UCRs can also be used for getting funding priority, and the way things are, you need your ducks in a row to get in the cue above where ever the cut off line happens to be. Also, unlike an email, it's official, and is tracked by other people then just the LCMM; at least over on the Navy side.
I've seen a few times where problems were "well known" on the coast, and then when I got to Ottawa, the LCMM had heard rumours, but had nothing they could take for action, didn't know who was actually having the problem, and didn't know what ship(s) it was on.
We're in a huge bureaucratic beast, but if you don't feed it and jump through the hoops, the only guarantee is that nothing will happen. At least if you put in a UCR, and nothing happens, you can follow up on it as people are accountable to action it.
Kind of like voting; you can't complain about the politicians if you don't vote, and you can't complain about the LCMMs not doing their jobs if you don't send up the paperwork. A lot of them are responsible for hundreds of items, so they won't necessarily even have noticed the six returns with defects unless someone raises it up. I used to complain a lot more before I came to Ottawa and saw what they are dealing with, so have the luxury of context. :2c:
