SCMS: What You Need to Know

1. First of all, what is SCMS. Below is a brief description captured from the Management System: Requirements Management.

SC uses a web-based requirements management tool called the Office of SCience Management System (SCMS) that is meant to flow down management of DOE requirements and SC specific implementation requirements to federal staff. The SCMS and its supporting documentation and procedures serve the organization by providing a comprehensive, high-level description of SC’s responsibilities, the associated authorities it operates within, and its management approaches designed specifically to deliver the above mission.

Federal input is solicited and considered throughout the various steps of the SCMS requirements management process. After the review process is completed, the Department of Energy (DOE) conveys requirements to the contractors through contract clauses (e.g., the SC Contractor Assurance System H Clause) and inclusion of the DOE Directives Contractor Requirements Documents into the contracts. The processes for conveying requirements to contractors are described in the Management and Operating Contracting, and the Non-Management and Operating Contracting Management Systems. Authorized DOE Contracting Officers make all final applicability decisions on DOE requirements for the SC contractors. SC also uses a consistent method to effectively manage and control SC-wide documents, procedures, and processes.

2. The drivers for the processes listed are found in section four of the Management System Description (MSD). This section lists the requirements that drive the processes, some of the requirements have shared responsibility because one or more MS could have processes affected by the requirement. Normally, the MS with the most responsibilities in the requirement is the owner, and it is shared to other MSs that have responsibilities.

3. There is a Management System (MS) for 19 identified Functional Areas. Each MS is broken down into subject areas that contain procedures that lists the steps taken in each identified process. When each MS is accessed, the first page viewed is the Management System Description (MSD) which gives an overview of the content, where section five lists the subject areas (SAs) and its procedures.

4. Section six of the MSD contains the references not needed as requirements, but are related to each key function and its process.

5. Section eight of the MSD contains definitions that are linked throughout the MSD and the SAs. The procedures in the SAs are not able to be linked to the definition list on the SA or MSD page so they are linked as a tooltip. When hovering over certain links in procedures a tooltip box will show with a definition of the term that is linked.

6. SC information related to SCMS is located on the left side menu bar under the SC Information link. This list continuously grows as pertinent SC information needed in SCMS is received.

7. Important information pertaining to SCMS and the MSs is located on the side menu bar also, under the SCMS Information link. This list is continuously growing as additional resource tools and training items are developed.

8. Each MSD starts with the Management System Coordinators (MSC), the last review date on the entire MS, the last revision date and the version of the page showing. The MSCs and the last review date of the entire MS will be the same on each header of any document in the MS. The document revision date and the version number can be different if updates to a process is provided to between MS review cycles.

9. In addition to the MSCs at the top of each SA page, an SA point of contact will be listed and on each procedure in the SA, a subject matter expert will be listed.