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

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� ~�IC~}ii�>:~T!G ]?A~'t_l S-P�-C-~ii-E-`1' T�1011:1]'~lC.; I'AI=
~ APPIsP1D:L~; L
� Append:i.x E
Responses t:o ~,uest:i.ons on Def'i.nition
of A~Iana~ernezlt In.formati.on Needs and heassessrnent of the M:CS
This appendix essentia]_1y summarizes the responses, as received,
to questions paced to the C7roups and Staff' and the results of discussions
carr~.ed oiit, dur. ing the course of the study.
The Groups, Staff, and PMB were asked to respond to two distinct
sets of questions; the first dealt i�ritYi the current MIS and the second
witrirnanagement information needs.l Unfortunately, the responses here
in some cases not as specific as might have been desired,,undoubted_ly
due in great part to the short deadline for the project, but it was
felt that enough good information eras provided and that a r.e-do for
~' purposes of this study was not required. In addition, a survey on usage
of the MIS, conducted by PSG~AlD toiaard the end of the last calendar
' yeaz�, 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 which follows, for convenienr,.e this
appendix is subdivided into four sections: Costs; MIS Input Accuracy;
MIS Output, and Managezrrent Info-rnzation Needs .
Costs
With respect to current costs, it was felt that dollar va1_u~s _
` provided the best, most comprehensive common dencminator, although cer-
_ tainly man-hours and machine time are relevant statistics and have been ~
included where feas_i.b1e. Rep1_ies to specific questions about costs were
j received in most cases from the Groups and Staff; approximate costs were
inferred where necessary and translated into dollar equivalents. For i,
examp]_e, man-hour costs for ti.nze sheet preparation, input~out,put acti-
vities, and MIS coordination were converted. using the dollar values
found in the Iv:TS Handbook; where specific grades ti~rere known the figures
} ~�rere converted directly and, in other cases, the average NPIC grade of
dollars per hour was used. 25X1:
- F
~ For this study, overly detailed costs are not necessary, nor were
they feasible to obtain in the time period allotted. Such deta~_1_ed
costs would be required only in the highly unlike]_y event that two or
more effective alternatives were so identical in all aspects that the
...~ _ _
1. See Appendices A and B.
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j�IOR}tII~IG I?APL~Fi S-E-C~-R-1?-~l' l�~1OIiliI)~dG~ I'N']_:R
Appeiidix E: Responses to_ Ouesti.ons on Defi.nit:i.o__n of A~i:~nacment,
~~ Iil.f'orm~iton Neecls and Reassessment of the POTS
ultimate decision i~rould be based sole~_y upon incrern~n-tal dollar values.
The premise is that management, needs certain information, and there are
a ntunber. of ways i.n which it can be provided. Once legitimate needs
are established a.nd 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, i_s needed. That is, the system
objectives can be accomplished orithin the constraints with system alter-
natives A, B, and C and not D or F'; therefore choose alternative B be-
cause it does the job anti is less costly than A or C. It is not neces-
sary to say ho~�r much less, that is, to know the precise costs, but only
to say that the ranking according to costs from highest to lofrest is A,
C, and B. (Of course, at least conceptually alternative B might be a
significantly or totally manual system.) Sorne other reasons, among
many, for not including precise costs ar.e that MIS costs can vary from
period-to-peri.ocl, 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 pr.eclucled by the MIS or .other systems; estimates of. man-hour costs
for a totally or significantly manual system trould indeed be very rough
estimates since they must be predicated upon the system configuration
which, of course, does not now exist, and i_t is most difficult (again,
pasti.cttlarly in view of_ the time frame for the study) to impute a dol_1_ar
value to management information, particularly in this non-profit environ-
ment,
j If purchased, computer time for the MZS troulcl cost abdut0 25X1
per year. at the current rate Ke unch time is about 25X1
