A Virtual Center for Research in ProgramProject Management for Aeronautics and Space

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NASA/USRA CENTER FOR PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENT
RESEARCH
A Virtual Center for Research in Program/Project
Management for Aeronautics and Space Sponsored by
NASA/Academy of Program and Project
Leadership Operated by The Universities Space
Research Association January 20, 2005
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• CPMR Fellows Phase-One Results Meeting
• January 19-20, 2005

Dr. Kevin P. Grant, PMP University of Texas at
San Antonio
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Overview

• Background
• Vision
• Research Challenges
• Research Team
• Research Facilities
• Phase I Proof of Concept
• The Concept
• The Schedule
• The Learning Experience
• Achievements
• Lessons Learned
• Looking Ahead Phase II Strategy

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BACKGROUND
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Our Vision
Equipped with highly developed knowledge sharing
skills, future project managers and teams will
successfully leverage team member expertise to
develop sound project plans and decisions, and
solve the complex problems encountered in NASA
projects.
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Research Challenges

• Understanding and identifying the systemic
  relationships affecting knowledge sharing and
  transfer in the NASA project and program
  management environment.
  CPMR 1-RA 04-01
• Understanding and identifying effective team
  interaction methodologies within decision-making
  process.
  CPMR 1-RA 04-01

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Research Challenges (cont.)

• To recruit, motivate and train the next
  generation of young project managers and systems
  engineers into the NASA, contractor and
  international space working environment.
  CPMR 1-RA 04-01

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The Research Team
The University of Texas at San Antonio UTSA
The Challenger Learning Center of San
Antonio (CLC SA)
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The Research Team (cont.)

• Research Development Team
• Dr. Kevin P. Grant (UTSA)
• Dr. Michael R. Baumann (UTSA)
• Mr. Bill Merrill (CLC)
• Mr. Klaus Bartels (CLC)
• Ms. Janette Torres (UTSA)
• Ms. Andrea Taylor (UTSA)
• Ms. Krishna Yetukuri (UTSA)
• Ms. Kendall Tew (UTSA)
• Mr. Jay Morante (UTSA)
• Ms. Terri Davis (UTSA)

• Review Advisory Board
• Astronaut John Blaha (CLC)
• Mr. Herb Klein (CLC)
• Mr. Bill Merrill (CLC)
• Ms. Alison Chyba (CLC)
• Dr. Woodie Spivey (UTSA)
• Dr. Dan Dimitriu (UTSA/ACCD)
• Dr. Steve Goodman (NASA)

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Research Facilities
The Challenger Learning Center San
Antonio Mission participants use study of
science as springboard to understanding essential
life skills such as team work, communications and
decision-making.
its an active, hands-on and minds-on experience
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Research Facilities (cont.)
Space Station (Mars Transport)
Mission Control (Mars Base)
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Phase I Proof of Concept
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The Concept

• Develop stand-alone mission scenario Projects in
  Space
• using existing CLC simulator components
• Use mission scenario as basis for learning
  experience to impart project management skills
• emphasizing techniques to recognize, share and
  apply team member expertise.
• Use learning experience as a research test bed to
  conduct future studies that address
• Factors affecting recognition and utilization of
  expertise on project teams
• Efficacy of PM learning experiences

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The Projects in Space Learning Experience

• Web-based learning
• Project Management
• Team Roles
• Flight Certification Exam

Project Planning
Project Execution
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Phase I Schedule
Review
Develop
Develop detailed
Conduct
Prep Final
prelim.
designs for PM
Projects in
Analyze
Report
Designs
modules, role
Space
Results
Proposal
descriptions and pre
-
Learning
and post test surveys
Experience
Key Events
08/25 Preliminary Design Review
10/18 Critical Design Review
11/03 Activated Web Site
11/16 Flight Cert. Exam
11/23 Team Plans Complete
11/29 CLC mission
12/17 Demo Session
01/10 Phase I Review
2004
2005
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The Projects in Space Web Site
Learning
Planning
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Phase 1 Achievements

• Developed Projects in Space Learning Experience
• Mission Scenario
• Ten role descriptions with task cards
• Six web-based learning modules
• Flight Certification Exam
• Project Planning Templates
• Conducted Proof of Concept
• Students completed learning modules
• Student Teams Developed Plans
• Teams flew simulated space missions

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Phase 1 Achievements (cont.)

• Developed and evaluated research instruments
• Project Management Experience (PME) Scale
• Behavioral Tendencies in Teams (BTT) Scale
• Career Interest and Awareness (CIA) Scale
• Transactive Memory Systems (TMS) Scale Lewis,
  2003
• Recognition of Area-Specific Expertise (RASE)
  Scale
• Perceptions of Information Sharing and
  Utilization (PISU) Scale
• Perceived Influence (PI) Scale
• Project Plan Assessment instrument
• Coding schemes for content analysis (in progress)

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The Mission Scenario

• The mission involves two teams, NAV and Probe,
  that are distributed between Mars base and the
  Mars Transport Beagle. The Mars Transport serves
  a launch platform for probes. It also transports
  samples collected on Mars back to earth for
  further analysis. The NAV team must ensure the
  Mars Transport reaches Mars, lands safely,
  successfully takes off from the Martian surface
  and returns to Earth with its cargo. The Probe
  team must assemble and launch a probe to examine
  several anomalies on the Mars moon Phobos.

