NASA Technical Memorandum 104645

The PI-Mode of Project Management

Dan Isaac

International Space University

Strasbourg, France

NASA Sponsor: John Thurber

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Maryland

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Maryland

1997
This publication is available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information,

.800 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090-2934, (301) 621-0390.
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

ACE

AlP

AO

CASS

CDR

CIRS

CMB

COBE

DMR

ESSP

FAR

FFRDC

FUSE

FY

GSFC

HEXTE

HQ

I&T

IDIQ

IMDC

IPM

JHU

lPU

L1

1.2

LPARL

MAP

MIDEX

Advanced Composition Explorer

Assurance Implementation Plan

Announcement of Opportunity

Center for Astrophysics & Space Research

Critical Design Review

Composite Infrared Spectrometer

Cosmic Microwave Background

Cosmic Background Explorer

Differential Microwave Radiometer

Earth System Science Pathfinder

Federal Acquisition Regulation

Federally Funded Research & Development Center

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer

Fiscal Year

Goddard Space Flight Center

High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment

Headquarters

Integration & Testing

Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity

Integrated Mission Design Center

Instrument Project Manager

John Hopkins University

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Libration point 1

Libration point 2

Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory

Microwave Anisotropy Probe

Mid-sized Explorer

.o.

111
MIT

MO&DA

MSFC

MTPE

NASA

NEAR

NEMS

NFS

OSS

OSC

PAR

PDR

PDT

PI

PM

PMS

PQAP

RFO

RFP

SMEX

SR&QA

STEDI

SwRI

TBD

TBR

UCLA

UCSD

UNEX

XTE

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mission Operations & Data Analysis

Marshall Space Flight Center

Mission To Planet Earth

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous

NASA Equipment Management System

NASA FAR Supplement

Office of Space Science

Orbital Sciences Corporation

Performance Assurance Requirement

Preliminary Design Review

Product Design Team

Principal Investigator

Project Manager

Performance Measurement System

President's Quality Award Program

Request For Order

Request For Proposal

Small Explorer

Safety, Reliability & Quality Assurance

Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative

Southwest Research Institute

To Be Determined

To Be Reviewed

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, San Diego

University Explorer

X-ray Timing Explorer

iv
Table of Contents

Page

Abstract ....................................................................................................... ,............................ 1

1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1

2. NASA's Traditional Approach to Project ManagemenL .......................................... 3

2.1 XTE .......................................................................................................................... 4

3. PI-Mode ................................................................................................................................ 4

3.1 Definition .............................................................................................................. 4

3.2 Framework of the PI-Mode ............................................................................... 5

3.2.1 NASA's Strategic Plan ......................................................................... 5

3.2.2 The Space Science Enterprise ............................................................. 6

3.2.3 First Steps of the PI-Mode: The Discovery Program ..................... 7

3.2.4 The Explorers Program ........................................................................ 7

3.2.5 MIDEX ..................................................................................................... 8

4. Reasons for the PI-Mode .................................................................................................. 9

5. Expectations and Anticipated Benefits ........................................................................ 10

6. Implementing the PI-Mode ........................................................................................... 11

6.1 Types of Missions Suitable for the PI-Mode ................................................ 11

6.2 The Announcement of Opportunity ............................................................ 12

6.2.1 The MIDEX AO ................................................................................... 12

6.2.2 Perceived Problems With the MIDEX AO .................................... 15

6.2.3 The ESSP AO ....................................................................................... 16

6.3 Modifications to NASA's Contracting and Procurement

Policies ................................................................................................................. 16

7. Examples of the PI-Mode ............................................................................................... 20

7.1 FUSE ..................................................................................................................... 20

7.2 IMAGE ............................................................................................................................. 22

7.3 MAP .................................................................................................................................. 24

8. Concerns and Questions Over the PI-Mode .............................................................. 27

9. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 33

10. References ....................................................................................................................... 37
Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

List of Figures

Page

Strategic framework for a single NASA ................................................... 6

IDIQ process flow ......................................................................................... 19

IMAGE management structure ....... ......................................................... 23

MAP management structure .................................................................... 26

vi
The PI-Mode of Project Management

D. Isaac, on placement at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt ME), U.S_.

Abstract

The PI-Mode is NASA's new approach to project management. It responds to the Agency's new

policy to develop scientific missions that deliver the highest quality science for a fixed cost. It also

attempts to provide more research opportunities by reducing project development times and increasing

the number of hunches per year. In order to accomplish this, the Principal Investigator is placed at the

helm of the project, with full responsibility over all aspects of the mission, including instniment and

spacecraft development, as well as mission operations and data analysis.

This paper intends to study the PI-Mode to determine the strengths and weaknesses of such a

new project management technique. It also presents an analysis of its possible impact on the scientific

community and its relations with industry, NASA, and other institutions.

1. Introduction

The Principal Investigator-Mode (PI-Mode) of project management transfers

responsibility over space science missions from NASA to the scientific community.

It places the Principal Investigator as the maximum authority over a project, with

responsibility over all aspects of the mission, from mission definition to instrument

and spacecraft development to final in orbit operations and data analysis.

The PI-Mode is a result of NASA's new policy to deliver "better, faster,

cheaper" products to its customers and stakeholders: the Administration and

Congress, the science and education communities, the aerospace and nonaerospace

industries, federal agencies and, ultimately, the American taxpayer. In its Strategic

Plan, NASA established its overall guidelines to implement the Agency's new

directives. A series of enterprises has been created to act as independent strategic

business units, with a set of goals, objectives, and strategies that address the

requirements of its primary customers. One of these enterprises is the Space Science

Enterprise. Its mission is to seek answers to fundamental questions about the galaxy

and the universe, the Sun-Earth interaction, and the origin and evolution of

planetary systems. It also aims to develop and transfer state-of-the-art technologies

that benefit the scientific competitiveness of the United States. Finally, the Space

Science Enterprise strives to improve the scientific and technology literacy of

Americans by promoting education and public outreach programs. The Goddard

Space Flight Center (GSFC) is at the forefront of the NASA's space science effort with

programs such as Explorers.

Over the last 15 years this program has been very successful in developing

highly capable scientific missions. However, these missions also have been highly
expensive and riddled with inefficienciesthat have led to long project development

times and few research opportunities. All along, the scientific community has

expressed its dissent and frustration at this situation. NASA's Strategic Plan

established the policy framework to resolve these issues; nevertheless, a good plan

was needed to fully implement the overall directives. The Discovery program,

started at NASA Headquarters, was the first program to pioneer new management

techniques designed to drastically reduce project costs and schedule times. It also

introduced the concept of placing responsibility (and control) over the mission on

the Principal Investigator. The Explorers Project Office, at GSFC, has followed this

approach with programs such as Small Explorers (SMEX) and University Explorers

(UNEX). These programs foster low-cost projects that rely on heavy involvement

from the scientific community. However, it was the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic

Explorer (FUSE) project which served as a "pathfinder" into the PI-Mode after it

underwent a restructuring process that significantlyreduced itsbudget and placed

the PI in control of the mission. Following FUSE, the Mid-sized Explorers (MIDEX)

program introduced the term PI-Mode in itsfirstAnnouncement of Opportunity

(AO) dated March 27, 1995.

