The first of two volumes, this document describes the planning process of a 5-year plan for meeting the telecommunications and automatic data processing (ADP) needs of the federal government, examines the planning efforts of several typical agencies, and explores issues involved in managing new technology as it evolves. For each agency, information is included on expenditures for data processing and telecommunications activities, the purpose for the expenditure, changes in the inventory of federal computers, and the personnel resources used to operate and maintain these systems. In-depth descriptions of seven representative agencies that have instituted agency-wide planning mechanisms to manage their information resources include a description of the agency, its planning approach, overview of the structure and content of the plan, and its evaluation. Agencies include the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, General Services Administration (GSA), Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Social Security Administration, and Department of State. The report concludes with a description of a methodology developed by GSA's Information Resources Management (IRM) Planning Support Program; the GSA self-assessment checklist for evaluating the planning process, the plan, its implementation and the maintenance process; and an interim report on the management implications of the new technologies. (LMM)