Developing Systematic Procedures for Directing Research Programs

One of the most important functions of research management is to establish objective criteria for measuring the progress and performance of the research effort. Another important aspect is to allocate resources to research projects in the ``best'' manner. Two systematic procedures were developed in a large research laboratory to assist management in these tasks. The first is a Data Presentation System which provides a means for recording and presenting the status, progress and plans for the research laboratory in terms of the allocation of resources. The second is an Evaluation System which provides a means for evaluating the technical and economic elements relative to research projects.