§ Viscount Merseyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What key targets have been set for the chief executive of the Defence Operational Analysis Centre in 1993–94.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Viscount Cranborne)The chief executive of the Defence Operational Analysis Centre at West Byfleet is responsible for providing the Ministry of Defence with advice on formulation of defence policy, military operational capability and future equipment requirements, this advice being derived from operational analysis studies and field trials. He has been set the following challenging key performance targets for 1993–94:
Service to Customers:
(a) To complete 85 per cent. of the planned studies for customers within agreed timescales, and to seek progressive improvements in future years.
(b) To complete 80 per cent. of the planned studies for customers within planned cost, and to seek progressive improvements in future years.
(c) To complete 75 per cent. of studies within agreed time and cost.
(d) To subject 100 per cent. of new major studies to a formal quality process, which will require peer review and measures of customer satisfaction, and to evaluate a "total quality target" for studies for implementation in future years.
(e) To respond to 85 per cent. of requests from customers for unplanned urgent advice within timescales negotiated at the outset, and to seek progressive improvements in future years.
Management Systems
(f) To implement a full cost accounting system and publish auditable accruals based accounts.
27WAEfficiency
(g) In 1993–94 and 1994–95, to increase overall efficiency by 2 per cent. and 3 per cent. respectively. A programme of market testing declared in the 1993–94 business plan is included.