Administrative Considerations in Systems Effectiveness Programs

The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss some of the principle administrative aspects encountered in the management of systems effectiveness programs. The administrative aspects of the process which are discussed deal with the problem of achieving credibility in the results, from the manager's point of view, by varying the constraints imposed on the study to provide a sensitivity analysis of the effects of the constraints on the results, and with the need for the identification of the point of diminishing returns in each investigation. An example analysis is diagrammed and the administrative task is shown to be that of providing the control, the guidance, and the environment of understanding among all of the technical disciplines involved. Experience to date with the administration of systems effectiveness programs has shown that systems analysis must be an integrated design function, and that systems effectiveness activity cannot be conducted properly by an isolated group of analytical specialists.