted tighter control over
the contract negotiation process, and has already resulted in a more
cost effective and higher quality end product from the contractors.
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NFAC manages its use of computer resources through a full-time ADP
coordinator, who serves on rotational assignment from the Office of Data
Processing. The ADP coordinator brokers competing office-level priorities
for ODP resources, attempts to restrain cost growth.by monitoring office
programs; allocates computer terminals based on office justification;
and evaluates the ADP resource impact, from NFAC's perspective, of new
activities.
Distribution:
Original & 1 - Addressee
1 - DD/NFAC
1 - NFAC Registry
1 - NFAC P&P Staff File Copy-/
1 - NFAC P&P Staff Chrono File
NFAC/P&PStaff 4Sept79)
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