Module Descriptions
PPMD-1-Leadership
This module has two objectives. The primary and initial objective is to inspire the participants to be better leaders. The second objective is to help the participant apply the general leadership competencies of strategic thinking, vision and implementing change to their Program and Project Management jobs.
a. Being an effective leader
b. Formulating strategy, direction, vision and goals in a Project
c. Strategies and actions that promote an innovative and changing environment in a Project
PPMD-2-Project Management
The Project Management module will serve as an umbrella for the remaining modules. It should leave the participant with an understanding of the core Project Management responsibilities of managing cost, schedule and technical and the complexities in scaling these responsibilities in large Projects and Programs. Of particular importance is an understanding of why projects fail and best practices to avoid failure. Throughout the topics the content must lean towards setting the Program and Project up for success and recognizing and mitigating the risk of project failure.
a. Managing the development of programmatic and project requirements
b. Requirements and technical integration to balance performance, cost, schedule, reliability, operability and risk
c. Understanding NASA Program and Project Management Processes and Requirements (NPR 7120.5D)
d. Program review and approval processes
e. Knowledge Management
f. Building external advocacy with international partners
PPMD-3-Contract/Contractor Management
The objectives of this module are to expose the participant to an overview of the NASA procurement and contract management process. It will also cover how businesses operate in an industry setting versus government setting and to review strategies and best practices in building effective relationships.
a. Understanding the contractor environment and fee structure
b. Contractor relationship management and oversight
c. Partnering with private industry and other governmental organizations
d. Contractual, legal and governance requirements with procurement processes and responsibilities
PPMD-4-Resource/Financial Management for Programs and Projects
Growing financial and business competencies is of utmost importance to JSC’s overall development program objectives. This module will help the participants become better business managers through a review of financial practices and the specifics of managing costs in a project environment. The participant will understand financial analysis techniques for projects while learning how to use financial indicators to quickly identify sources of problems.
a. Principles and processes for resource allocation, budgeting, full cost and capital planning
b. Earned Value Management (EVM) analysis tools and techniques
c. Establishing Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)
d. Evaluating and reconciling cost estimates
PPMD-5-Managing System Engineering
Many universities with a strong engineering department and a professional development program feature system engineering short courses or seminars. The somewhat unique requirement in the case of the JSC Program/Project Management Development training program is the tailoring of these short courses to a more experienced, young executive level. Most participants will be engineers with 15 or more years of engineering experience, but that experience will generally not include recent design and development work on major new space systems. The purpose of this core curriculum is the familiarization of these very capable NASA personnel to the latest practices and processes used in program design and development phases with particular emphasis on robust systems with low operations costs and extended service lifetimes.
System Engineering Topics:
- Directing the development of functional, physical and operational characteristics
- Defining and managing requirements while addressing constraints and limitations
- Evaluating design alternatives and configuration management
- Transforming system solutions into actual products
- Establishing verification and validation processes
- Ensuring safety, reliability and quality of the system through system engineering