56 hours per week at an average salary of per yea.-r. 25X1
The AID functions of input~output~maintenance~dissemination cost about
~~ annually, and the cost of filling out time sheets in AlD i_s esti- 25X1
The PSG~RY~RD annual costs. are about ~
mated to be abou 25X1
t
for ~;ime sheets and for I~O. TSSG annual costs are estimated 25X1
to be for time sheets and 0 for I~0 activities, IEG annual 25X1
or
costs are about for time sheets (includes DIA~ and 25X1
I~0 activities. 0 D1R and PPB Staff annua7_ costs are abou f: or
~
both time sheets and I~0 actvit'ies. ^2'he total .annual cost rriore or less
directly attributable to the! MIS then is about it i.s 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 compufer costs, the Center expends about 12 25X1
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1~01;}~I:CNG PAI:'ER S-E-C-R-E-T 1,10}.~}~:Ii~?G I?!1F}?~E~
Appendix E: Responses to C~ucstions on Defini.t_i_on of Management
� lnformati.on 1Teeds and. Reassessment of the P~riTS~
(NP:IC average grade) man-years on the NIIS. The original cost of
analysis and programming, both in-house an' rt~actual, was not avail-
' ab1.e; however, the contractual effort bya;nounted to at .least 25X1
six man-years and the total 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 p]_aced by rnanage-
ment upon the system, and the care with which input data is verified
' for accuracy, TSSG commented that tune sheet accuracy for the Group
ranged from "meticulous to meaning]_ess." 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 i�reekl.y--so that many de-
tails are for.go-tten--and the complexities engenderecl by the
multiplicity of project numbers and activity codes. Overall,
the major factor behind poor reporting is lack of incent~.ve.
This is the same prob]_em 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
as follows: AID, estimates a 95�fo level of ac.cur.acy; RF:12D, the physical
recording of project numbers, activity codes, hours, component, naTne,
etc., are entered with about 85 accuracy; RD, accuracy is as good as
a qu5.ck chec}~ permits. R&RD elaborated upon the accuracy subject, say-
ing essentially that, despite a conscientious effort, as a service
organization many of its activities do not fit easily into the MIS fbr-
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 supportslvery current projects o-r "pre-requirements"
which are rejected by the computer, people often forget project num-
~ bers when requesting service and priority requests cannot be denied
L for lack of a number, etc.1~RD added that most inaccu-r.acies occur as a
�;
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~~roxl~;,Ir~cT P~~~>;~;rz s-}~-c-z;--r_:-T W~~I;I:_~.~~rG ~~~~t~;R
' A~pei~dix E: Responses to -Questions on lief:i.nition of Man~~.~rernent
Infbz~rnat_ion Pleeds acrd P,eassessment of the I~I7:S
' result of transposed numbers; incorrect splits assigned by or.i.ginat:ing
components; inadvertent dropping of. legitimate splits; flagrant misuse
of c~ontinui.ng 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 FPB Staff and the FMB expressed concern about the accu~�acy ard,
. in certain cases, lack of input data, reflecting at perhaps amore
aggregated level the concerns of the Groups as pointed out above. IEG
categorized MIS input as "not accurate".
MIS Output
I
Ru.estioris 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 ]_istings: active projects; component
time allocation; cance~_led projects; completed projects, anal active
projects by component. It commented that these are "...low-level manage-
ment tools to Beep 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 instruct9_ons in i.ts usage. t
1 .,
With respect to output, PSG~AI]) components receive the following
' 1_istings: acta_ve projects (two copies); component time allocation (tzao
{ copies; active projects by component (t~ao copies; comple~;ed. projects
(two copi.es); cancelled projects (tone 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 ar.e too many project numbers and
activity codes. A certain amount of non-routine output has been reques-
ted'by AID for special studies, and an additional regular report giving
computer utilization time for peripYieral equipment would be useful.
