INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. MCDONALD ASSOCIATE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85B01152R000700910007-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 26, 2008
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: September 6, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

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6XL NISTRATIVE -- INTERNAL USE O
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6 September 1983
SUBJECT: Interview with James H. McDonald
Associate Deputy Director for Administration
I met with Jim McDonald, Associate Deputy Director for Administration,
on 1 September to discuss his views on Executive Support Systems. The
interview centered around the attached list of questions, which were
developed as a basis for discussion. During the interview Mr. McDonald
provided some insights into the problems that he faces as a senior manager
and into the types of information he needs in making his decisions or
decision recommendat.ions.. He specifically identified the need for an
electronic mail system and for a system to keep track of component tasking
and DDA front office appointments. Since this interview was conducted
without advance notice, Mr. McDonald's comments should be considered as
preliminary--his initial reaction to the problem. A follow-up meeting or
question session probably will be needed to flesh out this summary of his
views.
Mr. McDonald identified a number of problems that impacted heavily on
his time as a senior Directorate officer. These were the number of meetings
that he was required to attend or chair and the volume of written material
that he needed to read or prepare. He cited staff meetings, ad hoc sessions
on Directorate programs., and meetings in connection with his role as head of
the MG Career Service and as Chairman of the Senior Personnel Resources
Board as large consumers of his time. Preparations for these meetings
requires detailed review of material, including personnel files, to make
determinations concerning assignments and training. As A/DDA, he also reads
all the material that goes to the DDA and provides recommendations to Mr.
Fitzwater on various- decisions that must be made on the full range of
Directorate activities.
Mr. McDonald noted several areas where additional or more timely
information would be helpful in his decision making role, specifically
dealing with personnel management and budget projections. Information on
personnel is needed for managing the MG career service, chairing the Senior
Personnel Resources Board, and for anticipating Directorate strength levels
at the end of the fiscal year. The information on the Directorate budget is
especially critical to him in September, when the DDA is attempting to
ensure that adequate money is available to fund various obligations and that
it does not exceed its authorized budget. He indicated an occasional need
for information on space allocations and requirements, but this was not
critical to his work.
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Most of the information used by Mr. McDonald in his decision making
comes in either oral or written form. Oral communications--either meetings,
telephone calls, or face-to-face sessions--provide him with the bulk of his
information, more so than the written word. The level of detail that he
requires for any decision varies with the problem being addressed. He
doubted that any one information system provided the data needed on the many
areas for which the Directorate has responsibility. In some instances,
especially at the end of a fiscal year, very specific information is needed
about office budgets and expenditures. For the rest of the year, more
.general information would be adequate. Similarly in the personnel arena,
specific information is needed on MG officers a few times each month and on
overall Directorate personnel levels during the last month or two of the
fiscal year. In most other instances, summary data would be Aasufficient to
meet his needs. in general, he felt that detailed information on most DDA
activities should be used in. the offices charged with administering programs.
Mr. McDonald named some specific areas where he felt an executive
support system- could facilitate his work: electronic mail, document
transmission, and scheduling. He thought AIM or some other form of
electronic mail could facilitate the transmission of information between the
DDA front office and component heads. The need to prepare formal memos
using cover sheets to get office views on specific issues was, from his
perspective, inefficient and time-consuming. His office needs a vehicle to
get information to office directors expeditiously and to receive their
comments without a lapse of several days. Likewise, he would like to be
able to transmit material quickly to offices rather than have to send
documents through the mail system. Mr. McDonald felt that WANG or some
other system would assist the DDA front office in keeping track of taskings
levied on DDA offices and in scheduling meetings and speaking engagements
for the DDA and himself. He thought that some existing systems, such as
PERSIGN and SAFE, might have utility in new executive support systems.
Finally, Mr. McDonald was uncertain if he would be willing to sit at a
terminal to receive information from an Executive Support System or to
manipulate data. He has had no experience in using terminals, but indicated
that he would be willing to learn if the system did not require lengthy
training. His comments suggested that any computer or word processing
system installed in his office would have to be user friendly for him to
feel comfortable using. He had an open mind about the introduction of
information management systems that could ease his work, but would probably
need to be convinced of their utility and ease of use.
STAT
gem er, Executive Systems
Working Group
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