The Army's Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish Publications System: A Prescription for Change.
Abstract
This study is about the impact on the Army that results from the process it uses in publishing regulatory publications. Using 1981 Distribution A + B activity measurements, the study provides insights on manpower burdens, systemic time lapses, direct and buried costs and alternatives for relief from adverse conditions produced by the process. It demonstrates that the cost of publishing small unit regulations is nearly $55,000,000 per year, 94% of which is shown to be unmanaged. The study indicates change for a savings approaching 91% of present cost. The study advocates immediate action to establish a publications policy that balances service between the needs of proponents, publishing agents, and consumer-units. It identifies the development of a contracted, electronic composition-assisted, integrated production system and the ultimate substitution of a throw-away publications and indirect costs. The study makes first published use of the Watson Cycle, an observed phenomenon involving informational disconnects that are catalyzed in large bureaucracies, notably the U.S. Army, by unservicable regulation publishing arrangements. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 07, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA118832
Entities
People
- Raymond F. Milwee Jr
Organizations
- United States Army War College