',PSC7~R8:RD Branch Chiefs routinely receive the component time alloca-
' Lion and active project listings; the Division_off.ice 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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1'i01~K7T,rrr }:'AF'~~~~ S-E-C-R�-E-'.C WQRKING PAPP;Ia
Append.i.x I.: Responses tc~ ~ues~tions on De_fin7_tio_ n of Plana�;ement
' TnYormatiori Tieecls a.ncl Reassessment. of the l~47:;
Cor~iponent time a1l.ocation i_s 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
' axe portrayed graphically, hopefully to reveal significant trends showing
production gaps, slippages, or deficient reporting methods. PSG~R&RD
conutzented that sta'cistica]_ 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. `Phis has occurred several times
in the past because of the inability to relate, in any meaningful way,
projects to activities to products a.nd finally to rnan--hours consumed.
' Our records have been kept manually and are accurate, but they are not
as acceptable t;o top management as an inaccurate machine run."
PSG~RD receives the following ]_istings: active projects; component
time by project and activity; incorrect input; completed projects, and_
PMB scheduling listings. Each RD component now uses these listings f: or
various purposes, but with the exception of the active project listing
and the PP~lB 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 breakdowns. This is not necessarily a
fault of .he MIS but rather the fact that the information seems always
to be needed by top management before it is ac~:ually available. Cost
data has been requested on an ad hoc bas9_s in the past but could not be
interpreted correctly because of: izzsv.ff'icient information in the MIS
record." RD feels that an additional, timely PMJ3 listing ~'or 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 .
IEG "conducted a thorough review" of the N1IS and found "its use
limited because of its very narroti; reporting spectrum." The Group called
for "an expanded MIS system," saying that "ti~Thenever 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 TEG is covered be]_ow under the dis-
cussion of management information needs.
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t^TOti~Y:I?~?G PAt'ER S-E.-.C�-I;-~~'-`I' ~^TO1ZK]:I~1G P~1?1`~l?
Appendix. 1?: Responses t.o Questions on Dei'iri:i_tion_of P�4an~~gemerrt
~~ Intbrmation Needs a.nd Rc~~ssessment of the P�~TS
The PPR Stai'f has certain rou-Line output requirements in order to- .
accomplish its functions (e.g.; situation reporting, COi~2~~ quarterly
report, budget cycle documentation, etc.), and it must anstirer a number
of ad hoc requests based, at least in part, upon NIIS data, ranging from
in-de~~%h analytic studies to brief responses to specific one-shot ques-
tions posed by the O~DIR. You are quite familiar with the scope and
content of this z,rork, so the details have not been included. Specifi_-
cal]_y with respect to MIS output, the PPB Staff feels the inaccuracies
of input are also applicable to output, the levels of retrieval are
c]_urnsy, skill activity codes are poor, weekly reports need revision,
timeliness is not adequate, product reporting is next to worthless, the
DIA~CIA tune reporting problem needs resolution, the category c a3.es 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 fer its uses. A special report
format incorporating the desires of the PMB tiaas ~m itten by 25X1
of the PPBS � hoc~rever t he P~~LI3 still finds its information re-
0 25X1;
quirements unsatisfied and now reconraends one oi' two alternative report-
ing systems,, one being a reaJ_-time reporting system and the other being
a graphic approach to forecasting shotiaing estimated and scheduled man- {
hours versus projected on-hand strengths.
' IAS makes positive use of the MIS and can cite examples of decisions
j based upon MIS data. Specifically, IAS uses MIS data in combination with
a manual system, where applicable, to generate the folloti~ring standard
j reports: Five-Year Plan of the Imagery Analysis Service; Summary of IAS
~ Workload (Monthly); New Projects i.n Work for Period---(~rleek]_y); and
1 Charts (Quarterly and Year1_y) sho~�ring 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-
ti~ularly the activity codes and project establishn-gent, 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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ti~`OR{iIT~1CT PAP1~:ii S-}~'--C--1.�-E-T bd0};KINCT }'A}='1~~kI
A1~pend:i_y: },: Res~ponsF:~s to C?.uestions on Def'inition_o:f I~fana~;c~tnent
Inforrnat:i.oiz P~Ieeds and Reassessm.eriL of the M1S
~Tt s�~as mentioned that, at the close of the last calendar year,
PSG~AID ran a survey on the "Usefulness of: Standard Managemen~L- Infor-
znaton System (P~IIS) Reports." At the time, 17 standardized reports
were available, 10 on a, regular basis a,nd seven on an ac}. hoc basis.
