Management techniques applicable to systems test programs

This report presents the results of applying basic management principles to the Airborne Long Range Input (ALRI) test program. The testing involved system integration of airborne electronic sensor and communication equipment with ground electronic data processing and computation equipment. The management of the test program coordinated the efforts of approximately ten industrial subcontractors to comply with requirements and procedures of the Air Force. The methods used to keep all personnel informed of the activities at the site, at the home office and at the management meetings with the Air Force are discussed. Some of the techniques appear to be simple and obvious, but precisely because of this, they are usually overlooked. Experience has shown that the implementation of these techniques is effective in preventing troublesome situations. Other techniques discussed include the methods of data documentation, the maintenance of administrative records, which are generally regarded as an unnecessary evil and, hence, injudiciously avoided, and the arrangement of schedules to obtain maximum performance and minimal disruption of testing. A listing is provided of those techniques that were considered important in the hope that they will be of use to system managers looking forward to a similar test program.