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The Mission Scenario Ten Roles on Two Teams

• NAV Team
• Project Manager
• Control Officer
• Mission Analyst
• Systems Operator
• Status Officer

• Probe Team
• Project Manager
• Control Officer
• Mission Analyst
• Inventory Specialist
• Assembly Officer

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The Learning Modules
Module 1 Managing Scope
Module 4 Managing Risk
Module 2 Managing Schedule
Module 5 Managing Collaboration
Module 6 Managing Performance, Value Learning
Module 3 Managing Resources
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Learning Module Content

• Learning Objectives and Performance Criteria
• Tutorial
• Case Study with Lessons Learned
• Leveraging Expertise
• Hints and Tips
• References Cited
• For Further Study

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Flight Certification Exam

• Web-based multiple choice exam designed to
• Assess student mastery of project management
  principles
• Ensure student mastery of individual roles
  (including unique and common knowledge seeded
  therein)
• Provide students feedback regarding responses
  selected

16-19 items addressing PM principles
4-5 items addressing specific roles
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Project Planning Templates
Scope

Schedule and Resource Assignments
PM CO MA SO P
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Project Planning Templates
Scope
The navigation team will ensure that the Mars
Transport Beagle reaches Mars, lands safely,
successfully takes off from the Martian surface,
and returns to Earth. In doing so, the team will
collaboratively establish communications,
determine its position in space, safely enter
Mars orbit, land on Mars, and prepare for a
successful liftoff.
Schedule and Resource Assignments
PM CO MA SO P
X X X
X X
X X X X
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Project Plan Templates (cont.)
Risk Assessment
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Project Plan Templates (cont.)
Risk Assessment
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Student Participation in Proof of Concept
20 graduate students completed the learning
modules and flight certification exam
4 teams of five graduate students developed
project plans
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Student Participation in Proof of Concept (cont.)
All 4 teams of graduate students completed the
Projects in Space mission
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Student Participation in Proof of Concept
Additionally
223 undergraduate students provided with learning
modules 197 completed flight certification exam
122 undergraduate students developed project plans
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Phase I Lessons LearnedThe Mission Scenario

• The Projects in Space mission scenario proved to
  be credible and effective.
• The ten individual roles worked effectively.

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Phase I Lessons LearnedThe Learning Modules
Scope
Schedule
Resources
Risk
Collaboration
Value Learning

• The learning modules could be enhanced through
  the addition of more interactive features.
• Graduate student scores on the flight
  certification exam confirm the students achieved
  the desired learning objectives through study of
  the modules.

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Phase I Lessons LearnedThe Flight
Certification Exam

• The test creation and management features
  available in Web CT (respondus) proved to be
  extremely effective.
• We can and should improve the quality of selected
  exam items based on the experience gained in
  phase I and expand the inventory as the learning
  experience evolves.

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Phase I Lessons LearnedThe Project Planning
Process

• For graduate students - the computer mediated
  planning sessions were generally successful.
• Synchronous planning to accommodate time
  constraints.
• The planning process could be improved if
• Students could actively share the documents they
  were creating
• Students did not need to refresh the screen so
  frequently
• Face-to-face planning holds promise for future
  efforts.

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Phase I Lessons LearnedThe Project Planning
Templates

• We observed the planning process provided more
  opportunity to demonstrate knowledge learned in
  some modules than others. Our assessment
• Risk Management Very Good
• Scheduling Satisfactory
• Scope planning Marginal
• Resource assignment - Marginal

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Phase I - Lessons LearnedSurvey Instruments

• Project Management Experience (PME) Scale
• Self-reported training, experience, and skill
  form a single factor (alpha .96)
• Behavioral Tendencies in Teams (BTT) Scale
• Self-reported tendencies form 2 factors
• Trust (analogous to trust subscale of TMS alpha
  .80)
• Explaining / seeking reasons (alpha .67)
• Perception of Information Sharing Utilizaton
  (PISU) Scale
• Self-reported attempts to share information,
  elicit information, and use of information by
  group load on a single factor (alpha .74)
• Transactive Memory Systems (TMS) Scale
• Reliability lower than published norms
  (credibility .68, specialization .57,
  coordination .69)

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LOOKING AHEAD Phase II
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Research ChallengesRevisited

• Understanding and identifying the systemic
  relationships affecting knowledge sharing and
  transfer in the NASA project and program
  management environment.
  CPMR 1-RA 04-01
• Understanding and identifying effective team
  interaction methodologies within decision-making
  process.
  CPMR 1-RA 04-01

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Projects in SpaceProfessional Version
Professional Participant Experience
Researcher debriefs teams based on evaluation of
plans and conducts semi-structured Interviews
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Phase II Research

• Use Projects in Space learning experience with
  NASA professionals to
• Evaluate its effectiveness at increasing
  information sharing
• Use post-mission semi-structured interviews to
  elicit participants opinions of obstacles to
  recognition of member expertise and successful
  knowledge sharing practices
• Conduct correlational study of NASA professionals
  to determine which potential obstacles to
  recognition of expertise and knowledge sharing
  (identified above and in the literature) occur in
  NASA teams

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Research Challenges Revisited

• To recruit, motivate and train the next
  generation of young project managers and systems
  engineers into the NASA, contractor and
  international space working environment.
  CPMR 1-RA 04-01

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Phase II Research

• Develop a high-school version of Projects in
  Space learning scenario
• Conduct study to determine the extent to which
  the learning scenario
• Increases awareness of and interest in project
  management as a career
• Increases awareness of and interest in joining
  NASA as a project manager or systems engineer

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Our Vision
Equipped with highly developed knowledge sharing
skills, future project managers and teams will
successfully leverage team member expertise to
develop sound project plans and decisions, and
solve the complex problems encountered in NASA
projects.
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Questions