Respondents Vrere asked to categorize reports according to "Presently
Useful, No Present Neecl, ~~]ould Like to Receive, and Did Not Know Report
Existed." Replies were received from all the Groups, the PPB Staff,
and. 1-AS; specifical.]_y, of the 6g NPIC organizational elements listed
in the I~~IIS Handbook, 39 replied, including a significant portion of
the substantive components. In this sample, of the 17 reports avai.l_-
able to each of the !FO potential users, responses ti~rere received indi-
cating that the reports ~~~ere of. use in 30.1�j� of the cases. That is, of
the sample space of 680 (~0 components X 17 reports = 680), only 30.1�~
of the replies indicated a report to be either "Presently Useful" or
"Would Like to Receive"; 6g.g~ of the ans`~zers indicated the report to
be oi' no use. Similarly, of those 10 reports regularly available, 35.8
of the responses indicated a use for the report, and 6l~.2�J indicated no
use; and of the seven ad hoc reports not regularly disseminated, 16.g~
indicated a use for the report and 83.1�~ indicated no use.
.Management Information Needs
With respect to management information needs, rEG expressed-a desire
that the foll_oi~~i.ng 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; nurriber of PdAC 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: RESx~onses 'Lo ~u.estions on Dei'ini~:_i_~i1 of Management
In1'orraation Needs a.nd Reassessment of the MIS
' ~E. Monthly F~'irst- anal Second--phase Statistical Report --
Number of targets by country azZd reporting phase, and target counts
by mission as the exploitation and reporting are completed.
5. Processing -- ~~1eeY.ly total of units r. eceived in PCS~TFG
categorized by processed, forwarded, and pending; weekly tota]_
of briefings conducted with preparation and presentation time.
6. Visitors -- Ptunzber of visitors and time spent on tours,
bi~iefings, etc., monthly and yearly.
I
~~
1
7. Scheduling -- Plan for areal-tune system to show progress
toward completion of estimated level-of-effort to complete a given
project with daily ou~put sho~~ring, 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 t;o help them
direct or reassess the effectiveness of their operation. The
computer. could provide machine runs to show, for example, 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 geogx�aphic area, received a.nd completed daily, weekly, monthly
and yearly.
1FG added that, if current on a daily basis, the P~1IS Frould be a
main production control tool and cited a.n, existing exarnpl_e of such a
system (AC IC, 'St .Louis) . Such a ca.pabi.lity would allotia managen-lent to
adjust schedules in time to avoid production problems. IEG concluded,
"Un-~i1 the system goes on a more real-time basis, the information that
is entered is not accurate because the average NPIC employee only fil]_s
out his time sheet once a week and. tlxis creates er. rors, thereby mal~i.ng
the system ineffective except for general studies to show trends or h9.s-
torica]_ information."
PSG~AID, in considering management information 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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WUIiI:1:('ICt PAE?}sR S-T~-C-.}i--}s 'I.' GIURK:I:I'�1G P/iF}?tEl
' A~end:ix }s: ResE~onses 'Lo C~uestians on Definition of Alar,ar;emer~t
Ini'orrnation Neccis and Roa.ssessrnent of the r~4IS
if the T~ffS is current and to verify projects requests l..ev:ied ozr the
component. `.i'hrec A}~.}3ranches were mentioned as having requested
special rllll;i f: or tame studies on particular projects. The D_~.vision
committed that, with the exception of the active project listings and
certain ad hoc oui~put, it feels the MIS infoi�rriation is not current
enough. It concluded, "In the case of AID, it is essential that manage-
ment knot�rs at any given time its manpo~~rer and machine allocation. This
is important in the scheduling of tasks accord7.ng to priority with the
capability of handling crisis--type projects upon demand."