The MIDEX AO provides an understanding of the rules that govern the

solicitationprocess for new missions under the MIDEX program with regard to

funding and schedule constraints. It presents the necessary criteria that proposals

have to meet in order to proceed into advanced stages of selection. The complexity

and scope of such a solicitation process molds the shape of the proposals and, thus,

the future development of selected missions. This is evident in the way that the PI

chooses and arranges his team of cooperating organizations (research institutions,

contractors, etc.) to produce a viable management proposal. The MIDEX AO is

carefully analyzed to determine its effectiveness in promoting the PI-Mode.

Furthermore, FUSE and the two missions that were selected under this solicitation

process have been studied to show the response of the scientific community to the

new opportunities offered by MIDEX.

This report concludes with a series of commentaries on the strengths and

weaknesses of the PI-Mocie based on interviews with top investigators and project

managers involved in the PI and traditional modes of project management. The

report presents the most fundamental concerns regarding the PI-MOde: Does the PI

have the necessary managerial skillsto head a mission of this scope? What are the

risks involved, and is NASA willing to assume them? What are the consequences

of failure? How will the PI-Mode affect the way space science missions are designed

and developed in the future? What are the consequences of the PI-Mode for

NASA's engineering and scientific communities? How will the PI-Mode shape

relationships between NASA, Industry, and the sdentific community?

Many of the conclusions presented in this report are derived from interviews

with managers and scientists, inside and outside of NASA. However, I would like

2
to thank Mr John IL Thurber, my mentor at Goddard, for his kind support and

advice. He has helped me ask the right questions. I would also like to mention Mr.

Don Margolies, ACE Mission Manager, for his valuable advice and constructive

criticism, and Mr. Orlando Figueroa for his far-reaching views. Special

acknowledgment goes to all the people who volunteered their time to express their

views on such a fascinating research topic. I hope I have reflected their opinions in

an honest manner.

2. NASA's Traditional Approach to Project Management

NASA's traditional management approach to space science missions is based

on a strong, in-house management team that oversees all aspects of the mission,

from development to launch and in-orbit operations. External research institutions

and private industry work for NASA under contract to supply flight hardware and

software as well as other elements of the mission.

Missions start as proposals from the National Academy of Sciences'

Astronomy and Astrophysical Survey Committee or as research concepts at scientific

forums such as the Woods Hole conference. NASA then creates a group of

prominent scientists to study the different proposals and select the ones that offer

the best research opportunities. This group would choose an investigator to lead the

detailed definition of the mission, and this investigator would eventually become

the PI of the project. However, upon authorization to proceed into the Pre "hminary

Design phase, NASA selects an in-house Project Manager (PM) to take over the

project and lead it through its next development phases.

The PM is responsible for selecting the management team, setting up a budget

and schedule profile that best suits the requirements of the program, and

establishing a control system that ensures efficient and productive integration of all

the partners in the project. The management team is also responsible for allocating

and keeping track of human, financial, and material resources, evaluating

performance, safety, and quality assurance. The PI is in charge of overviewing the

scientific aspects of the mission: instrument development and scientific

performance and objectives. However, the PI's decisions are ultimately

subordinated to the authority of the PM even though they tend to work together

toward a common goal.

An example of a standard in-house project is Goddard's X-ray Timing

Explorer.
2.1 XTE

The X-ray Timing Explorer is a Goddard mission which was hunched into

low Earth orbit (580 km altitude, 23 degrees inclination) on December 30th, 1995. It is

designed to facilitate the study of time variability in emission of X-ray sources with

moderate spectral resolution. Time scales of microseconds to months are covered in

a spectral range of 2 to 250 keV.

The spacecraft was designed and built by the Engineering Directorate at Goddard. Its

primary instrument, the High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (HE) was

designed, fabricated, and tested at the University of California at San Diego's COCSD)

Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences (CASS). Together with HE, two other

instruments were developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT)

Center for Space Research and NASA's Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics.

On-orbit operations are currently being managed by the Mission Operations Center

at Goddard. The scientific planning and data processing take place at the Science

Operations Center. This center runs the satellite observatory; processes, distributes,

and archives the data; and provides scientific services to astronomers who use XTE.

Essentially, mission management was conducted by Goddard through a team

of experienced managers. Goddard provided the spacecraft as well as managerial,

testing, launch and in-orbit operations services. UCSD, MIT, and private contractors

provided instrument hardware and software under contract to Goddard.

3. The PI-Mode

3.1 Definition

Under the PI-Mode of project management, the principal investigator of a

space science project takes responsibility for all aspects of the mission, including

instrument and spacecraft definition, development, integration, and test; ground

system; science operations; mission operations; and final data analysis. This allows

PIs the maxLrnum flexibility to conduct their investigations. The PI has the

responsibility and accountability to accomplish the mission within the program's

cost and schedule constraints.

The PI is free to elect and organize the team of cooperating institutions of his

or her choice. This team will have to develop its own processes, procedures, and

methods to manage the project. It will have to devise ways to perform tasks at the

lowest possible cost with the best scientific results. NASA will provide minimum

oversight to verify that the mission is on schedule and meets the budget and that all

scientific objectives are being met. Periodic status reporting will center on cost,

schedule and technical issues using the team's own internal management system to

comply with U.S. Government reporting requirements.

4
3.2 Framework of the PI-Mode

The PI-Mode is a direct result of NASA's new policy to attend the needs of its

direct customers in a "faster, cheaper, better" way. To better understand why and

how the PI-Mode is being introduced we will take a close look at NASA's Strategic

Plan and how it is being implemented through the Agency's research centers and the

programs within these centers.

3.2.1 NASA's Strategic Plan

In recent years, NASA has been undergoing a continuing process of

redefinition in order to respond to the needs of the scientific and academic

communities, industry, government agencies, and, ultimately, the citizens of the

United States.

The social,Political,and economic environment around the world has shifted

dramatically, from the Space Race Era of the Cold War to a new forum of

international cooperation in space exploration, research, and development. Budgets

are also changing, and itis the sign of the times to observe a steady decrease in

funding for both manned and unmanned space missions. Thus, ithas been NASA's

aim to respond to these changes by streamlining itsoperations in order to

accomplish itspresent and future goals.

One of NASA's primary directives,stated in NASA's Strategic Plan, instructs

the Agency to satisfyitscustomers' needs. NASA's customers have been defined to

be the Administration and Congress, the science and education communities,

aerospace and nonaerospace industries, federal agencies, and the public. To deliver

itsproducts, NASA's Strategic Plan establishes a management system that effectively

separates the Agency's programs into five strategicenterprises:

• Mission to Planet Earth

• Aeronautics

• Human Exploration and Development of Space

• Space Science

• Space Technology

"Each enterprise behaves as an independent strategic business unit, employed

by private sector companies to focus and respond to their customers" needs" (NASA

Strategic Plan, 1996). Thus, they operate independently, with a unique set of goals,

objectives, products, and customers. However, all enterprises must work together to

fulfill NASA's common goals.
These strategic enterprises will have to deliver high-quality products and

services at a faster rate, for a cheaper price, and with better results.

However, this reorganization will be of little value without an adequate plan

to implement the new strategies. The activities of each strategic enterprise must be

executed through adequate processes which develop and deliver NASA's products

and services to the customer. These processes and their subprocesses are being

analyzed and redesigned to determine how they can be made more efficient to the

public. The PI-Mode is one such process to implement the overall Strategic Plan in

the field of Space Science. It is a response to this need for redesigning the processes

that allow NASA to accomplish its goals. Figure I presents a NASA's strategic

framework.

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Figure 1. Strategic framework for a single NASA.

3.2.2 The Space Science Enterprise

NASA's Space Science Enterprise has a threefold mission: science, technology

and education, and public outreach. Fundamental questions about the universe, our

galaxy, and the solar system are asked, and the proper technologies are developed to

try to seek some answers. The knowledge and discoveries made are shared with the

rest of the scientific and educational community.

6
A program of constant scientific exploration has been developed with the goal

to establish a "virtual presence" in the solar system and scan the universe across the

entire electromagnetic spectrum. It also endeavors to understand the Sun-Earth

interaction and search for locations in the solar system where life could have existed.

This constant presence will be achieved through the development of low-cost

missions that achieve the best science for the dollar. This implies frequent launch

windows that offer more scientific research opportunities at a manageable risk. New

approaches to project management will have to be developed in order to achieve

these objectives and the PI-Mode is one of these new approaches.

3.2.3 First Steps of the PI-Mode: The Discovery Program

One of the first programs to implement NASA's Strategic Plan in the field of

Space Science is the Discovery program for planetary exploration. It was started at

NASA Headquarters in response to NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin's push to

restructure flight programs toward smaller, more frequent missions. It presents a

series of new innovations that divert from the traditional manner in which

planetary missions were carried out: mission costs are now capped at a level much

lower than before; projects will be cancelled in response to overruns; and, the most

significant change is that the Principal Investigator will be in complete control of the

project.

The manner in which Discovery proposals are solicited is through an AO.

This document is prepared in conjunction with all members of the planetary

community in order to design a well-balanced proposal that meets its needs while

establishing the ground rules for an impartial competition. The response to this

initial AO resulted in a total of 73 mission concepts identified during a Discovery

workshop in 1992, followed by 28 full proposals that turned out two successful final

selections. The first spacecraft to come out of this solicitation process were the Mars

Pathfinder (to land on Mars on July 4, 1997) and Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous

(NEAR).

3.2.4 The Explorers Program

The Goddard Space Flight Center is now at the forefront of NASA's space

science effort with programs such as Explorers and Pathfinder. These programs are

being reshaped to meet the need for a new family of small to medium spacecraft that

materialize the new philosophies introduced by NASA Headquarters. More

specifically, one of the Center's goals is to "enable more science by increased cost

effectiveness" (Application for the President's Quality Award Program, 1997). This

will be accomplished by decreasing the mission cost and increasing the number of

flight opportunities. Customer service will focus on the quality of the science

delivered. Specific actions will concentrate on improving project planning,
streamlining program management and strengthening ties with industry. An

example of how these improvements have been implemented is the Explorers

program.

The ExplorersProjectOfficehas been an integralpart of Goddard's scientific

program sincethe 1960's.Itsmain scientificobjectiveisto conduct woHd class

scientificresearchin astrophysicsand space physics through the development of

space flightmissions.

During the earlyhistoryof the Explorers program, relativelysmall missions

were launched into Earth and Moon orbits to develop necessary technologies,

instruments, and scientific expertise that would pave the way for a future, largerscale scientific program. In the 1980's, the program deviated from these small and

frequent missions to a few focused, but highly capable projects such as the X-ray

Timing Explorer (XTE), the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) or the

Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). Nevertheless, the initial spirit of the

program has been preserved with classic small-mission capability programs such as

the Small Explorer (SMEX) and a later Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative

(STEDI), started in the 1990s to develop missions at a university graduate level for

less than $5 million dollars.

The Explorers Project Office is currently focusing its efforts on three unique

programs:

University Explorers - UNEX - Very low-cost projects (up to $5 million

dollars) directed primarily to minority universities.

Small Explorers - SMEX - Highly focused and inexpensive science missions

(up to $35 million dollars) with frequent flight opportunities.

Mid-sized Explorers - MIDEX - Small-to-medium sized missions characterized

by their relatively moderate costs (up to $70 million dollars) and short development

periods (3 to 4 years).

Larger Delta-Class programs such as the above-mentioned ACE or FUSE are

also managed by this office. However, they are being phased out in favor of the

smaller, more focused missions.

All of these programs involve heavy participation from the scientific

community. The PI-Mode of project management epitomizes this participation,

since it places full responsibility over the mission on the PI.

3.2.5 MIDEX

The MIDEX program has been one the first pioneers in the development of

this new approach to project management. Its primary operating premise is to
develop a series of low-cost flight projects that maximize the science value of a

mission for a fixed cost ($70M excluding launch and Mission Operations & Data

Analysis, MO&DA, after 30 days in orbit). These missions will be flown at an initial

rate of once a year with development times of less than 4 years to increase the

current number of space science research opportunities. The first two MIDEX

missions (to be launched in 1999 and 2000, respectively) are the Imager for

Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) project and the Microwave

Anisotropy Probe (MAP). These missions have been assigned under a solicitation

process similar to the Discovery program. This process started with an AO dated

March 27, 1995, that first introduced the term "PI-Mode" as a management option for

carrying out the development of a mission.

MIDEX offers scientists the opportunity to implement their scientific research

in an environment that promotes the use of new architectures, operations concepts,

and technologies to increase mission value. It also supports the development of

new products and techniques that are high risk for Industry.

