ANNEX 2 ECONOMIC AREA COMMENTS ON PRESENT SYSTEM OF TIME DISTRIBUTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP57-00042A000100160004-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 1998
• Sequence Number: 4
• Content Type: REPORT

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ONOKIC AREA Ct3"11TS ON PRE` "?',IT SYSMRM OF 7'!x: ')I$TRIi it 'If 1
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l~ ECIVOMIC AREA CO MUTS ON PRE.?L^':oT SYfTEM IF TIME )I"TRI, UTiM
(1) In reEriewing the many comments made ty Economic Area division
and tranch chiefs on the present reporting system of time distribution,
a few cogent cc tents were noted and the thoughts, ideals, and sug-
gestions contained therein have been utilized where feasible in the
proposed type of system, "ome of these pertinent comments have teen
quoted and are informally discussed as follows:
(a) Question
"What is the usefulness and value of time reporting in
terms of o''fice mana ?entent?"
(t?) Answer
"Time reporting can be useful to branch and division
chiefs as a device for studying the distribution of
responsibilities among personnel of their staffs. It
also can to useful to persons responsll.le for program
planning as a measure cf unit capability for undertaking
new activities and to individual analysts as a measure
to manage that time mDr-e effectively. To be useful for
these purposes, such time reporting must be detailed and
accurate. Some ORR analysts will record their time
daily. Ot:iere will bring their reports up to date on a
weekly basis; therefore, the time reporting form must
be such as to encourage maximum possible recall."
(c) Discussion
The question poses reoretments the basic qualifications
of any reporting system. In any system there is always
a definite coat factor to maintain it; hence, it should
more than nay for itself in terms of being useful and
having value to msnai:errant. It is felt that the
recommended proposed type of project control system will
be useful to manazement as well as the analyst and that
its value will be reflected in more effective control,
planning, and production.
The suggestions tendered as to the need for accurate
and detailed time reporting have teen adopted in the
proposed system with modification a? to detail, it
is felt that too much detail detracts from the value
of reporting on a production basis against reporting
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on a job 'iasiso Only that datail which is loth desired
and Justified should 2:a maintained, Proposed reporting
forms have teen designed to reflect minimum justified
and required detail in a handy, reference-type, easily
understood format, permitting maximum possible recalls
with a mimirmam of reporting effort regaired.
b., Interpretation of Degree of Completion of a Project
(1) Comment r
(a) "' h 'e ti.me, records ar -: kept1en specific projects, it J a
sugges?,pd that the mechanical ;.n .erpretation of i egret of completion
of a project indicated by time spent-divided by tune total time allo-
cated for the argject be used wi:-.h caution. No project is completed
until 1tw is submitted by the rec? onsible ar 11yf!'t. An order to pro-
duce three-fourths of a project nt the point in time at which the'
fourths of the time allocated ha:: been used will usually result in
the production of a limited series of notes, reflections, ' and work-
ing drafts of a few Isolated sec-">ions of the report. The producint
analyst, branch, or division, hoever, should ordinarily be atle
to indicate the status of a riven project in such terms as; (1)
outline completed, (2) data collection underway, (3) data collection
completed, (11) data being procest~ed, (5) first draft being prepared,
etc At this point, it is suggested that the branches give serious
considerati'bn to the accumulation of experience factors on time re-
quired for the various phases in project production. In addition,
data such as length of time for typing of various drafts, branch
review, and division review should he consciously accumulated and
used with other information in planning the hours required and clue
dates of projects. It is recogn zed, however,, that the phases of
production may overlap, and various irregularities may appear in
uracticeo Therefore, the problerv of time accounting should to
a',nroac~ied on the branch level It. an experimental manner,"
(2) niscussion
(a) The p acticality of thy: suggestions contained in this
comment has been retviewed carefully, lay having project progress
reporting 1n terms of subjective degrees of completion rather than
on percentage of estimated time for ecmpletion, a more realistic
portrayal of actual statue will be obtained? This reporting
concept has been incorporated in the proposed type of reporting
system e
(b) Provision for,accounting.for other than research time,
such at typing of drafts,, review, etc., is desirable in order
that complete time costs be ottajned. The maintenance of factual
time cost statistics will result in sound, proven statistics for
future planning, scheduling. etc ignificant in its application to
any reporting,, system, Accuracy, however, is only one requirement
for succereful reporting. Reporting should to factual, complete,
in accordance with a standard procedure, as well as accurate.
(b) It is interesting to note here that no definite time
cycle of reporting I,; orovosed L -a the recorn :ended type of system.
It is felt that the t.urdea of rs orting should le held to the
barest minimum neceFary to maintain currency of the control
1nforms tion.
(c) Precise, clear definiti on as to procaciure, activi ties,
etc. would be developed in the final Fyctem procedural package
prior to operational i ntroductior: ,
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