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This procedure was simplified when one form was
developed to take the place of the various documents
that had previously been used. The form was designed
so that all the offices involved could use the same one.
The office requesting the training filled in the request
and justification and each of the reviewing offices
indicated approval or disapproval on the same form.
Sufficient copies were prepared by the originator to
provide copies for the tiles of offices concerned.
The revised procedure required the processing of a
maximum of only 7 documents instead of the minimum
of 35 documents. It also eliminated at least 26 of the 56
separate operations. The prescribed form provided for
the submission of the right amount of information
instead of too much or too little. It reduced the
processing time in one office by 75 percent. The total
processing time for all offices was reduced by a least 50
percent.
DON Headquarters Improvement
A survey of all forms used and prescribed by one
headquarters resulted in the cancellation of 171 forms.
The consequential elimination of man-hours formerly
spent in preparing and processing these forms and the
elimination of storage space through destruction of
existing stocks resulted in substantial savings.
Considerable savings also resulted from the
development of two new forms (procurement request
and request for modification) to take the place of 7
headquarters forms, one of which consisted of 12 pages.
The improvement reduced backlogs; preparation time;
processing time; and paper, printing, storage, and
distribution costs.
Activity Improvement
The preparation of a clearance order was found to
be merely a copying operation as most of the data on the
form were obtained from another form used in the same
office for another purpose. The clearance order form
was not designed for the most efficient use because the
space allowed for the entries was insufficient, the
sequence of entries did not coincide with that of the form
from which the data were transcribed, and constant data
were not reprinted. The transcribing operation often
required overtime work to avoid backlogs.
When these two forms were consolidated into one,
the transcribing operation was eliminated, overtime
work was no longer necessary, and more efficient
operation resulted as one form serving two purposes.
So you can see there is a definite advantage in
managing forms in the Navy. Perhaps your command’s
system will not be as elaborate as the procedures
described in this chapter, but if the basic principles are
applied with a sincere interest toward forms
management, you will accomplish more, save time and
roomy, and get a great deal of satisfaction from the job.
REMEMBER
Personnel assisting you should be well-trained, both
in forms design and in your command’s forms
management system. For assistance, contact your
servicing NPPSO. They should especially understand
the SSIC system for filing forms and be invited to
suggest ways to improve its use; for example, a
supplemental 3-inch by 5-inch card tile, arranged in
alphabetical order by subject, showing printing dates
and cost data (NAVSO 5213/12).
Personnel in organizational units with whom you
have contact concerning forms should be aware of your
desire to assist them as well as your need for their input
and cooperation in carrying out your functions. Forms
management cannot be accomplished by one person; it
requires the active involvement of everyone from the
CO down to be effective.
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