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Appendix 8: Questions Posed to Panels at Site Visits
Questions sent to the Site Office for discussion at a meeting with the committee
1. What is the site office organization?
2. What are the basic roles of the major officers within the site office?
3. Who at the lab reports to whom at the site office? What information (inputs) does
the site office get from lab management? To whom (within NNSA) does the site
office report?
4. What determinations are made within the site office, and which are passed to
NNSA HQ? What are the reporting chains?
5. What, specifically, does the site office do to carry out the maintenance of the
stockpile? What decisions does the site manager get involved in? What work
does the Lab management have to put in to handle requirements from the site
manager? How often does the site manager meet with Lab personnel and on what
topics? What are the annual information requirements of the site manager?
6. What is the site office role in management decisions? Does it make fee
recommendations to the NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator? Do the lab and
contractor officers report to the site office? How does the contractor Board of
Directors interact with the Site office? What control does NNSA HQ have over
the site office?
7. What role does the site office plays in determining the budget submission for the
lab. Does the site office play an active role in setting strategy and determining
financial resource needs? Or does it play a role as a reviewer?
8. How much of the site office role in the review process is devoted to mission
performance, and how much to operational issues (e.g. safety and security)? How
does the site office develop the performance evaluation plan? To what extent
does the site office evaluate S&E quality? What kind of a role do they play in
setting and implementing management policy to ensure high quality S&E; e.g.
recruitment and retention of highly qualified scientists and engineers? Is it
advisory, directive, consultative, just what? Does the site office exercise any
direct leverage on providing incentives to improve quality?
9. What does the contract manager gets involved with, including which management
decisions (if any)? What inputs does the contract manager need from the
Laboratory management? How much work or data gathering is involved, what
times of the year, etc.? Does the contract manager work generally with Lab
director and staff, the CFO, or who?
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10. The site office is an NNSA office. To what extent is the site office involved in
management and evaluations of the Labs’ Work for Others (WFO)?
Questions sent to laboratory Senior Management for discussion at a meeting with the
committee
1. We interpret quality science and engineering as being that S&E that is necessary
to support the mission of the laboratory both now and in the future. What is XXX
Lab’s current mission and possible future missions? As part of your discussion
please present to us the high-level description of you mission that you present to
Congress. Could you walk us through your budget at a high level, in terms of both
money and people?
2. How do you and your laboratory review and assess the quality of S&E activities?
Do you use the same processes and standards for in-house work, for LDRD work,
for WFO? Does the NNSA review the quality of the S&E work?
3. How does the NNSA evaluate and oversee your laboratory? What motivation is
provided by the performance fee? In your self-evaluation, what level of attention
is paid to operations vis-à-vis the quality of S&E performance?
4. In the last decade the labs have been buffeted by many dramatic events. Could
you describe how events such as:
i.-End of the Cold War
ii.-Formation of NNSA
iii.-Stockpile stewardship
iv.-Contract recompetition
v.-START treaty
have affected your laboratory and the morale of your staff?
5. It has been asserted by some that the laboratories have lost flexibility in how they
execute programs. If this is so, what flexibility do you retain? Is this an important
issue for you in managing your laboratory?
6. How do you manage and support S&E foundations that support the strategic
directions of the laboratory? Could you describe the “return on investment” in the
short and long term from work performed in these foundational areas? What is the
role of S&E in driving the future of your laboratory? How does the NNSA
support and evaluate S&E foundations?
7. How do you draw upon experts and best practices at other laboratories as a part of
continuous improvement?
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8. How do you select work for others? Do you have a strategic plan for this activity?
What do you see as the value of WFO?
9. One of the most important challenges for a laboratory is hiring the next generation
of scientists and engineers. What are you doing to assure that your laboratory
remains an attractive place to work? What are the impediments?
10. Please comment on the issue of trust with the NNSA with respect to performance
evaluations. Does XXX Lab’s apparent preference for simple numerical measures
of performance reflect something about the level of trust? How would you like the
NNSA to evaluate the quality of S&E at your laboratory?
11. Can you envision any changes within the control of Congress and NNSA that
would allow you to be more effective in assuring the highest quality S&E at your
laboratory?
Questions sent to laboratory Other Management for discussion at a meeting with the
committee
1. How do you review and assess the quality of S&E activities? Do you use the same
processes and standards for in-house work, for LDRD work, for WFO?
2. It has been asserted by some that the laboratories have lost flexibility in how they
execute programs. What flexibility do you retain? Is this an important issue for
you in your management duties?
3. How do you manage and support S&E foundations that support the strategic
directions of the laboratory? What is the role of S&E in driving the future in your
own unit?
4. How do you select work for others? Do you have a strategic plan for this activity?
What do you see as the value of WFO?
5. How do you draw upon experts and best practices at other laboratories as a part of
continuous improvement?
6. One of the most important challenges for a laboratory is hiring the next generation
of scientists and engineers. What are you doing to assure that your unit remains an
attractive place to work? What are the impediments?
7. Please comment on the issue of trust across levels of management.
8. How do you think the scientists and engineers in your group would respond to a
discussion about topics such as working conditions, opportunities for professional
development, performance evaluation, rewards, and job security?
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Questions sent to laboratory Senior Scientists and Engineers for discussion at a meeting with
the committee
1. It has been asserted by some that the laboratories have lost flexibility in how they
execute programs. What flexibility do you retain?
2. What is the role of S&E foundations in driving the future in your own unit?
3. How well is the laboratory doing in attracting and retaining high-quality scientists
and engineers. What are the impediments?
4. How do you think colleagues in your unit would respond to the following
questions?
How free am I to steer my own career? What constraints are placed on my
choices?
What resources (equipment, support staff, information, etc.) are available to me to
enable my performing at a high level of quality?
How much control do I have over my own time, both day-to-day and over longer
terms?
How much time is provided for me to report my findings? For travel to relevant
events? For other professional development, in-house and outside?
How is my competence and currency to be maintained?
How much overhead must I attend to (security and safety processes, internal
paperwork, etc.)?
How is my performance measured in-house and by what metrics? How do those
metrics map onto my understanding of S&E quality?
How are my achievements rewarded in-house? Do I have opportunities to gain
external awards?
How secure is my position? My research area? Will management protect me?
Can I communicate freely and effectively with my technical and administrative
management when I have ideas, problems, and when they have news that affects
me? Are the chains of control clear? Do my managers have the flexibility to help
me do good work?
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