MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE ON MANPOWER ANALYSIS AND PLANNING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00314R000200090033-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 15, 2002
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: October 21, 1974
• Content Type: MIN

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UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of the Executive Director
Interagency Adviscry Group
1900 E Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C. 20415
Minutes of the Committee on
MANPOWER ANALYSIS AND PLANNING
The meeting was opened by Committee Chairman Joseph Howe, who stated that
the principal purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum for the discus-
sion of the proposed policy statement on manpower planning, FPM Bulletin
No. 250-4, Subject: Policy on Organization Manpower Planning in Agency
Personnel Management. dated September 25, 1974, and-for the Commission staff
to answer questions about any feature of the proposed policy. Mr. Howe pointed
out that the policy statement currently being reviewed by agencies is the most
recent development in CSC's work in manpower planning and that CSC has been,
doing research and staff work in this important area since 1961.
Mr. Howe pointed out that the Commission hopes the proposed policy state-
ment will contribute to:
- developing and applying a "total systems" approach to
planning agency manpower resources,
establishing or affirming a continuing and vital role for
personnel management in agency planning processes, and
- establishing a systematic basis for agency personnel management
planning in a multi-year time frame. /
The formulation of this draft policy statement has been complicated by the
fact there is no commonly understood and accepted vocabulary for manpower
planning functions and processes. Thus, people in different agencies
use different terms to identify essentially similar analytical and planning
processes. The work was further complicated by the fact that effective
manpower planning requires a network of information and activities related
to (1) agency goals and objectives and (2) agency organization and financial
management planning processes, both of which customarily are outside the
domain of the personnel office. Thus, consideration of policies on manpower
planning inevitably involve discussions of who does what within an agency
and where the boundaries lie between personnel, budget, and general manage-
ment.
The need for a policy statement and for the development of agency capability
to do effective multi-year planning has been reenforced by the enactment
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, which makes five year budget
projections a matter of law. Agency manpower planning staffs should be
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aware of OMB Bulletin 75-7, Subject: "Preparation and submission of
five-year projections for inclusion in the 1976 budget," dated October 11,
1974. It contains supplementary instructions for the preparation and
submission of five-year projections of budget authority and outlays.
Agency manpower planning people may wish to discuss the manpower planning
implications of this instruction with agency budget people.
The meeting was then opened for questions and discussion.
Question: What background studies preceeded the development
of the proposed policy?
CSC studies included (1) thorough review of the manpower
planning literature, and (2) discussions with manpower
planning staffs in a number of agencies.
Has the Commission given any thought to agency needs
for additional staffing to carry out the manpower
planning function?
Yes, we want to do a study to see if we can develop
staffing guides for agency manpower programs. This
project, however, cannot begin until the policy statement
is issued, if then. The Commission is not attempting
to prescribe how agencies should staff or organize manpower
planning activities.
Question: How many agencies have manpower planning systems?
Answer: Most agencies have some ongoing manpower planning
activity of the type described in the draft policy
statement. Some have gone quite far in developing both
methodologies and systems. Many of these ongoing efforts
are concentrated on short term (one year) manpower projec-
tions rather than on multi-year forecasts.
Question: Has the Office of Management and Budget been involved
in the development of the draft policy statement?
Answer: Yes, initially we hoped to develop a joint CSC-OMB policy
statement on this subject. We had a number of discus-
sions with the OMB management staff with that in view.
However, because of uncertainty about the outcome of the
Congressional Budget Act, then pending, OMB chose not to
take a policy position at that time. We will consult
them again before we recommend a policy position to the
Commissioners.
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Question: What about the problems that face agency managers who
have little or no control over the future status or
level of funding for their programs?
Answer: We are aware of many of the management problems created
by the present budget-appropriation cycle. However,
implementation of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974
will change that cycle and make needed financial infor-
mation available to managers on a much more timely basis.
This should alleviate some of the present problems.
Managers will always be confronted with unexpected
program changes and will need to be able to assess the
manpower planning implications of such changes.
Question: Will government-wide statistics be available to agencies
in the future?
Answer: The Current Federal Workforce Data reports are being
discontinued. If agencies see the need for Government-
wide statistical data, they may wish to describe their
needs in their comments on the policy statement. We will
be glad to explore these needs with agencies and with
the Bureau of Manpower Information Systems and see how
we can best meet your needs.
The Committee offered the following suggestions for clarification of the
draft policy statement:
Statement should make it clear that planning for manpower needs
critical to the agency mission should be given priority over
planning for manpower needs in occupational categories that are
relatively easy to fill.
Statement should make it clear that centralization or decentra-
lization of manpower planning is a matter to be determined by
the agency.
Statement should be more specific regarding how short-term manpower
estimating fits into a total system of manpower planning.
Statement appears to be too prescriptive and precise in setting
out the steps which agencies must follow.
What personnel can do depends on what management does; managers
need to be required to do their part.
Mr. Howe assured the group that we will carefully consider these and all
other suggestions regarding this policy proposal.
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The following suggestions were offered regarding CSC assistance to
agencies in implementing the policy if it is issued:
CSC's Executive Director could emphasize the importance of
manpower planning to the agencies' top management people.
CSC could let agencies know that we recognize the obstacles
that confront agency managers.
- CSC could work with one agency to develop a model system then
present it to the Assistant Secretaries for Administration.
Mr. Howe adjourned the meeting with the statement that we plan to call a
further meeting after we have received and analyzed agency comments on the
policy draft. At that meeting we will seek agency reaction to any changes
in the proposed policy statement.
ATTENDANCE
Howe, Joseph W. (Chairman) (CSC)
Clarke, J.W. (OSD)
Dedham, W. C. (Labor)
DeSeguirant, Henry C. (Treasury)
Dwelle, Dan (Commerce)
Edwards, A. (VA)
Glassmyer, Irv (USIA)
Gustason, Marlys (Action)
House, C. (Commerce)
House, L. S. (GSA)
Hoover, Gwen A. (Action)
Hurtt, A. J. (VA)
Kaufman, Carl W. (DSA)
Kossmann, Marv (GSA)
Lorentzen, Paul (Interior)
Nigro, M.A. (HEW)
Noffeinger, W.G. (VA)
Pavlik, R. F. (EPA)
Preston, R. (NSF)
Price, William (Navy)
Redford, Joseph F. (Action)
Schley, Arlene D. (GSA)
Squien, Dan (Interior)
Thompson, Philip D. (FPC)
Waltermire, Kathy (DSA)
Willey, Glendon D. (HUD)
Wolz, C.T. (EPA)
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