To achieve its objectives, MIDEX emphasizes the need for integrated

cooperation between industry and the science community in an effort to create an

infrastructure of partnerships that will enable the development of a continuous

space science program. This is accomplished by a managerial approach that facilities

day-to-day synergy between NASA, its contractors, and researchers. Some of its

guiding principles include trust, individual and team responsibility, common sense

in all processes and activities, seeking ways to maximize team efficiency and to reuse

available resources, and applying systems engineering approaches to all

management levels. However, the most important feature of the MIDEX program is

that it gives the scientist the option to select and lead his or her own team in the

development of all aspects of the proposed mission. This independence is designed

to foster projects in which the scientific community is ultimately responsible for the

final outcome of the mission.

4. Reasons for the PI-Mode

The PI-Mode is NASA's response to growing concerns from the scientific

community regarding their lack of participation in the design and development of

scientific missions. The traditional mode in which NASA has carried out most of its

space science missions has been to overview and .control all aspects of the project

through a structure of experienced PMs. NASA would effectively behave as a

customer to its major contractors, and would establish the rules that govern how all

processes are implemented, controlled, reviewed, and reported. The PI and his or

her team would work under this structure and take on the responsibility to design

and develop the scientific payload, and preserve the scientific goals established early

in the mission design phase. However, the PM would be ultimately responsible for

all decisions concerning not only the schedule and budget, but also the science. Most

9
importantly, he or she would be directly responsible for descoping the scientific

objectives of the project in order to avoid jeopardizing the overall success of the

mission. This, and other situations, would lead to frustrating moments in which

the PI's views would clash with those of the Project Manager. In many cases, the PI's

opinion on matters concerning overall aspects of the project were not duly regarded.

For these reasons, NASA Headquarters has decided, under the Discovery and

Explorers programs, to transfer project responsibility to the sdentific community as a

way to provide researchers with the opportunity to implement their work in a more

independent environment.

Moreover, NASA believes that producing small space science missions under

cost-capped budgets and short development times, while maintaining the same

science quality will be accomplished only by placing the scientists at the helm of the

project. The cost, schedule, and technical constraints imposed by the Discovery and

Explorers/MIDEX programs will be implemented in an arena that is quite different

from the historical NASA mode in which the Agency has supported overriding

these "constraints" in order to assure mission success. NASA can no longer support

missions at all costs and accept delays for a grasp at the science objective. The PI

must work within the constraints and must accept termination if the project cannot

be achieved within them. Accordingly, NASA has turned over full responsibility

for achieving the mission to the PI. The PI is expected to assemble a team of

scientists, engineers, and managers from research institutions, government agendes,

and contractors, that will use their own management approach to develop new ways

of "doing business" where cost, schedule and technical improvements can be

achieved. Under the current MIDEX AO, the different proposals are evaluated on

the basis of scientific merit and viability of the management approach to carry out

the project under MIDEX's budgetary and schedule constraints. Thus, the PI will

have to present a viable project based on a strong research concept and the support of

a capable team.

5. Expectations and Anticipated Benefits

The PI-Mode is expected to introduce a new way of "doing business" that will

allow NASA to implement its dual goal to produce high-quality scientific spacecraft

under a fixed cost and schedule, and to satisfy the needs of the scientific community.

The PI will have to implement new management strategies that streamline project

development, oversight, and control. New methods of cost and schedule control,

team work, performance evaluation, risk management, and quality assurance will

have to be devised to create efficient project management techniques that function

under the very tight constraints of NASA's new flight programs.

The PI-Mode is also expected to forge strong partnerships between industry,

research institutions, NASA centers and the scientific community to produce viable

mission proposals that satisfy mission selection criteria. These partnerships are

10
expected to create platforms that combine a strong knowledge base with adequate

human resources and project experience. The competitive environment of the PIMode selection process will force investigators to coordinate their efforts with

institutions that have the technical capacity to produce the best mission designs for

the dollar.

New technologies should result from the H-Mode as PIs push the boundaries

of the state of the art to develop new instruments for a lesser cost. NASA's new

policies (as implemented by itsdifferent Space Science programs) provide the

adequate environment for this to happen. NASA is also willing to accept a higher

degree of risk because of the low relativecost of each mission. This will enable the

proliferation of new technologies combined with proven heritage hardware and

software.

The H-Mode will transfer responsibility to the people who are going to gain

the most from the scienlificoutcome of the mission: the scientists. This entails a lot

of risk on the part of NASA, and raises many questions and concerns that will be

addressed later in this report. Nevertheless, successful H-Mode programs will

generate missions that focus on the science, by the scientists, and for the scientists.

This, in itself, will be beneficial not only to the scientific community, but also to

NASA and all the partners that cooperate in this effort.

6. Implementing the PI-Mode

6.1 Types of Missions Suitable for the H-Mode

The H-Mode is adequately suited for small-scale missions of the SMEX,

MIDEX, or Pathfinder class. These missions are cost-capped at values ranging from

$30M to $100M U.S. dollars (excluding launcher costs and MO&DA). They are also

constrained to 3 to 4 years in their development times in order to achieve an overall

expected launch rate of one mission per year. These missions require small

management teams and highly integrated partnerships between cooperating

institutions. The PI-Mode is intended to develop management schemes in which a

selected group of scientists and engineers headed by the PI will direct and control the

activities of small product development groups. Their highly focused scientific

objectives also make these types of programs ideal for implementation under a PIMode management structure.

Large-scale projects such as Hubble or COBE have resulted in highly capable

scientific missions that have advanced our knowledge of the Universe in ways

never imagined. However, the cost and resources involved in such programs have

been proven to be unmanageable without the presence of large organizations to

overview them. The PI-Mode definitely will not migrate into programs of the scale

of Hubble (declared a national resource), since NASA will not take the risk to place a

11
PI and his team in control of such projects. It is also questionable whether a PI

would be willing to accept such a responsibility.

6.2 The Announcement of Opportunity (AO}

The AO is the first step toward implementation of the PI-Mode of project

management. It is the framework through which NASA presents the chance to

conduct scientific research in several fields of Space Science. Furthermore, it sets up

the rules and regulations that shape the proposals submitted by investigators in

response to this announcement. A case study of the MIDEX AO-95-OSS-02,

presented on March 27, 1995, is performed in order to provide further insight into

the PI-Mode of project management.

6.2.1 The MIDEX AO

During the last few years, the Office of Space Science (OSS) has been initiating

a series of medium-class sdentific missions to be launched at an approximate rate of

one per year. Through the AO, the OSS intends to solicit missions and

investigations that are mature enough, both scientifically and technically, to design

and manufacture the necessary flight hardware in no more than 3 years, following a

10-month (or less) mission-definition phase. These missions are enclosed within

Goddard's MIDEX program.

