SECOND MEETING OF THE SAFE TECNICAL ADVISORY PANEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R001200150015-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 29, 2005
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: March 3, 1975
• Content Type: MFR

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SUBJECT: Second Meeting of the SAFE Technical Advisory
Panel
1. On 19 and 20 February the SAFE Technical Advisory
panel met for the second time. The 19th was spent largely
on updating the group on SAFE activities since the first
meeting on 8 January, describing progress on and content of
the SAFE Functions & Processing Requirements Paper (F&PRP)
and in answering some of the questions asked by members of
the Panel following the first meeting. The 20th was spent
largely by the Panel in looking at SAFE pilot branches and
in talking to members thereof.
2. On 2D February at 1615 hours the Panel presented
its views to the DDA and the DDI. A brief summary of those
views follows.
The SAFE effort should continue. F&PRP drafting should
continue as should the systems design effort. Alterna-
tive systems designs should be attempted. Funds neces-
sary to do these two things should be spent (primarily
for simulation in the systems design effort).
SAFE is a complex task with risks. The risks are
primarily those of trying to build such a large, inte-
grated system. SAFE, consequently, needs constant
reviews and checkpoints. The first checkpoint is
completion of the F&PRP which should go to the SAFE
Technical Advisory Panel team members when complete in
March.. The Panel should reassemble again when one or
more systems designs are well underway (June?). A
review of the systems designs should constitute the
second checkpoint and should precede outlays of signifi-
cant portions of the five million dollars available for
SAFE in the FY 1976 budget.
While SAFE is probably doabl , members of the Panel do
not believe that they c fectively comment on the
time required for SAFE or the money required for SAFE
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SUBJECT: Second Meeting of the SAFE Technical Advisory Panel
until the systems designs are available. Ability to
advise on these subjects would be only slightly en-
hanced by the finished F&PRP. The systems designs are
necessary.
The SAFE pilot system should continue to exist. (Pos-
sibility of changing from the existing OCI pilot branch
to another OCI pilot branch is being examined.) The
pilot system provides a useful service to pilot branches
and others even in its imperfect state. The pilot
system is also a good test bed for the eventual system,
provides a teaching device for the production offices
and a data collection device for the test branches and
the design team.
The Panel was split on whether or not funds and scarce
manpower resources should be utilized to improve and/or
expand the pilot system. The consensus was that improve-
ments not very demanding of either funds or scarce
manpower should be considered. The Panel was more
concerned with scarce manpower resources than with
money in this area.
-- The quality and organization of management for the
development of SAFE, especially the management of the
gaggle of potential suppliers and software contractors,
will be critical to successful development of the
system. The Panel is not satisfied that the management
problem for a project of the scope of SAFE is under-
stood and the Panel recommended work in this area.
Specifically, a group or person to evaluate contractor
proposals should be designated immediately so that
selection criteria can be in being when the Agency is
ready to solicit outside assistance.
3. On the whole, recognizing that the work of SAFE is
by no means completed, the Panel was complimentary to the
people directly involved in the SAFE effort.
H. C. EISENBEISS
Director, Central Reference Service
Y E. FI TER
Joint mputer Support
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 STAT Approved For Release 2005/11/23 : CIA-RDP80BO1495R001200150015-0
Approved For Release 2005/11/23 : CIA-RDP80BO1495R001200150015-0