MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (MIS)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73T00325R000100020022-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 3, 2008
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: July 20, 1970
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2008/06/03: CIA-RDP73T00325R000100020022-7
DRAFT
20 July 1970
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Plans & Programs Division, PPBS/NPIC
SUBJECT : Management Information System (MIS)
What is the MIS?
The MIS handbook gives the following definition:
"The MIS is a method of collecting data on Center activities
in order to provide a systematic means of accounting for
tasks levied on the Center, the effort expended by Center
personnel, and a record of the resulting products. The
information acquired can be used not only to determine how
manpower was used, but also to assess the status of work in
process and to determine the Center's capability to take on
additional work and the relative priority in which it will
be accomplished. Furthermore, based on past performance, the
MIS can assist in projecting the Center's need for manpower
and funds.
The system provides information. It does not make decisions--
that is the responsibility of management. It does, however,
enable management to make decisions based on a greater range
of information than would be possible without the system.
The system is quantitative only in that it records how much
was produced, how long an effort took, or how many man-months
of effort were involved. It does not evaluate quality. The
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customer is the judge of the quality of the Center's product;
the supervisor of the employee's performance.
The effectiveness of the MIS is chiefly determined by the
information entered into it. Since most of the information
going into the system comes from the individual employee's
accounting for his time, the wholehearted cooperation of each
person is essential for the system to work properly."
What is the Purpose of the MIS?
1. To provide a statistical base from which management can
assess past and current operations and to plan for oncoming commitments.
2. To provide a tool to be used by the line manager' in evaluating
his component's performance.
3. To present information to production components for planning
and controlling their work.
4. To report status information of the Center's work flow.
5. To provide a standardized method of accounting for and
reporting manpower utilization.
In What Ways has the MIS been Used?
1. ly #or analysis of specific projects or programs to
determine:
a. Cost of a project or program in terms of manpower and
dollar equivalents.
b. Duration of a project.
c. Types of activities (PI, editing, graphics, etc.)
associated with a project and the cost of each; e.g.
-2-
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DRAFT
what is the PI cost of a certain report, what is the
cost of security escort duty, etc?
d. Overtime costs for various projects.
e. The types of projects associated with the various NPIC
components.
f. The number of projects started, cancelled, or completed
in a given period of time, and the number of projects currently
in work.
2. T e h so-teen-used o forecast the effort required to
exploit a mission.
3. The MIS--hn, ed to provide the Production Management
Board with a project status report to facilitate project scheduling.
4. The-MfS- ts'trsed to show NPIC support to CIA and non-CIA
components.
S. The=I1-h
-use on n sasions to answer ad hoc
requests for information by the various levels of NPIC and Agency
management. These requests vary from computer utilization, report
production, costs of certain programs, planning, budgeting, training,
travel, etc.
Why is the MIS Needed?
1. It is the only source of Center-wide information by which
management at all levels can measure the Center's performance.
2. It enables all Center personnel to use the same system there-
by reducing operation costs.
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What are the Costs of the MIS?
1. There are the PSG/AID personnel costs to administer the system.
Included here are the costs to perform the functions dealing with the
computer operations, inputing of data, producing reports, and maintaining
the file. Roughly this amounts to
(Based on two plus
man years at the Centers average salary.)
2. If purchased, computer time for the MIS would cost about
per year pweversince we own our computers and we have not reached
our total MIS costs. (Based on two hours of computer time per week at
approximately
3. The cost for such activities as preparing time sheets and
spending 15 min/week filling out his time sheet.)
per year. (Based on the Centers average salary and each individual
requesting special retrievals from the MIS is approximately
4. It is estimated that keypunching of time cards runs about
5. The total cost of the MIS without considering the sunk
`z~v ~s ?y~'M?
6. Pit another way for approximately a p Qom;. ,,,aje~
computer cost o
l
,we have a Center wide project time reporting system.
Each?
In. View of the Costs What are the Alternatives and What can be Said for
1. Drop the central system (MIS) and allow each group to develop
ter own system to meet ter needs
(AZA~4 I VJ- ~- /I
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D R A F T
IL, t d frc(
~ LTA
This Ai costing a than one year per ach divisi
man
eo reltd f insstms i
and yet create a multif / / /
I
if not imp sAb], to for date ja.ta k
e/ necessa
r decision
by the Cenfer.Jto&Jkve1 management. .
2.
nQthtg-wit1Tt1:1e M. twill still serve many purposes
but its full potential will not be realized because of its relative
slow response time.
3. Improve the MIS. Modify the system and its operating procedures
to insure a more rapid turn-around-time thus increasing its usefullness
to the Centei's managers.
Recommendation
1. The MIS should be retained.
2. The MIS should be improved.
3. Once the system has been improved the MIS data should be
studied analytically to determine what further action should be taken.
What is. to be Gained by Approving These Re conimendat ions?
rn.3 Seeeand, the Center would a system which is familiar
to all Center employees. To discontinue the MIS and to attempt to
replace the MIS with some other system would have real costs relative
to indoctrination and re-establishment of a routine with regard to
record keeping, employee familiarization, and information retrieval.
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ILLEGIB
ILLEGIB
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What Improvements Can be Made to the MIS Immediately?
1. Input to the system can be reduced by dropping the requirement
that the 0/Dir, PPBS, and SS submit time sheets into the system.
2. A method can be devised to input bulk time against specific
overhead projects for the above three components. In this way the
MIS would continue to reflect all Center overhead and yet reduce the V ~
input transactions.
What is the Rationale for This?
1. 0/Dir, PPBS, and SS arg. considered direct overhead to the ,~,,
Center IV-a-whei.e. ``~ ; `.L S
t
2. It ke no sense the:nts to submit a time sheet r each
individual wi sec when a ime generally gets
aggregated anyway one placed into the computers.
3. lt.mnkes better A& determine before hand the type of
activities associated with individuals within these three components,
estimate the man hours, aggregate the time and submit one entry into
the computer.
4. Thee is then just onmputerqntry and VieJilli4gput of
time sheets L`c'these components
What Other Improvements Can be Made? ?..',
1. The timeliness of the system can be improved by:
- 14,11- ,/
;r' A'7'~ a'w~
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DRAFT
c. Provide drun,storage4Wfor the weekly man hour data
2. The editing and auditing of MIS data (now manually performed)
can be done automatically if:
a. Computer software and drum storage is provided.
b. Skill tables are added to the file.
3. Keeping the MIS from getting out of hand by:
a. Providing the software by which analytical studies
of the MIS data can be made thus preventing misuse of the
system.
b. Developing the software to provide a profile analysis of
Center resources to determine the best method of collecting
and distributing MIS data.
What will These Improvements Cost?
1. Approximately six man months of analysis and design support.
2. And twelve man months of programming support.
To Summarize Then:
1. There exists a system which in spite of its shortcomings provides
the Center with information necessary to gage the performance of the
Center.
2. Immediate improvements to the system can be made by not
requiring the 0/Dir, PPBS and SS to fill out time sheets.
3. We can make significant improvements to the MIS in terms of
timeliness, edits, audits and analysis investing approximately one
and one half years of systems analys~programmer support.
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