SCIPS STATUS REPORT

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80B01139A000200090006-7
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
8
Document Creation Date: 
December 15, 2016
Document Release Date: 
March 5, 2004
Sequence Number: 
6
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
February 5, 1963
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP80B01139A000200090006-7.pdf421.45 KB
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Approvec4 FCC r Release 2004/03/25: CIA-RDP80Bf39A000200090006-7 S-E-C-R-E-T CODIB-I)?82AT .1 5 February 1963 UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD COMMITTEE ON DOCUMENTATION S 8 Ftatus R rt 1. Attached Is a 1 February Status Report, by Director, Staff for the Community Information. Processing stww (SCIPS) a 2. Please note In particular the recommendations in para. S. 3. This report will be placed on the agenda of our nest COMB meeting. Meanwhile I am takkli aetton on some of the more pressing reconnmendatfloos involving the aus nment of personnel Paul A. Borefl Chairman Attachment Approved For Release 2004/03/25 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000200090006-7 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Relse 2004/03/25 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000090006-7 S-E-C-R-E-T P, STAFF FOR THE COMMUNITY INFORMATION PROCESfA[NG STUDY SAPS-D-2/2 1. February 1963 MEMORANDUM FOR:-- Chalrmati, U8tH 0oun fttee at Docamentatioa SUBJECT: 8taIua Report REFERENCE : (aD UM-D$L7/1 dated 24 July 106L jTorms of Reference) (b~ USIB-D$9o7/8 dated 23 February 1982 (Stage I Plan) (a) U8IB-A[-202 dated 28 February 1962 (Stage I Approval) 1. This memorandwon reports an the primes of the t& , its current stag, and the romabft schedule. My purpose is to keep you (and DIB & U as appropriate) informed on these aspects and to make certain recommendations with respect to the further conduct of the sage I smay. 2. Reference (c) authorized the conduct of a Stage I of the total Cody approved In reference ($. Principal provisions of the approved step I plan were; (1) Staffing o Twenty fully-cleared professionals on detail from the USIB member Agencies. (2) Time - Cos year after fully-cleared staff available. (3) P trove Results - A picture of the total process system - Standards and specifications for report formattD.ngo fnde+ag and data exchange IIdentflfication of critical areas for further 3,, Durbg May 1962 (2-3 months after approval of the plan) there were only 10 espdvalent full-time members on board of the 20 authorized. COn 29 May 1962 you reported to USIB (CODIB-D-82/14) the progress on staffing of SCIPS and urged members to take necessary action to enable full stafflngj Approved For Release 2004/02 P4 F 0B01139A000200090006-7 Approved For Relwe 2004/03/25 :~nCIA~1-RDP80B01139A0Q0 00090006-7 S R C?R,?E-0p On 1 June 19629 1 developed a Stage I study plan schedule calling for com- pletion of the Stage I report on I June 1963< This schedule was made despite the uncertainty of whether and when we would actually realize full staffing. CODIB was briefed on this schedule last July and gave it their general approval, This plan was based on the 20 full-time Utz members plus a projected number (up to 8D of contractors Jas was envisioned in the original terms of reference). For the period 1 March 1962 to 31 January 1963 we bare actually had an average of 13 equivalent full-time members (plus two contractors) $ including normal leaves. Through January 1963 we have eapended only 60% of the effort anticipated In the 1 June plan. Staffing In January 1963 resulted In 15 equivalent full-time members plus two contractors (plus four contractors. see paragraph 4(c) below). At the January rate we will not have expended the man-months anticipated to the 1 June 1962 schedule until mid-August 1963. The present staffing level is more likely to go down than up. Transfer and reassignment of staff members by their parent Departments has or will In the near future affect five present full-time members. 4. Proaress to date m The Stage I study consists of five phases: (a) Sutrvey system dssiau - this was completed in July 1962 and modified in October 1962 0 (b) Conduct of Field survea~ a this was initiated In August 1962 and Is continuing. There are about 175 activities of survey significance in the total processing system. About 60 of the 175 activities are the processing elements In the system which we consider of priority interest to the Stage I tasks. The field survey of fifteen organizational activates has been completed and anotherfifteen are now In various stages of completion. Some activities are very sm&1 and some quite large. (c) Data Redaction - this phase includes the transformation of information as collected in the field survey phase into a manipulatable form for analysis. ft includes the review, editing, correction and machining of the collected Informa- tion. Detailed editing and key punch instructions were formalized In January. The first field survey package was p4mched on a trial basis the last week of January. CIA's 1401/1410 (TOpe) computer will be used to manipulate the Approved For Release 2004/03/2&.L6?F Pb.