Purchased application software has created a new set of problems for project managers charged with selection and implementation responsibilities. Eight activity phases in the software selection process are identified. Development and utilization of this approach at the University of Houston are described. (Author/MLW)

The Logical Framework (LogFrame) approach to project design and management is introduced for planners, evaluators, and project managers. Lessons learned from its international use, and applications of LogFrame and its computer software package are discussed. This flexible tool can improve project planning and design for almost any project. (SLD)

This workshop investigated how managers can evaluate, select, and effectively use information resource management (IRM) tools, especially data dictionary systems (DDS). An executive summary, which provides a definition of IRM as developed by workshop participants, precedes the keynote address, "Data: The Raw Material of a Paper Factory,"…

Three specific ways in which counseling and human development professionals can use the computer as a tool in program development, management, and evaluation are presented. Software developed to assist with needs assessment, databased management, and program evaluation is described. (Author/ABB)

A study examined the marketing research information required by those executives of Lakeshore Technical College (Wisconsin) whose decisions affect the college's direction. Data were gathered from the following sources: literature review; development of a data dictionary framework; analysis of the college's current information system through…

Needs assessment is an activity undertaken for planning purposes. It is important to define the limits of the study and design it on a scale appropriate to the entire planning process. This paper suggests that a needs assessment be structured into two phases. In the pre-assessment phase, a conceptual framework and well-defined exploratory…

This paper, which is intended for individuals responsible for information management at British further education (FE) colleges, describes the attempts by a number of FE institutions to manage their information effectively and provides guidelines for FE institutions to follow when developing their own information management strategy. After a brief…

The conditions facing postsecondary education during the 1980s, it is suggested, call for institutional planning styles that are comprehensive, systematic, public, regular, and expansive. The formal democratic style is described as a comprehensive planning process that requires all departments to submit their plans to the college. (Author/MLW)

This volume contains two reports whose aim is the improvement of the resource allocation system for public schools in Washington, D.C. The first report is a description of issues to be considered and decisions required for developing a resource allocation plan for equalization of aid. Information dealing with the history of school finance reform,…

Computerized school administration has become one of the most crucial innovations in vocational education in Taiwan in the Republic of China. As these educators begin to design or purchase computerized information systems for their own schools, they must first define their specific information needs. Next, they should pay attention to…

This report is concerned with improving the resource allocation system of public schools in Washington, D.C. It describes the information necessary for creating an alternative resource plan and the administrative reporting procedures necessary for maintaining such a plan. The strengths and weaknesses of existing data collection and reporting…

Papers and summaries of discussions from the 1979 forum of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems are presented. Contents are organized into three sections: (1) the links between long-range planning and short-range budgeting, (2) the relationship of program review and evaluation to academic planning and budgeting, and (3)…

Data fuel the process of change. Schools and districts should have electronic data systems that store data and make it easy to extract useful information. School leaders and their staff have questions; they need answers. Their data, when stored in a suitable electronic data system, will help them construct better answers to their questions more…

Objectives of a three-phase New York State study were (1) to test the feasibility of an institutional sampling survey for providing descriptive data about the nature and scope of continuing education in postsecondary degree-granting institutions, (2) to test the applicability of the Focus Delphi research method for assessing the priority…

This final report of a project conducted to design, develop, and test a comprehensive management plan for vocational education in Missouri is divided into three sections. Section I describes the rationale and components of a model based on the general systems approach to planning. An analysis of the planning process introduces several planning…