The Organization and Management of the Nuclear Weapons Program.

Abstract : The Department of Energy was required by the Congress to conduct a study of how it manages the nuclear weapons program, to include an analysis of the functions performed at Headquarters Defense Programs, operations offices, and applicable area and site offices. IDA was asked by the Deputy Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs to conduct this study. It contains an analysis of findings and options for making changes to management and organizational structures. Among the findings are that: review and approval processes for environment, safety, and health matters are broken; there are too many people; more attention needs to be paid to be expertise and training of DOE's employees; there is a lack of clarity regarding the roles of line vs. staff; the integration of programs and functions across DOE is weak; and the link between resources and requirements is broken. The study suggests a set of management principles upon which to reorganize. It then suggests a set of baseline reforms for reengineering ES&H and other processes. Finally, a set of options are provided for reorganizing the Defense Programs organization itself.