1、Lessons Learned Entry: 1345Lesson Info:a71 Lesson Number: 1345a71 Lesson Date: 2003-01-01a71 Submitting Organization: ARCa71 Submitted by: Donald R. MendozaSubject: Managing Project Life-cycle and Management Transitions Description of Driving Event: The Project underwent several significant transiti
2、ons including going from a proposal team to an implementation/project team; Principal Investigator (PI)lead academic or science team to a Project Manager (PM)lead hardware development/delivery team; and PM to PM. Within these transitions the Project struggled with two issues that were major obstacle
3、s to implementing a “project“ oriented environment. First, the Project had difficulty recognizing the incoming PM as an authority over the PI, who in this case was a well-known and respected scientist that germinated the Project concept. The Project teams loyalty to the PI coupled with the abruptnes
4、s with which PMs were assigned lead the project team to view the incoming PMs as outsiders unfamiliar with the Projects purpose or style who insisted on unfamiliar and time-consuming operating requirements/processes. Second, the Project, which had originally been a small scientific research team, ha
5、d difficulty establishing and applying formal/rigid project management processes.Thus, the inadequate PM involvement during the proposal stage coupled with the un-facilitated/unmanaged transitions never allowed the team to mature into an integrated project. The result was that the Projects initial p
6、lanning was off (as described in a companion LL on cost estimating) and the subsequent attempts to redirect it through formal PM processes were unsuccessful.Lesson(s) Learned: The lessons learned from the Projects unsuccessful transition from a small informal academic type of team into a project-ori
7、ented team are:1. Project management should be included in the proposal stage of a projects life cycle since the lack of front-end PM support increases the difficulty to introduce a project environment later.Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IH
8、S-,-,-2. Inserting a PM into a project for a “recovery“ or “rescue“ mission may be an unwelcome and unsuccessful venture if the project does not recognize its potential value and/or does not identify with the incoming PM.3. Do not expect a team to “abandon“ their loyalty to the PI in favor of an out
9、side PM.4. Do not expect an academic team to buy into formal PM processes immediately.5. Abrupt and frequent PM changes create/increase the rift between the science/engineering team and the management team. This also gives the appearance that Senior Management does not view or appreciate the critica
10、l role which project management plays in a projects success or that the project is not valued.6. In addition to each project lifecycle phase, lifecycle transitions also require management and planning, especially those that deal with major changes in control/authority, business practices, and cultur
11、e.Recommendation(s): Based on the above observations and LL the following recommendations have been developed to help others plans for successful Project lifecycle transitions:1. Ensure that a potential project has PM representation at the earliest possible time (ideally the proposal phase).2. Ensur
12、e that all proposals go through a formal approval process that includes representation from all project management elements. Enlist the expertise from Center resources such as the System Management Office, Chief Engineer, Training Office, and Mission Assurance Organizations.3. Senior Management shou
13、ld aid the blending of science and PM teams by communicating the rules-of-engagement (ROE) and expectations to all parties involved. Furthermore, any commitments the Senior Management make to accompany and aid a new PM should be followed through or else the new PM and their direction will loose cred
14、ibility.4. Metrics indicating the progress of a projects transitional period should be defined, collected, and used to maintain the project on track.5. The temporary and periodic use of transition/change management experts and facilitators should be considered for high-risk transitions, especially t
15、hose requiring cultural changes or major changes in business practices.6. The transition ROE should distinguish between “rescue“, “maintenance,“ and “change of Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-direction“ PM changes. These different sit
16、uations that necessitate a PM change should be used to determine how significant procedure changes should be. The new PM under rescue situations should be supported by Center-wide experts/resources and not left on their own.7. The existing and incoming project team members should be willing to compr
17、omise on procedure rigor and formality such that the focus is on risk reduction and results. Short cuts and processes with less rigor may be appropriate under certain circumstances. Evidence of Recurrence Control Effectiveness: N/ADocuments Related to Lesson: N/AMission Directorate(s): a71 Explorati
18、on Systemsa71 Sciencea71 Space Operationsa71 Aeronautics ResearchAdditional Key Phrase(s): a71 Administration/Organizationa71 Air-Traffic Managementa71 Configuration ManagementAdditional Info: Approval Info: a71 Approval Date: 2003-07-28a71 Approval Name: Andrew Hockera71 Approval Organization: ARCa71 Approval Phone Number: 650-604-4120Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-
