POLITICAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND PERSONAL CAREER IMPERATIVES MUST BE CONSIDERED IF INTERSYSTEM PLANNING IS TO BE EFFECTIVE. POLITICAL IMPERATIVES ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE PERCEIVED INTERESTS OF THE BUREAUCRATIC POWER HOLDERS. ORGANIZATIONAL IMPERATIVES EXIST BECAUSE INTERSYSTEM PLANNING IS SEEN AS A THREATENED EROSION OF THE AUTONOMY OF THE ORGANIZATION, PUTTING AN INDIVIDUAL AGENCY SUBSUMED BY A LARGER ORGANIZATION AT A DISADVANTAGE. PERSONAL CAREER IMPERATIVES LIE IN THE THREAT TO PEOPLE'S JOBS AND TO THE ADVANCEMENT PROCESS WITHIN THE AGENCY. ALL OF THE ABOVE CONCERNS MUST BE ADDRESSED IN THE INITIAL PLANNING PROCESS IF INTERSYSTEM PLANNING IS TO BECOME A REALITY. THERE ARE FURTHER CONSTRAINTS ON THE INTERSYSTEM PLANNING PROCESS ITSELF, THAT CAN ONLY BE DEALT WITH THROUGH CONSCIOUS POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFORT. THESE CONSTRAINTS CAN BE CONSIDERED AS LEGAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL. LEGAL CONSTRAINTS ARE SEEN IN THE MAINTENANCE OF STATUTORY BARRIERS PROTECTING INDIVIDUAL PRIVACY, INASMUCH AS INFORMATION IS EXCHANGED ON A REGULAR BASIS ACROSS AGENCY BOUNDARIES. ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS LIE IN TAX ALLOCATION POLICY, BUDGETING, AND THE HIGH COST OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH INTERSYSTEM PLANNING. SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS ARE THE RESISTANCE ENGENDERED BY CHANGE. ONE PROPOSAL TO EASE THE IMPACT OF INTERSYSTEM PLANNING IS THE INTRODUCTION OF A SAFETY-WELFARE GENERALIST WHO CAN ACT AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS AGENCIES. TO DATE, INTERSYSTEM PLANNING HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO VERY LITTLE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH. THE IMPERATIVES AND CONSTRAINTS DISCUSSED NEED TO BE EMPIRICALLY TESTED. ONLY IN THIS WAY WILL INTERSYSTEM PLANNING, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO THE EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF SOCIAL SERVICES, BE ACCEPTED INTO THE SPHERE OF EMPIRICALLY BASED POLICY ANALYSIS AND PROGRAM EVALUATION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DJM)