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, 2005
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NASA/Academy for Program and Project Management
Leadership (APPL)

• Precursor Organization Program and Project
  Management Initiative (PPMI)
• Established in 1993 to address Agency Workforce
  Development Needs
• Laid foundation for NASAs project management
  knowledge capture
• Provided training courses on technical management
  skills/methods
• Academy for Program and Project Leadership (APPL)
• Established in 1998 in response to rapidly
  changing PM environment
• APPL Director Dr. Edward Hoffman Deputy Mr.
  Tony Maturo
• Formalized competency-driven project management
  development (PDMP)
• Links critical competencies to structured
  education and learning
• Current Challenges
• Career Development PDMP-derived APPL courses are
  designed to promote realistic challenges through
  team-designed learning using simulations, case
  studies, practitioner-expert discussions,
  assessment instruments, on-line tools and
  tailored coaching services.
• Performance Enhancement APPL provides
  world-class experts and learning systems to
  provide practical solutions to technical
  managers.
  
• Knowledge Sharing Is achieved in three ways --
  Forums for Master Project Managers, Transfer
  Wisdom Workshops and the ASK Magazine.
• Metrics Building a PM data gathering structure
  to measure the specific outcome
• New Focus to Engage the University Research
  Community
• Center for Program/Project Management Research
  (CPMR)
• Under a Cooperative Agreement with USRA

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The Universities Space Research Association (USRA)

• Nonprofit organization created in 1969 by the
  National Academy of Sciences at the request of
  NASA
• 95 member colleges and universities
• Chartered
• To be an entity through which universities and
  other research organizations cooperate with each
  other and with the government toward the
  development of knowledge associated with space
  science and technology, and
• To acquire, plan, construct and operate
  laboratories and other facilities for research,
  development and education associated with space
  science and technology.
• Operation by the national research community
• Council of Institutions
• Board of Trustees
• Science Councils

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USRAs Current Operations

• Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI)
• Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science
  (RIACS)
• Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy
  (SOFIA)
• NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC)
• National Center for Microgravity Research (NCMR)
• Division of Space Life Sciences (DSLS)
• Cooperative Program in Space Sciences (CPSS)
• Other programs in education, engineering,
  astronomy, earth science, microgravity materials
  science
• Funding sources have included NASA, NRL, USNO,
  NSF, AFOSR, AFRL, BMDO and private sector.
• Total budget of roughly 90 million per year.

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About CPMR

• Purpose
• Engage universities in world-class research that
  addresses significant problems in the discipline
  of Program/Project Management with emphasis on
  NASAs aeronautics and space program challenges
• Objectives
• Exercise leadership to significantly advance the
  state of knowledge of program and project
  management
• Develop a cadre of professionals to conduct
  world-class research and serve as a major
  resource for project management knowledge
• Improve collaboration and data exchange between
  project management professionals
• Facilitate hands-on project management training
  and developmental opportunities
• Provide an atmosphere for open examination of
  innovative program and project management
  concepts
• Promote the direct application of CPMR research
  to real NASA program and project management
  challenges

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CPMR Plans and Operation

• First Year Implementation Goals
• Establish and collocate CPMR program office at
  USRA HQ In Columbia, MD
• Search/Select Director
• Form CPMR Science Engineering Council (CSEC)
• Hold Requirements Definition Workshop to
  establish research topics and priorities
• Disseminate Research Announcement to solicit
  proposals
• Competitively select and award grants to
  university researchers
• Establish exchange program
• Establish CPMR Student Council
• Completed action

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Key Personnel
Director Lewis Peach, Jr., USRA Chief
Engineer Associate Director David Holdridge,
CPSS Program Manager Graduate (PhD) Student
Intern/CPMR Student Council Tina Chindgren
CPMR Science and Engineering Council Noel Hinners
(Univ. of Colorado) (Chairman)
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CPMR Program Office
The CPMR Program Office is adjacent to the USRA
Headquarters office in this lakeside building in
Columbia, MD. This proximity to USRA HQ will
provide ready access to USRA's full corporate
resources and a direct link to its member
universities.
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Requirements Definition Workshop