$Q i01I39A000200090006-7 Approved For.Releae 2004/03/25: CIA-RDP80B01139A0 QU00090006-7 S E-C-It-E-T keypunched data. The data files have been designed and a 25X1 (d) sis - A two-month analysis phase was anticipated in the June 1962 schedule. This phase -includes the manipulation and collation of the collected information for; (1) presentation purposes, and (2) to assist staff members in addressing the problems reflected in the Stage I tasks. Some presentation formats and first-level analytical questions have been postu- lated for purposes of designing the data files and computer programs. fie) - One month was allotted In the June 1962 schedule for the writing.of the Stage I report. 5. Problems - A. Nature of -ft Study - As everyone predicted we are finding the community information processing "system" a very very complex beast. No amount of sffmplifioatian of study pro- cedures will make for an easy studgr e There comes a point where there are no alternatives to time and manpower. Where the required information is not available it takes time to develop it, and where it is available it takes time to assimilate it. On only two occasions to date has the denial of Information been a problem. Temporary denial of access to some activities has occurred but this has resulted in rescheduling more than actual lost time. In such a study it also takes time (lapse time more than manhours) to develop, test. modify, and solidify the, survey system. This has now been done beat the time taken Is Irretrievable. Ito Staffin ? The slowness. quantity, and variable quality of staffing has been a major factor. Even so, with the Ideal staff it would take a long time to organize, train, and develop a cohesive and efficient operation -- more time than we were given. Two new staffing requirements now face us. One is for data reduction and the other for analysis. I believe sufficient computer personnel have been or can be allocated by and CIA. Keypunch resources have not been yet allocated nor firmly estimated. Security classification Is a Approved For Release 2004/03/25 : CIA-RDP80B0l139A000200090006-7 S- E-C-R-E-T Approved For ReleW 2004/03/25: CIA-RDP80B01139AO OQ 2 0090006-7 S E-C-R-E-T factor here. Some analytical capability exists on the staff, but additional talent may be required. The loss of present per- sonnel as a result of completing one-year-details will be detrimental to timely progress of the study. It takes considerable time to absorb and train new people. C. Time - All of the previously cited problems are reducible to the time factor. It is now evident that completion of the Stage I plan can be assured, given sufficient time. This is not to say that the and results would fulfill all hopes and objectives. Prognosticating the conclusions and recommendations. of the study is certainly premature before the analytical phase too been even Initiated. 6. Dish - The principal ob, eotive of the Stage I study as stated . in reference 0) fin to enable USIB to detormbne whether such a study activity should be conftued to the scope caaIlled for In the original terms of reference (a). A further objective of Stage I is to provide the community with any tools (pflcture, data, guldsiiumeen specifications, standards) which would be useful to the .solution of present pressing problems in manqft the information processing aotlvltles. Its question then at this time in what action on what factors (staffing, schedulffnga etc.) will give assurance of meeting the objectives. There are no actions which can be taken that will guarantee a complete success. The results of lysla cannot be predicted. I believe that retention of the present staff and exten d of the reporting deadline to mid- August 1963, by which. time the. originally estimated man-months would be expended, would be ample assurance of the prime objectives. These two actions would probably enable, us to include in our Stage I study some 60 of the 175 principal processing activities. (It should be borne in mind that the scope of Stage I vs. the total study was reduced not on the basis of the number of organizational activities to be .studied but rather the depth of detail and problem areas). On the other band it is probable that the 60 priority activities represent a much larger portion of the total system than the numbers would indicate. The extension