Abstract :
The AFOSR Management Control Data System (MCDS) is an application of data automation to the problems of management control, coordination, and information dissemination in a government research agency. The key to the success of such a system is the confidence of the users in the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of the output. Ten Commandments of system design dealing with the generation, recording, and controlling of input data, and the management of system development and operation when such a system is fully integrated into the administrative procedures of the organization, are described. The application of behaviorism and communication theory are related to the design of forms, methods, and procedures involved in the flow of input data to the data bank and to the gaining of system acceptance by the users.
