Accession Number:

ADA281641

Title:

Lessons Learned from the 14-Year Systems Development of the Marine Corps Standard Accounting, Budgeting and Reporting System (SABRS)

Descriptive Note:

Master's thesis

Corporate Author:

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA

Personal Author(s):

• Tavares, Jeffrey L.

Report Date:

1994-03-01

Pagination or Media Count:

108.0

Abstract:

In August of 1978 the Marine Corps initiated the development of a consolidated financial management system. On October 1, 1992, after 14-years of systems development effort, the Standard Accounting, Budgeting and Reporting System SABRS was finally implemented throughout the Marine Corps. This thesis chronicles the 14-year SABRS systems development effort using the historical case study research method. Data is presented from both archival sources and personal interviews. The SABRS project reveals some important general lessons about the systems development process that will prove useful to future project managers tasked with developing large-scale administrative information systems. These lessons learned include, but are not limited to, the importance of top management support, the role of the project manager as leader, rather than technical expert, the use of adaptive prototyping, the importance of fitting the right people to the right task, and the ability of management to alter its commitment to a failed course of action.

Descriptors:

• *FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
• *INFORMATION SYSTEMS
• *PLANNING PROGRAMMING BUDGETING
• MARINE CORPS
• PROTOTYPES
• FACTOR ANALYSIS
• COST OVERRUNS
• RESEARCH MANAGEMENT
• SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
• DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING
• LESSONS LEARNED

Subject Categories:

• Administration and Management
• Information Science

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE