This approach to the control of writing costs is a systematized method to leaven and identify important cost factors to the management level. It periodically provides in-depth visibility into pertinent scope and productivity variations which have a significant impact on the success of writing programs. Elemental cost factors in consistent terms enhance the visibility as production quantities give measurements unusual objectivity in a relatively subjective environment. Because of the subjectiveness, data values at the program level must be management-tempered. Here they are used principally to flag problem areas where their meaning is paramount. Long term cumulative values (over many writing programs) become more meaningful as true absolute values. Because of this quality, they are used to set work standards, define writer productivity, and determine other departmental factors.