And That's the Way It Is

EXECUTIVE MEMO

And That's The Way It Is

rom John Glenn's first solo circuit of the earth through the joy of Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon and Apollo 13's near demise, the space program and Walter Cronkite's comforting and authoritative voice seemed as one. Once again NASA has turned to the nation's grandfather of news to explain a complicated and dangerous mission-but this time it's the agency's strategic planning process.

Cronkite is the narrator of a 20-minute video production, "Strategic Planning: Charting a Course for the Future," designed to explain and sell strategic planning to government managers and employees. Searching for a model of strategic planning, the first step in meeting the requirements of the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management settled on NASA. The Office of Personnel Management is distributing the video.

NASA crafted its first strategic plan in 1994 and hasn't looked back, revising the 25-year blueprint annually ever since. Its most recent plan sets three key missions with 25-year goals for four lines of business encompassing 10 field centers.

The video charts the plan's history and intent. The newly published "NASA Strategic Management Handbook" explains the plan's philosophy and tells managers how to use it. For the video, call OPM's Communications Office at (202) 606-1800. The management plan is on the World Wide Web at www.hq.nasa. gov/office/nsp/NSPTOC.html.