AbstractOver the last several years, there has been considerable interest in the problems of effective programming, decision‐making, and progress evaluation, in the development and production of weapon systems. The need for solving these problems was great when budget ceilings were less restrictive. At the present time when budgets are more stringent, the need is indeed urgent if defense is to be most adequate. The principles and methods described in this article were developed as guides to the development and installation of a management system for programming, decision‐making, and progress evaluation in weapon systems development, procurement, and production in the U. S. Air Force. The principles, however, have applicability to programming, decision‐making, and control in other governmental and in industrial and business organizations. Some of these principles and methods already have been applied in other situations; some are new. However, the amount that is new is relatively small; we are confident the system is feasible and economic within the existing state of the art, and that it would contribute to efficiency in the development and production of weapon sy