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(U) Technical Directors in A&P
FROM: Jim Allen
SID/Deputy Director for Analysis and Production (S2)
Run Date: 05/17/2004
FROM: Jim Allen
SID/Deputy Director for Analysis and Production (S2)
(U//FOUO) Jim Allen sent the below message to the Analysis & Production workforce on May
14th:
(U//FOUO) Months ago I initiated an effort to define the role of Technical Directors (TD's) at the
office level and above within A&P. My purpose was to reinforce their roles as members of the
A&P leadership team and to ensure that important functions are performed consistently across
our organization.
(U//FOUO) After considering many points of view, and with the benefit of advice from a panel
headed by
and Jack Israel, I have decided on a set of functions and responsibilities
explained in a TD paper . I encourage you to read all four pages, but the essential points follow:
Technical Directors at the office level and above are their organization's senior authorities
regarding analytic and production tradecraft, tools, techniques, and processes. They
posess significant expertise and serve as leaders in advancing analysis and production
across a broad front. They are not acting principally as Subject Matter Experts (SME's),
who play distinctive roles of their own.
The A&P TD leads and coordinates the activities of TD's within A&P, advises DDAP, and
chairs the Technical Leaders Council.
The Technical Leaders Council comprises TD's from across A&P (see the charter ). It is
the venue for considering and deciding significant technical issues, to include new
analytical approaches and techniques, and it plays a key role in the capabilities
requirements process.
TD duties can vary a bit from office to office based on the unique needs of the
organization, but the variance must be additive. In other words, TD title requires that the
core duties listed in the TD paper be performed.
A minority of technical leaders in A&P are TD's. Most are drawn from our rich SME
population, to which many will return at the conclusion of their TD tour. Many more
technical leaders are subject matter experts (SME's), each of whom represents immense
intellectual capital. The roles of TD's and SME's are complementary -- both are vital, but
they are not synonymous.
(U//FOUO) The standardization of TD positions across A&P will necessitate some adjustment, but
it is consistent with our efforts to increase the rigor of our organizational practices and will also
help us to strengthen our treasured technical workforce.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108