• Key Presenters on P/PM Challenges
• Mike Hawes, Deputy Associate Administrator for
  Space Flight
• Al Diaz, Center Director, Goddard Space Flight
  Center
• Sherry Buschmann, Director, Integrated Project
  Management, NASA HQ
• Dennis McCarthy, Swales Aerospace
• Wally Fowler, Meek Centennial Professor In
  Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
• John Douglass, President, Aerospace Industries
  Assn.
• Conference Chair Noel Hinners (CU/LASP)
• Working Group Panel Session (Chairs of Five
  Working Groups)
• Best Practices and Lessons LearnedJohn Niehoff
  (SAIC Group)
• Future Opportunities Innovative
  ApproachesAaron Shenhar (Stevens Inst. Of Tech.)
• Decision Making Tools, Methods and MetricsMark
  George (Lockheed Martin, Inc.)
• Cultural and Sociological Issues for Project
  TeamsNancy Leveson (MIT)
• Knowledge, Expertise, and LearningAllan Wells
  (U. of Leicester)

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Phase-1 RA 04-01 CPMR ChallengesOutgrowth of
Workshop

• Highest priority P/PM challenges as communicated
  in the R/A
• A. Validating and implementing needed changes
  to the risk assessment and safety review
  culture within NASA. This end result rests on
  the need for improvement in our
  understanding of the major elements and/or
  variables that determine and shape an
  organizational culture.
• B. Developing the Careers of Program/Project
  Managers at NASA - recruiting, selection,
  training, coaching, and incentivizing.
• C. Development of a highly effective knowledge
  sharing system e.g., a linked Lessons
  Learned/Best Practices (LL/BP) process, within
  NASA to ensure good Agency-wide
  communication and, of equal or greater
  importance, the systems adoption,
  implementation and usage by successive
  generations of P/PMs.
• D. Identification of NASA-specific strategic
  project types with supporting rationale as
  a means for development of P/PM baseline
  templates to guide but not constrain
  project and program managers.
• E. Improving P/PM review, interaction,
  team-building, leadership, decision-making,
  human capital planning, and communication
  processes - particularly within the NASA
  environment.

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CPMR Research Announcement

• Broad announcement letter distributed
  mid-December
• Research announcement distributed late January,
  2004 based on research objectives developed at
  the December 2003 workshop recommendations
• Proposal review process

Proposals Received (in response to research
announcement)
Peer Reviews (3-4 per proposal)
2 to 2 .5 Months
Review Panel (subset of peer reviewers)
Concurrence Briefing to APPL
Notify PI and Initiate Subaward
Feedback to non-selected PIs
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Overall Summary of Research Announcement
Responses

• All 54 proposal leads were from US institutions
• Healthy mix of institutions
• Large, Small, State, Private, and some HBCU OMI
  institutions
• Multiple proposals from a few schools
• 6 from one, 5 from another, and at least two from
  three other universities
• Most proposals conformed to specifications only
  two rejected
• Broad representation in proposals
• Many government, university, and industry teaming
  arrangements
• 200 named investigators or members of
  oversight/advisory groups.
• 9 CO-Is from foreign institutions.
• Many teams demonstrated solid connections to
  current personnel and projects at NASA.
• Important for application to real NASA P/PM
  concerns

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CPMR Researchers Research Projects 2004

• Nancy Leveson/MIT
• Modeling NASA's Safety Culture
• Robin Dillon-Merrill/Georgetown University
• Prescriptive Approach to Preventing Future
  Mission Catastrophes
• Isaac Maya/USC
• Cultural Influence on Lessons Learned and Safety
• Jeffrey Hoffman/MIT
• Innovative Management of Student-run Space
  Research Projects
• Kevin Grant/UT, San Antonio
• Student P/PM Curriculum Development/Challenger
  Centers
• Karlene Roberts/U.C. Berkeley
• Risk and Safety/Security Assessment at NASA

• Noel Hinners/University of Colorado Boulder
• Lessons Learned Life Cycle Processes and
  Workforce Development
• Tim Kotnour/University of Central Florida
• Learning-Based Project Reviews
• Thomas Lechler/Stevens Institute of Technology
• NASA Strategic Multi-Project Resource Management
  "CC_Lite
• Aaron Shenhar/Stevens Institute of Technology
• Strategic Systems Approach to NASA's P/PM Project
  Types

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CPMR Student Programs

• How can students learn about their discipline
  while incorporating program and project
  management concepts in their training?

