The May 2012 issue of MacTech is available via the iPad app; dead-tree mailings can’t be far behind.
In this month’s issue I detail a method for creating packages to create a local admin account on your managed machines. This same package will create a working local admin account on Leopard through Lion (and possibly beyond), and will work in the stripped-down Lion install environment. If you need to update the local admin password, you can just install a newer version of the exact same package.
This fits in with my general theme for 2012: which is “Don’t Repeat Yourself!”
Managing OS X 
Thanks for this, is your “universal” create-local-user.pkg available elsewhere?
Hi – thanks for the tip and your article. Have you confirmed its success in Mountain Lion?
-Scot
Yes, the technique works fine in Mountain Lion.
Thank you…