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Problems of Expedited Implementation: The Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

David Leo Weimer
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Rochester

Abstract

At each stage of program implementation – strategic planning, systems design, development of the management control infrastructure, and project execution – different types of expertise are most critical to success. The civil service system, which is oriented toward the hiring of permanent employees, and personnel ceilings, which are often arbitrarily set in the budgeting process, interact to impede the transition from one implementation stage to the next. Cost overruns and long-run schedule slippage may result from attempts to expedite programs by beginning implementation stages in parallel, particularly if compensatory resources are not provided. These problems are illustrated with the history of the implementation of the strategic petroleum reserve program, a key element of US policy for reducing vulnerability to disruptions of the world oil market.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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