The MIDEX AO establishes research _opportunities in the fields of astrophysics

(radio, submfllimeter, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma-ray

astronomy; gravitational astrophysics; and relativity) and space physics (ionospheric,

thermospheric, and mesospheric physics; magnetospheric physics; cosmic and

heliospheric physics; and solar physics). It invites proposals for two medium-classtype missions, the first one to be launched in 1999 and the second, in 2000. All

categories of organizations are invited to submit their proposals: educational

institutions, industry, nonprofit institutions, NASA field centers, and other

governmental agencies, as well as non-U.S, research institutions.

The total cost for each mission, as established in the MIDEX program, is

"capped" at $70M in 1994 Fiscal Year (FY) dollars. This includes the cost for

definition and development through launch plus 30 days. It excludes the launch

vehicle and MO&DA following the first 30 days in orbit. Missions will be selected

based on their ability to produce the highest possible science value per unit cost. A

balance is sought between lower and higher cost missions that will allow for

launches every 12 months.

Proposers have two basic options for the flight portion of their mission: a

NASA-provided spacecraft or the PI-Mode. In the first case, the investigator

provides a scientific investigation and an instrument, while NASA provides the

12
spacecraft Based on a preliminary analysis of the mission, NASA will study the

feasibility of using a GSFC-developed spacecraft or a spacecraft procured from

industry. Goddard will cooperate with the investigator in the selection and contract

of the procured spacecraft, from the initial definition and design phases to its final

development process. In this "NASA-provided spacecraft mode" Goddard

maintains overall control of the project in the traditional mode of past Explorer

missions.

The second option is the PI-Mode. This management technique places the

Principal Investigator in charge of all aspects of the mission. The PI may elect to

cooperate with any institution of his or her choice, and it is NASA's intention to

provide the minimum necessary oversight needed to comply with its legal

obligations to the taxpayer. This mode implies that the submitted proposals will be

very carefully scrutinized, prior to selection, in order to determine the capabilities of

proposing teams to carry out a flight project of this scale. Scientific merits will be

studied in parallel with detailed management plans, program schedule, etc.

Missions using a NASA-provided spacecraft should not exceed $40M in FY

1994 dollars,which should cover the costs already mentioned plus a minimum of 15

percent realisticbudget reserve. This compares to the $70M (FY 1994 dollars)

allocated to those missions in which the spacecraft ismanufactured by a non-NASA

partner under the PI-Mode.

All proposals undergo a two-step selection process. In response to several

concerns from the scientificcommunity NASA was made aware of the work needed

to put together a proposal of this kind and, thus, effectivelydivided the selection

procedure into a two-step negotiated procurement process.

All applicants must first submit a Step-One Proposal, providing a detailed

description of the planned science investigation and the instrument(s) required.

The proposal should focus on the scientific research to be performed, including

plans for the analysis of the data. Also, it should describe the technical approach to

the project, as well as the new technologies to be developed. An outline of the cost

and management plan should be presented.

Step-One proposals will be evaluated primarily on the scientificand technical

merit of the proposed mission and itslikely contribution to space science. Careful

examination will also be made of the proposed cost and schedule, as well as the

approach taken to fulfillthe main objectives of the mission.

The proposing teams that satisfy the requirements established in the Step-One

selection process will be asked to submit further details of their projects. This is the

second phase of the selection process, the Step-Two proposal. This proposal should

include additional information on the scientific value of the mission, and the

13
minimum scienceto be covered. Realisticanalysisof the totalcostof the project

should be presented,and the adequacy of the approach, as evaluated by the

government, should show thatthe mission willbe flown at the budgeted cost cap of

$70M (excludinglaunch and operationsafter30 days in orbit).

During the enlireselectionprocess,closeattentionwillbe placed on the PI and

his team. Review boards are generallyconstitutedby a panel of NASA-appointed

scientistsand experienced projectmanagers. Effectively,the PI willbe evaluated by

his or her peers,who will considerhis or her experience,levelof commitment and

priorperformance in space science-relatedprojects.The team of cooperating

organizations(universities,federalagencies,contractors,etc.)willbe reviewed, and

key personnel willbe evaluated based on theircapabilitiesand priorexperience in

NASA programs.

On the basisof the recommendations presented by the review boards and

furtherconsiderationsfrom the Explorer Program office,the Associate

Administrator for Space Sciencewillselectthe Two-Step proposals to be supported

forfurtherprojectdefinition,as well as the alternates.

One of the primary missions willbe chosen to proceed intoitsmission

definitionphase, while the other willenter an extended definitionphase with

anticipatedfunding not to exceed $500,000forthe firstyear. After thisfirstyear,the

second mission will proceed into fullmission definition.The alternatemissions

willundergo preparatory definitionstudiesand willbe provided with limited

funding to maintain a small investigation team. If either of the primary missions

were to prove technically or programmatically infeasible, then NASA will choose an

appropriate alternate to proceed into mission definition.

Internationalparticipationin the MIDEX program iswelcomed by NASA,

sinceitofferspotentialscientific,technical,and financialbenefitsto allpartners.

Thus, opportunitiesforbilateralcooperation are encouraged in the AO.

Internationalpartnersmay contributein any and allaspectsof the mission

(instruments,spacecraft,mission operations,etc.)maintaining the scope of the

mission consistentwith the size,cost and schedule of other MIDEX classprograms.

These contributionswillbe considered as an additionto the projectbudget without

influenceon the initialprojectcostcap. Partnershipsalsomay be createdbetween

NASA and other domestic agencies,in which they may contribute,from theirown

resources,to any component of the mission.

Evaluation of this Announcement of Opportunity shows that it will influence

future space science missions under the Explorer Program in three important

aspects: management structure, mission size, and project partnerships. In the first

case, the AO proposes the PI-Mode as a management system in which the PI is fully

responsible for the success of the mission. Therefore he or she has full control over

14
the mission, with the prerogative to decide on the management plan and allocation

of resources. This is an important step away from NASA's traditional conception of

project management in which a strong Project Manager would head the project and

the PI would be in charge of maintaining the science portion of the mission. The

new approach places the PI at the top of the management scale, and this will dearly

influence the way projects are carried out.

The AO also places a limit on the scale of the mission. The MIDEX program

establishes a series of budgetary and schedule constraints that must be adhered to in

order to be accepted for future flight missions. The main advantage of these

requirements is that it imposes well-defined limits on the management team in

order to ensure that missions will be completed on time and on schedule. This is

fundamental if a planned periodicy of one launch per year is to be attained.

The third important aspect of the AO is that it opens the scope of possible

partnerships between the scientific community and other institutions. Proposers

can range from federal agencies to small teams of scientists with industry support

and international cooperation. Proposals will be evaluated solely on the basis of

scientific merit and technical viability within the defined constraints.

6.2.2 PerceivedProblems With the MIDEX AO

A recent assessment of the Space Studies Board of the National Research

Council has determined that the MIDEX AO places the Explorers program on the

right path and, if properly administered, should prove successful in the near future

(Assessment of Recent Changes in the Explorers Program, 1996). However, there are

a series of perceived problems that must be addressed in order to produce a more

effective solicitation.

