Providing quality customer services in a research and development project management organization

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is one of the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) largest multiprogram laboratories and is managed by Martin Marietta Corporation. The Defense Programs Division is a 700-person organization that manages weapons-related R&D projects. A Management Services (MS) organization was established for the division in April 1992. This organization`s primary functions are to serve as the Vice President`s Deputy for Operations and to assist managers and staff with services such as corporate-required training, environmental safety and health (ES&H) functions, space planning, and to challenge administrative barriers and non-programmatic requirements. MS relies totally on customer funding. The customers` bottom line for measuring MS performance is the number of hours saved. Quarterly customer satisfaction surveys are conducted. Customers rate the quality of services provided, review the hours saved, and identify services that can be improved. This paper discusses a total quality management approach for managing customer relationships and shares lessons learned.