NASA Strategic Project Leadership in an Era of Better, Faster, Cheaper

Space science projects in NASA are typically
characterized by advanced technology, new types of
missions,
complex
integration of hardware and software systems, and
inflexible time
frames that are often dictated by launch windows.
To analyze
these
types of projects, this investigation used the
framework of
Strategic Project Leadership (SPL) correlated with
systems
development projects through case study research.
Four NASA
projects were investigated that were managed during
an era within
NASA of Better, Faster, Cheaper (BFC). Two of them
were successes
(Mars Pathfinder and Lunar Prospector), and two
failures (CONTOUR
and Mars Climate Orbiter). The objectives of this
study were to (1)
develop a better conceptual understanding of
strategic system
innovation through the study of BFC projects, (2)
understand how
SPL can describe BFC projects, and (3) provide
feedback,
recommendations, and lessons learned to NASA and the
aerospace
industry on potential success criteria for BFC
projects.

Autorentext
Currently a professor with the School of Systems and Enterprises at Stevens Institute of Technology; his research interests include the advancement of systems theory in the pursuit of a biology of systems and system and enterprise maturity assessment. Learn more at http://www.boardmansauser.com or http://www.SystemReadinessLevel.com

Klappentext
Space science projects in NASA are typically characterized by advanced technology, new types of missions, complex integration of hardware and software systems, and inflexible time frames that are often dictated by "launch windows." To analyze these types of projects, this investigation used the framework of Strategic Project Leadership (SPL) correlated with systems development projects through case study research. Four NASA projects were investigated that were managed during an era within NASA of Better, Faster, Cheaper (BFC). Two of them were successes (Mars Pathfinder and Lunar Prospector), and two failures (CONTOUR and Mars Climate Orbiter). The objectives of this study were to (1) develop a better conceptual understanding of strategic system innovation through the study of BFC projects, (2) understand how SPL can describe BFC projects, and (3) provide feedback, recommendations, and lessons learned to NASA and the aerospace industry on potential success criteria for BFC projects.