Most of these problems deal with the "dual mode option," in which the

scientist can choose to use a Goddard-provided spacecraft or a spacecraft of his or her

own. This implies that the project could be run under a "NASA-provided spacecraft

mode," in which NASA retains control over the project, or a PI-Mode, in which the

investigator is the maximum authority. The main concern of this issue is that the

selection process could be biased toward proposals that accept the first approach.

Until recently, NASA programs have been influenced by conservative instincts

related to a history of past successes under traditional management models.

However, it is believed that the "dual-mode option" will be eliminated in favor of

the PI-Mode.

Another concern focuses on the requirement placed on industry to produce

detailed cost analysis early in the selection process. This investment could be

significantly reduced by providing "cost-not-to-exceed" estimates that meet AO

requirements.

15
Problems in estimating costs might also arise from the lack of full-cost

accounting for government contributions. In addition, the review board determined

that the MIDEX AO should follow the Discovery AO in placing the cost cap at the

full-cost-to-NASA level instead of project development plus 30 days in orbit.

It was generally perceived that these and other errors could have been

avoided if the scientific community had been consulted actively during the

development of the AO. In spite of this, the panel conducled that the "PI-Mode"

established in the MIDEX AO is a step in the right direction toward "bringing new

vigor to the program at a time when diminishing opportunities could lead to

disillusionment amongst the scientific community" (Assessment of Recent Changes

in the Explorer Program, 1996).

6.2.3 The ESSP AO

Parallel to the MIDEX AO, the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Project

Office produced an AO (AO-96-MTPE-01) dated March 20, 1996.

The ESSP AO is similar to the MIDEX announcement, since it promotes lowbudget scientific exploration missions that support the PI-Mode system of project

management. It also follows NASA's policy to provide frequent (once per year)

scientific missions that offer the best science for a fixed cost. The program itself

focuses solely on Earth system science investigations that fall within the objectives

of NASA's Mission To Planet Earth (MTPE) program, as opposed to the research

policy of the Explorers Project Office. Costs will be based on total cost to NASA,

including launch, MO&DA, and civil service staff.

Two missions will be selected for launch in the years 2000 and 2001.

Maximum costs for the first and second missions will be $60M and $90M r

approximately, although proposals below these caps are encouraged because of

budgetary difficulties. The proposing teams must be led by a PI, who will have full

authority over the project and freedom to select the team of cooperating institutions

of his or her choice.

6.3 Modifications to NASA's Contracting and Procurement Policies

In order to implement the most fundamental aspects of the PI-Mode for the

Explorers project, several new modifications had to be introduced to NASA's

procurement procedures. These changes are designed to facilitate the "transfer of

mission responsibility" from Goddard to the PI. They involve a waiver to the

NASA procurement regulations that deal with the level of review, approval, and

reporting to meet Goddard overview requirements.

16
The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) establish the procedures, rules

and regulations that dictate the manner in which all federal agencies solicit, award,

and administer their procurements. These regulations are in place to protect the

interests of the taxpayer. All U.S. government organizations must abide by them

regardless of the project or program they are involved in. NASA has a FAR

supplement document (NFS) that complements FAIL It expands the procedures and

provides agency procurement requirements beyond the FAIL

The waiver was first designed and implemented by the Explorers Project

Procurement Office during the change to medium-class spacecraft and instrmnents

(MIDEX) and the restructuring of the FUSE mission. Introducing the H-Mode into

the FUSE project forced the Explorers Procurement Office to undergo an early

learning process. This process led to recommendations to waive the nonstatutory

requirements of the NFS regulations that adjust the office's procurement

(solicitation and award), review, approval, and reporting policy in the contract itself

to implement the new management technique.

The government issued a contract (prime) to the FI (from John Hopkins

University) and the mission control and management was taken from the

government except for very minimal requirements that assure that the

government's interests and money are being protected.

The waiver to deviate from the NFS is presented in a planning document

entitled "Potential Waivers of Contractual Requirements". Some of the most

significant departures are as follows:

- Group waiver for procurement demonstration for both the award stage and

the postaward stage of the H-Mode. Other PI-Mode contracts apply the waiver more

at the preaward AO to promote more efficiency and latitude in the award process.

FUSE is different from other PI-Mode contracts because it was a noncompetitive

procurement, and the waiver was applied more to the terms of the award document

rather than to the AO. The waiver met the desire to turn over responsibility to the

PI and to reduce government overview.

- Safety, reliability, and quality assurance (SR&QA) functions are turned over

to the PI. This eliminates the Government Performance Assurance Requirements

(PAR) and the contractor's Assurance Implementation Plan (AIP).

- Foreign travel requests to the government will not be required. The PI is in

the position to determine what travel is necessary within the constraints of the

budget. Subcontractors must request travel and report their results to the PI.

- Purchases of equipment: the FAR requires that, when possible, agencies and

cost-reinbursement contractors should use surplus property as their first source of

17
supply before initiating procurement actions. In order to facilitate the process, the PI

is provided with cm_ent screening materials from the NASA Equipment

Management System (NEMS). The screeningprocedure isnormally a lengthy

review and approval process through the government. A simpler system was

developed forscreening,and thisinformation ismaintained by the PI'sstaffin a log

for adequate referenceand documentation.

- The NFS requiresthe Performance Measurement System (/'MS)to report the

percentage of completion in relationto costsexpended in a massive reportingformat

of thisdollarvalue. However, the ExplorersProjectmanagement concluded thata

significant amount of reporting could be waived if the PI establishes an effective

performance-tracking mechanism to satisfy NFS and GSFC requirements.

As a resultof the waiver, these reduced requirements willhave to be

monitored and revised as necessary in order to achieve an efficientand adequate

equilibrium between GSFC projectoverview and the PI'sindependence. This

equilibrium iskey to promoting streamlined management techniques that support

scientificmissions with very short development times and maximum scientific

benefits.All of thisisdone in an effortto reduce mission costs.

Goddard isalsostudying new procurement techniques designed to reduce the

time between mission definitionand spacecraftprocurement. One such program is

calledthe IndefiniteDelivery/IndefiniteQuantity (IDIQ) Procurement initiative.It

responds to NASA's StrategicPlan to develop the most adequate processesto

provide the most competitive servicesto itscustomers. Itisbeing implemented by

the GSFC FlightProjectsDirectorate.The program proposes to compile a

comprehensive database of complete satellitesystems (minus mission-specific

payload) based on existingflightor flight-imminenthardware to aid the PI in the

selectionof an appropriate spacecraftthatmeets mission needs. For thispurpose, a

Request For Proposal (RFP) forexistingsatellitebuses willbe issued to industry and

proposals willbe prequalifiedbased on past performance, core system, description,

and pricecomparison to similarmissions. Acceptable offeringswillbe placed in the

IDIQ catalog,and IDIQ contractswillbe awarded to the offeringcompanies. The

principaluser of thisdatabase would be a government sponsored PI who has been

selectedthrough the AO process.