of the Stage I schedule has Its disadvantages: psycologieal slow .down, more opportunity for detrimental staff turnover, later availa- bility* of any management tools that do result from th.e. stuaty. I believe that certain actions can be taken that would onable us to cover "'45-50 of the 60 priority activities. within the present time schedule of 1 June 1963. The Approved For Release 2004/h&5~1&AP80B01139A000200090006-7 Approved For Relee 2004fflL F,,2,t;~ftLi P80BO1139A000 00090006-7 field survey to date must be considered lagging appreciably behind the hoped for schedule. The quality, completeness, and timeliness of the collected information is only a little less than expected and is considered generally adequate for the objectives of Stage 1. We are accumulating statistics which if successfully assimilated are bound to have a beneficial and important impact an the efficiency and effectiveness of information processing in the community. Some changes have been made in individual activities at local initiative as a result of merely requiring them to describe their activity in our terms. We have not ourselves intentionally drawn conclusions or recommended changes. I do not believe that current organizational changes will detract significantly from the value of the information being collected. The more documenting of the system which we are doing is going to be valuable on both a community and departmental level. The sooner the documentation is completed, analyzed, and made available the more valuable it will be. Although the "community system" is by far a manual system, it is also evident that a surge of automation in these activities is not far off. The degree of success of this automation will depend on how well we know the present manual system. 7. Summmary - The preceding report of difficulties and limitations is Made only for the purpose of a frank status report-.not as excuses for non-performance, not to reflect pessimism on the outcome. Because of what we are accomplishing, l am. still very optimistic on a successful Stage I result come 1 June 1963. I believe that complatien of the 45-50 activities will enable us to accomplish the following: ,, Provide an adequate basis for determining the advisability and nature of any continuation of the study. B. Identify critical problem areas requiring further study. C. Present a partial but revealing and useful picture and statistical inventory of community information processing not previously available. D. Document and specify the known problem areas and probably derive guidelines if not standards for report formatting, indexing, and data exchange. S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 2004/03/25 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000200090006-7 Approved For Relee 2004/03/25 : CIA-RDP80B01139A0Q 00090006-7 8-E-C-R-E T 8. Recommendati ; I am confident the study will be a success despite the considerable difficulties discussed above providing the following recommendations are implemented: A. That a replacement for the reassigned staff member from Army be expedited. B. That the present staff member from State be retained at least thru March 1 and that a replacement be assigned now. C. That the staff member from Air Force (now assigned to INA) be relieved of all assignments other than SCIPS until 1 dune 1863. D. That the staff member from Navy be reassigned to SCIPS immediately. z. That CODIB members accomplish the assignment of at least one local assistant to the SCIPS Surveyor In the following activities: (I) BR/CIA (5) MD/CIA (9) RI/CIA (2) Ly/CIA (6) CREF/NSA 43) RM/STATE ('1) ONI (4) INR/STATE (8) ARIA/ARMY This assistant will be utilized for 2-3 weeks in most cases but need not be designated until requested by the surveyor. A level of 138-6 or ? is usually adequate. F. That arrangements be completed for the assignment of personnel from FTD and the SAC Data Center to survey their own activities. G. That key punch resources on three security levels be assured. H. That CODIB members plan to participate in the analysis phase on a part-time basis either themselves or thru designated senior systems analysts. No action on this is required until March or April. Approved For Release 2004/0-tCIA-- 80B01139A000200090006-7 Approved For Rel sa ,e 2004/03/25 : CIA-RDP80B01139A0Q 00090006-7 S-E-C?R-E-T 1. That the present target date of 1 June 1963 for the Stage I report not be deferred at this time. Rather that we continue the field survey at reduced scale thaw the analy^.lcal phase, and report on 1 June to the extent possible J. That CODIB and USIB be informed of the current status of the project as you deem appropriate. /8/ 25X1 DIRECTOR S-E-C-R'E-T Approved For Release 2004/03/25 : CIA-RDP80B01139A000200090006-7