A part of my daily routine as an IT manager used to be reading the overnight job stream report, which reported on the completion status of other reports. It was, literally, a report about reports. A meta-report, as it were. But it was a lot easier to read the 20 pages of that thing, at 66 lines per green bar page, than to wade through the 17,000 pages of the real reports that were daily printed, burst, and distributed around the company, by my staff, to see if any job had hung, or bombed, for say, data quality problems, in the overnight job processing spool.

And even after I'd transitioned the company to exception based reporting, and query by example business processes, I continued to read that report every morning, although it had become, quite strangely, the report about "reports that had ceased to be, but whose generation jobs were still necessary to keep the underlying database updated."

Whenever I fill out the half-yearly reports on our federal grants, I have to complete the "Time Burden Estimate" part of the form, in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. As I do, I always savor the rich, mellow, fruity irony that it must be to be the person whose job it is to compile,tabulate, and report the results of the data from the Time Burden Estimate sections of all the federal forms in existence. On what forms do they report the data from those forms? Do they estimate the time it takes to compile the estimations of the time it takes to fill out the original forms? Does someone else fill out a form about all those report forms, and do they estimate that time?

There is a recursive beauty to it. Of course, while I snicker haughtily and then return groveling at the feet of the government for a few shiny coins to support my work, the satisfied employees of the Department of Redundancy Department are laughing all the way to retirement at 55 with a federal pension, and I thank them for their service.

Below is the statement that introduces and invites comment on the Time Burden Estimate and other federal paperwork. It's a treat to read.

SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and Library Services as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3508(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.

IMLS is particularly interested in comments that help the agency to:

-Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
-Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collocation of information including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
-Enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and
-Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

Conversation around the 'ole IMLS watercooler:

"What do you do Joe?"

"Oh, I head up the pre-clearance consultation program. We work with all our constituents and stakeholders to make sure we optimize all pre-clearance best practices."

"Cool!"

Isn't that a bit like waking someone up to take a sleeping pill?

My brother was once tasked with being on a committee to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. I swear to god it happened.

lol @ Otis

So, pips, what happens of you don't fill in the survey? Does someone have to fill in a form to document that you didn't complete the survey? Will they conduct a survey later to see who filled the survey in and what they thought of it?

thanks for the comments, folks.

jason, that actually happened to my mom!

(I shudder to think, dg)