To assistthe IDIQ initiative,an IntegratedMission Design Center (IMDC) has

been setup to provide the PI with the engineeringsupport needed to transform a

mission profileinto a viablemission design.Based on thisdesign, the PI would

selecta "shortlist"of spacecraftthatbestfitthe necessaryrequirements. The IDIQ

office would then create a "miniprocurement" team to send Requests For Offers

(RFO) to the top-ranking best fits. The RFOs would include overall mission

requirements, program schedule, interface requirements or expectations, and

observatory level Integration & Testing (I&T) program requirements. The

18
companies would then be approached to submit a "miniproposal" Within 30 to 120

days of solicitation (depending on mission uniques). Upon selection, project

management authority would be transferred to the user, that is, the PI. Figure 2

presents a diagram of the IDIQ process.

IDIO OFFICE IMDC USER/PI

[ IDIQ RFP I

_oposea Oaenns I

I Request for Order I

u_a_ T_h/R_ks

I Catalog I •

I

I New Mimion J

Mission Profile

_._ Execution Phase I

Figure 2. IDIQ process flow.

The IDIQ program would be most appropriate to MIDEX and other smaU-tomedium space science missions. It is intended to speed up the procurement process

of a spacecraft in an effort to reduce the mission development time frame. The first

RFP is scheduled to be announced in May 1997, and the first IDIQ contract is expected

to be awarded in December 1997. This would preclude a first delivery order for May

1998.

All of these initiatives show an encouraging effort to transfer project

responsibilities from NASA to the PI. They also streamline the procurement process

by reducing the amount of reporting needed to assure the adequate level of

overview on the part of NASA. Furthermore, the waiver to the NFS, along with

new procurement architectures, attempts to promote a policy of rapid response to

customer needs; however, there are concerns that these efforts will not be sufficient

to support a growing number of independent missions while maintaining adequate

NASA oversight.

19
7.0 Examples of the PI-Mode

7.1 FUSE

The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy Explorer (FUSE) is one of the last Delta-class

astronomy spacecraft to be developed by Goddard. It will extend the high-resolution

spectroscopic analysis of astronomical radiation from the short wavelength cutoff of

Hubble down to the Lyman limit at 912 J_. "FUSE will complement the

investigations carried out by Hubble, measuring both emission sources and

absorption lines in intervening gas clouds throughout our galaxy and beyond."

0VIoos, 1996). The instrument itselfconsists of four instruments with coaligned

telescopes and spectrographs. Multiple telescopes, rather than a single one, are used

to reduce the size of the instrument. The instrument will be mounted on a threeaxis stabilizedspacecraft provided by the Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC).

The project was originated in 1982, when the Astrophysical Committee of the

National Academy of Sciences declared itas itsmaximum priority for the upcoming

Explorer-class missions. A group of prominent scientistswas created to study the

FUSE concept, and, in 1985, this group selected Dr. Warren Moos of the John

Hopkins University (JHU) to further define the mission concept. Dr. Moos was

selected as the project'sPI, and FUSE was chosen to continue into Phase A feasibility

study. Subsequent to this phase, NASA authorized Dr. Moos and his team of

scientistsand engineers to continue into Phase B. Initialdesigns called for a shuttleinstalled instrument on the Explorer Platform. However, the Challenger disaster

forced an early Phase B redesign that transformed the instrument into a free-flying

spacecraft to be launched on a Delta vehicle. This redesign produced shiftsin the

development schedule that would have led to a launch in late 2000. Parallel to this,

NASA Headquarters started to introduce its "faster, better, cheaper" policy with

FUSE representing a stumbling block in the path to implemention in the Explorers

program. In 1994, in the midst of Phase B study, NASA HQ directed that all work on

the Delta-class FUSE mission cease because of programmatic funding constraints on

both the Agency and the GSFC Explorers program.

However, efforts on the part of FUSE's PI convinced NASA HQ to proceed

with a "restructured" FUSE project. JHU would have to prepare a plan for the new

FUSE based on three basic guidelines: 1) mission development costs would have to

be capped at $108M, 60% less than the initial budget; 2) science prioritized and

optimized to maintain 60% of the mission's original scientific goals and capabilities;

3) the PI would be placed in charge of development and management of all aspects of

the mission except the launch vehicle (FUSE: a different approach to lowering cost).

In March 1995, NASA accepted the plan and granted approval to JHU to proceed

with Phase B studies. Under this plan, Dr. Moos is now fully responsible for all

aspects of the mission. Effectively, FUSE has been transformed from a standard inhouse project to a PI-led mission. The restructuring process of FUSE can be

20
considered a "pathfinder" experience for the Explorers Project Office since mission

has been downsized to a MIDEX-class program, and the management structure has

been converted to a Piled effort.

FUSE isa joint venture between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the

Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales of France. The PI's team is led by the John

Hopkins University. Team support is provided by the University of Colorado, the

University of California at Berkeley, Swales and Associates, and the JHU Applied

Physics Laboratory. GSFC isalso a cooperating partner in the mission.

Restructuring of the management system focused on a critical reduction of the

mission's cost and schedule. A 60% reduction in the budget was achieved by

descoping the mission's scientificobjectives. Requirements were prioritized,

negotiated, and refocused to produce a more efficientinstrument that preserves the

mission's core scientificgoals. Further reductions were achieved through an

intelligentredesign process that concentrated on modifying the existing design

rather than creating an entirely new solution to the problem. Furthermore,

commercial suppliers were found to attend a variety of subsystems ranging from

structure to software. A commercial spacecraft bus was sought and OSC was awarded

a contract to build a spacecraft that minimizes interface complexity with the

instrument and maintains stabilityover mission lifetime.

The development schedule was reduced from 5 to 3 years, moving the launch

date back to the fall of 1998. Scientists, engineers, and managers were brought

together in an integrated effort to achieve this significant reduction. NASA has

provided an adequate funding profile to adapt to this new schedule. The waiver to

the NFS has also allowed more flexibility in the procurement procedures between

nongovernment institutions, which has allowed the PI's team to place more

contracts on time.

Scientists have played a crucial role in the redefinition of FUSE. In other

projects, it is often the case that the scientists issue a set of scientific requirements

and sit back to let the engineers perform their task. However, in FUSE, the scientists

work with the engineers as part of integrated teams. This requires discipline,

communication and understanding of each other's issues. This integration has

permitted a broad system view of the project and rapid turnaround in discussion

and requirement trades. The FUSE team brings together the knowledge and

experience of people from different tech_rdcal backgrounds and cultures, and the

success of the team is based on how this wide range of expertise is brought to bear on

actual problems. Authority and responsibility are delegated to the subsystem level,

and lead engineers are expected to find solutions to cost and schedule problems,

even if it means renegotiating the requirements.