The recent 35th Anniversary of Landing on the
Moon
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History of Student Participation at CPMR

• CPMR Requirements Definition Workshop in December
  2003
• Eight graduate students invited
• Representing science, engineering, business and
  education disciplines
• Anticipated their involvement would expose them
  to cutting edge research opportunities in their
  field of study, as well as some of the top
  practitioners and researchers
• Expected that the students would bring fresh
  insights and innovative ideas that could
  influence the selection of the research
  objectives

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Student Reactions and Recommendations

• CPMR is critical to student development
• CPMR can
• Provide a network and opportunity for
  interdisciplinary connections
• Advocate for interdisciplinary work, i.e.
  university course flexibility, especially in
  engineering
• Potentially guide students to internships or
  assistantships
• Advocate for long-term, national space goals and
  projects
• Recommend the establishment of a CPMR Student
  Council to
• Liaison between students and CPMR
• Provide feedback, offer ideas and unique
  perspective to CPMR

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CPMR Student Exchange Program

• On-site research internships
• Graduate student focus
• Access to world-class researchers interested in
  program/project management
• Must support the NASA Office of the Chief
  Engineer and APPL missions
• Use existing vehicle at LARSS
• Provides international students access to NASA
• Potential opportunities at Hampton University and
  ESC Lille
• Possible opportunities at Fellows universities
  and affiliates

Photo provided by Kennedy Space Center
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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
Serving the Community as a National Resource
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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY

• NASA Program Management challenge Conference
  (March 05)
• Peer Reviewed Fellows Papers in (at least)
  Five Sessions on
• Strategic Systems Approach to NASA P/PM
  /Shenhar (Keynote)
• Learning-Based Project Reviews/Kotnour
• Projects in Space Cultivating New
  generation of NASA Project Managers/Grant
• Critical Chain High Potential Hard to
  Achieve in PM Perspectives Track/Lechler,
  Ronen, Stohr
• Project Management Assets Communities of
  Practice/Chindgren
• Coordination of Graduate Student Volunteers
  from Area Universities/Chindgren

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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
APPL Masters Forum (February 05) CPMR
Fellows Special Session Presenting Research
in Strategic Program Management/Shenhar
Risk and Safety Assessment at NASA/Roberts
Aviation Week Program/Project Excellence Award
(November 04) Assisted in Development of
Criteria for Selection, Framing of Award

Structure and
Process and Participated in Selection
Process Hoffman Peach Shenhar
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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
Exploration Program Directorate Benchmarking
Activity (November 05) Developed Criteria for
Relevant Benchmarking Enterprises Recommended
Candidate Enterprises to use for Benchmarking
Recommended Key Individual Participants
Fellows Participating in Process (Shenhar)
Exploration Program Directorate Program
Formulation (December 04) Recommended
Strategic Systems Approach to Program/Project
Management (Shenhar)
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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
Exploration CEV Mission Risk Advisory Group
(November 04) Developed Criteria for
Selection of Members, Based of Breadth of Issues
to Address Recommended Slate of Candidates
for Membership Participating in Process
Boyle Peach Roberts Rothenberg (CPMR
Council)
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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
NSEC/Return to Flight Inquiry at LaRC (December
04) Requested Information Regarding Modeling
of Columbia Accident in Planned Research
Analyzing and Engineering NASAs Safety
Culture/Leveson Inquiry at NASA HQ (December
04) Requested Information Regarding
Incorporation of ITA into Above Model, to
Evaluate Impact of Various New Policy
Implementations on Overall Risk Participating
in first NASA ITA Workshop in January
05/Leveson Inquiry from NASA-FAA Air Traffic
Management Planning Office How Above Research
Might be Utilized by this Office/Leveson
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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
Mars Human Precursor Mission Risk Workshop
(August 04) Organized and Hosted Risk
Workshop at CPMR HQ Purpose Develop a
Process to Utilize Risk as a Criteria for
Establishing Priorities to Shape Investments
for Safety and Costs Involved Participants
from NASA (HQ/JPL/LaRC), Industry (SAIC), CPMR,
with Input from CU (Hinners, CPMR Council
Chair) NASA Mars Human and Robotic Strategic
Roadmap Committee Assessing NASA challenges in
implementing Mars Roadmap/Hinners
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CPMR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
Graduate Student Outreach Program (Ongoing)
Foster collaborations and networking with
program/project management graduate student
groups across U.S. and foreign universities
Projects in Space/Grant (November 04)
Involved 20 UTSA graduate students in the
inaugural mission of the Projects in Space
learning experience in the Challenger Learning
Center of San Antonio