The Central Intelligence Agency has successfully contracted for the production of vector maps of various types since 1988. Each map fulfilled an essential government need and when finally accepted contained minimal errors. Error detection and correction, however, carried a heavy price. Recently, we have applied rigorous project management techniques to control errors before they start and to bring greater discipline to the management of each project. We place a heavy emphasis on a detailed interpretation and digitizing plan for each and every feature to be captured. This paper summarizes our approach and our experience during the first year using this new technique.