Pilot study of possible benefits of office automation to EG and G Idaho, Inc

Technical Report · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6690833

Jenkins, W A

A small pilot project was conducted at EG and G Idaho, Inc., to discover whether the application of current automated office technology could significantly reduce administrative costs. The project was conducted by a nine-member EG and G task force. Most of the major equipment for the project was already owned by EG and G and was manufactured by a single computer vendor, the Four-Phase Corporation; although there were several other suitable hardware suppliers, the choice of Four-Phase was based primarily on the economics of immediate availability. Requirements for an automated office system (AOS) were developed through interviews with a cross section of typical Company users. (AOS functions were divided into two categories: word-processing and office applications.) Text-processing software from Four-Phase was used without modification. Their office-applications distributed-processing software was used to support nine data-processing applications written by our in-house programmers in Four-Phase format code: four applications were patterned after the vendor's office-management software; five applications were written entirely by our programmers. The AOS test was conducted using a vertically structured experimental group and a like control group, all within the domain of a single Associate General Manager (equivalent of a vice president). An outside consulting firm was hired to assist in designing the data-gathering and -measuring system. (A Company-wide test involving networking and telecommunications functions was precluded by the limited size of the pilot project.) The pilot project demonstrated that significant savings can be realized through the use of current automated office technology. The study showed that the greatest benefits are obtained at the higher organizational levels and that the system must be installed only in manager/secretary combinations.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 6690833
• Report Number(s): EGG-TPUB-6081; ON: DE83002515
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990100* -- Management
990200 -- Mathematics & Computers
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
AUTOMATION
BUILDINGS
COMPUTERS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
OFFICE BUILDINGS
PERSONNEL