PSG~R1) regularly receives those reports listed previously, plus
tune reports on specific projects on an ad hoc basis and the PD~iB esti-
mating and scheduling listings. There uses a.re chiefly as a historical
record for project costing, as a basis for fliture personnel strength
and~or .overtime requests, and as a reference tool to maintain the accu-
racy of individual time sheets. The Pb4B runs are used to determine
project status, to _~.rnprove estimating and scheduling methods, and to
provide a record of committed time by activity versus available time.
The Division stated, "~�7ith the exception of the active project listing
anct ad hoc requests for tota_1 time to date for specific projects, the
avaiJ.abl.e MIS inforrnat;ion i_s 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 a.re concerned, one system of reporting time charged by project,
component, and activity should be sufficient for all." RD expressed the
hope that, through the PM1; vehicle, eventually all of those projects that
can be estimated and scheduled ti~rill be, so that "we care then deal with
th.e ad hoc, non-scheduled, almost daily crash projects, such as PSG~RD
support to the CIA budget and to NRO," the immediate goal being "..,to
have'the capability to manage our seemingly endless crises more purpose-
fu11y." RD closed by offering a concept o-f. future operation of an MIS:
"The' ultimate in availability of MIS-type i_nforznation 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
regarding production planning and management on a rear real-tine basis."
}'SG~R8cRD uses both rnarnilal systems and the MIS to compile statist,i.cs
mainly relative to products land requests processed by month. The MIS
has iro capability for clocking processed requests or backlogged material,
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4d0I1i::i:i~7C~ :I?A]~:f_;I~t .1--}J'-C-It-I7.-T L~IORIC7:I~IG P.r~F;R
Appcnd_ix ]?: Rnsponr~_s t,o ~rue:stior~.s on Definition of. Ma.na.nernent
Information Pieecl.s andP.eassessment, oi'~the P41S
and certain statistical iriformati.on is maintained. manua,].ly for compilation
oi' monthly reports. In view of the above arzd the MIS output utilized,
as mentioned. previously, R~:RD cormiierits, "Beca.tzse of the basic structure
of 'the MTS acid the dif'f.'iculty the Division ha.s in participating i.n it,
most of the information derived fro;Ti the system i.s of little value.
For our purposes, it is an inaccurate and inadequate picture of our
activities because the basic data put into i.t a.s distorted in order to
conform to the pattern set, ode use time sheet data to match with statis-
tical information kept manually in order. to arrive at an average figw~e
� for processing materials or anst~reri_ng research and reference quest=ions.
But, ~�rith the ]mown inaccuracies of input, the resulting inaccuracies
caxulot be considered a.s anything more than an estimate. Much of the
in-fox~nation 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 basica]_1y the kind of data it now compiles
manually, and often on an ~minedi ate basis, specif: ically, ntunbers and
ori~i.nators of requests for services; types and ntunber. s of materials
processed, on hand, and disseminated; regular and overtime all.oca'L-ions
to these activitie:;; a print format to relate t7.me, pr. oduct, activity,
� and requester, and Z.nforrnation on the inter-re]_ationships of projects
among various responsib]_e components. I't would like to have the capabil-
_ _ ity for. on-line display or printed graphical forms oi' this information.
F&Rp stunntari.zed by saying that, management information is needed by the
� Division to give an accurate picture of its overall services to the Center;
to dent;:ify the chief users of Division facilities; to develop service
� time statistics; to develop trend information so appropriate actions
i can be taken; to plan for the future; to provide standards'for compari- ;'
son' with similar facilities in other or. ganizations, and to provide ,;;.: ~, ~;i ~~..'~ ~~
.higher management with the information it needs for planning. ''Y ire
In responding to the questions on management information needs, g
TSSG noted that the Group,. aside from SSD, has only a fear formal systems
for obtaining and maintaining information. This is a f~znction per.ha.ps
of the facts that the Group his small in size, is charged with a.cti.viti_es
! of a radically diverse nature, and has some strict compartrnentalizati.on
because of. security, all of.iwhich encourages many person-to-person infor- {
maton exchanges. Also, the Support Services is regulated by DDS proce- t
dares and has what is tantamount to 'a separate iriforma.tion system. Aside
from records kept for DDS activities., the main TSSG information files -;
concern personnel and project status. These files may be large]_y overlapping
~ ~j
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~penrlix E: Reslionses-to Ruestiotis_on 1)ef':i_niti.c>n of I~ia.n_~~.t enterl't
1:nforruation Tleeds and Heasseusment of tYte I~i:CS ____
and xedunclant, but they are manual, rudimentary means of keeping managers.
aware of tahere their. empl_oyc:es are and what they are doing, what tasks
are pending, and whether. deadlines and cost estimates are being met.
TSSG commented_ that, for. all 5.ntents and purposes, "...the people in
this Croup do not use the I~4IS. Furthermore, most rnana.gers have only
vague notions about the System's capabi..lities." The Group. suggested
that a "IdPIC Data Center," keeping both manual anti machine records,
might answer some Center problems a.nd obviate duplicate files to a cer-
tain extent. The stated TSSG managerial information needs are�
1. New Collection System Data -- For Planning R&D Fr.ograms
and Center operations.
2. Nigher Management Policies and Objectives -- A self-
evident need, but one which some managers feel is oi'ten
overlooked.
3. Status or 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.
I+. Contractor Standards and Performance --� Currently, this
need is raet by information recorded mainly'in individual
project fi_l.es; such a fi1.e should be part of the Agency-
wide systems being developed by DDS&T and O~L.
5. File of Technical Specifications -- A library of "boi_ler-
plate" papers giving routine passages in development
objectives and specifications.
6. NPIC Equiprnen~- Inventories -- An inventory with consistent
terminologyigiving items on hand, a.ge, condition, main-
tenance requirements, and technical specifications such
as size, weight, and power needs.
_ i
7. Mission Schedules -- Size, type, and date of anticipated input.
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Appendix E; };e5ponses ~t,o questions on Definition of P~Iana7eme~.lt ~j
1nf'orrn~~t=i.on Prceds and ReasUessmerit of 'che P~1IS i
a
8. Personnel Locator. and Attendance Records -- The need is
well establ:i.shed,ancl being met, but not efficiently
since many duplicative files exist. _ -
The specific needs of the PMB tiaere mentioned under the Output
section; essentially, this comprises near real-time reporting of avail-
ability and utilization o~ resources versus on-hand and estimated require-
ments and other valid tasY>s. Obviously, this is both an accounting and
forecasting function. PPB~RAD Hour accurately forecasts satellite mission
processing rnan-hour requirements, based upon numbers of targets, for the
PMB using MIS data. In addition, the PMI}3 is moving toward better fore-
casting for the other 1~TP categories or whatever meaningflzl breakdotian
of Center activities is devised in the future. The P1`~LB 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 xion-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
author. ity adequately informed concerning operati.or_s, 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 ftiiture 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 ben~fi.ts
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 contr.olmechanisms exist,
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i`~OR1':l'NG l.'fl~'ER 5-1~-C-}~-.'_.`I' 1^]ORIL:LT1 T F'~~):'~R
' Appezidix E: ResUOnses 'Lo C~uesti.ons on ])ef'inition of D4a.na.t;emc;nt
~Inf'ormation 1Veecls and heassessment of the Ai:l5
If their existence is justii'ied by efficient perforrn~lzice oi' essential
taslrs, even given new or greatly improved sys~;em 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 no~�r uses the A4IS and does not want to
see it discontinued. However, the Service is in favor of improved 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
in the design and implementation of a new system and~or redesign of: the
current System were the benefits projected to be worthwhile to the
Service.

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