21
The John Hopkins University, through Dr. Warren Moos, is -leading this team

effort in a strong systems engineering approach to project management. NASAGSFCis providing general oversight, environmental testing, engineering support

and launch services. However, responsibility for the project lies with its PI.

7.2 IMAGE

In response to the MIDEX AO of May 1995 (AO-95-OSS-02), the Southwest

Research Institute submitted a proposal for space science research defined as the

Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE).

The IMAGE mission has been designed around the following questions: What

are the dominant mechanisms for injecting plasma into Earth's magnetosphere on

substorm and magnetic storm time scales? What is the directly driven response of

the magnetosphere to solar wind changes? And, how and where are

magnetospheric plasmas energized, transported, and subsequently lost during

storms and substorms? (Butch, 1995). To answer these questions, IMAGE will be

placed on a 500 km x 7 Earth Radii altitude orbit with an inclination of 90 degrees. It

will make use of neutral atom, far ultraviolet, extreme ultraviolet, and radio plasma

imaging techniques, with a scientific payload composed of 6 interrelated

instruments. These instruments will enable IMAGE to acquire, for the first time, a

variety of three-dimensional images of magnetospheric boundaries and plasma

distributions extending from the magnetopause to the inner plasmasphere (IMAGE

mission proposal, 1995).

The IMAGE team is headed by its PI, Dr. James L. Butch, from the Southwest

Research Institute (SwRI) of San Antonio, Texas. A number of institutions are also

involved in this project, such as GSFC, MSFC, the Universities of Maryland,

Arizona and Mass-Lowell, and the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory

(LPARL). Furthermore, a longer list of Co-Investigators from research institutions

across the U.S. as well as Canada, Switzerland, the UK, Belgium and Japan are also

heavily involved in the project.

SwRL through its PI, will be directly in charge of managing the project, and it

will be responsible for the technical and financial performance of all IMAGE team

members. Design, development, and fabrication of the instruments will be

performed at the SwRI and the primary institutions mentioned above. These

instruments will be integrated at the SwRI, and will then be integrated into the

spacecraft as a single subsystem. The spacecraft will be based on Gocidard's SMEX

Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer design because of its similarity with IMAGE mission

requirements.

The PI is the ultimate authority and is fully responsible for the success of the

mission. Figure 3 presents a diagram of the IMAGE organizational chart.

22
The PI is assisted in the day-to-day management of the program by the Project

Manager and a small group of experienced engineers and scientistsconsisting of one

representative from each instrument team, the spacecraft, the ground segment, the

theory and modelling team, and the education and public outreach team.

Instrument development activitieswill be coordinated by a single Instrument

Manager. Furthermore, he will have a single point contact within each institution

building flight hardware. A single individual will coordinate allthe activitiesof the

Co-lnvestigators.

I

]so.warnS_Wmsl

 mo.r I] Manager Marmger

I

I GSFC SUppo_ Turns

I

I

,I

Sl_Cecmft

Figure 3. IMAGE management structure.

Core funding to all U.S. IMAGE subcontractors (except those directly

dependant on Goddard and Marshall) will be channeled by the SwRI.

The program will be managed with the goal to obtain the best science within

the contract limitations established by the MIDEX program. A strong systems

engineering activitywill be applied to the technical aspects of the mission in order to

obtain an efficientscientificpayload that meets allmission requirements. All

development teams will be coordinated by SwRI following an integrated philosophy

that streamlines communication between each research institution and the

management team. Risk management will be focused on early identification,

avoidance, and control. Furthermore, the use of heritage components and proven

technologies will provide for rapid risk mitigation. Risk analysis also will be applied

to areas of costing, scheduling and instrument performance.

From the management point of view, the project will relyheavily on the

expertise of a single institution, the SwRI. This institution has to coordinate the

acquisition, development, and integration of an array of instruments with different

thermal, power, and control requirements. It also has to channel funds and provide

adequate cost tracking and control. All of these functions will be overseen by a small

management team composed of the PI, the PM, and the principal team managers.

23
This team has to be sufficientlysmall to handle a fast-paced program. On the other

hand, ithas to be sufficiently experienced to make technical decisions very early in

the development phase of the project and, most importantly, to be able to adequately

descope the mission in order to meet budgetary and schedule constraints. This will

require people with enough background and stature to make quick decisions at

criticaltimes in the project. NASA has stated dearly, that the response to budget

and/or schedule overruns will be project cancelation. Therefore, a criticalissue will

be to identify problematic areas very early in the development phase of the project.

Descoping could become a criticalissue for the PI and the SwRI, and this would be

one of the firstPI-Mode missions in which a PI would have to be faced with giving

up science in order to successfully complete the mission.

Solid coordination will also be required to manage such an important group

of participating research institutions and investigators. There is a significant

number of U.S. and international co-investigators directly involved in the project

and a number of participating scientists who contribute to many scientific aspects of

the mission. This is positive, in the sense that a good portion of the scientific

community is actively participating in the project. However, the tasks of each

participant will have to be specified dearly in order to maintain the focus of the

mission and freeze scientific objectives early in the definition phase of the project.

IMAGE can be considered to be the closestapproach to a PI-Mode mission that

Goddard would accept at such an early stage in the development of the PI-Mode.

Goddard retains responsibility over mission management, launch vehicle

procurement, ground station development and operation, and flightoperations

team selection and training. However, the PI is in direct control of the project.

NASA simply behaves as a supplier of products and services.

A preliminary analysis of the mission, reviewed by Goddard, has verified that

the proposed mission costs (with reserves) will meet the requirements imposed by

the MIDEX AO. Several concerns were voiced during the IMAGE Preliminary

Design Review (PDR) held at Goddard on February 25, 26, and 27, 1997, concerning

the number of To Be Determined (TBD) and To Be Resolved (TBR) issues. This is

probably caused by a short mission definition phase, which has left several issues

unresolved. This problem probably will resurface in future projects until sufficient

experience is gained in developing well-rounded mission concepts in such short

time periods. Another significant suggestion from the review panel recommended

raising the systems engineering function to a level above other engineering

functions.

7.3 MAP

The second mission to be selected under the MIDEX AO is the Microwave

Anisotropy Probe (MAP). MAP is the result of a cooperative effort between

24
Princeton University and the Goddard Space Flight Center. It must be noted that

MAP is not a PI-Mode mission per se, however, it could be considered an "in-house

PI-Mode" mission, since the PI has full authority over all aspects of the project.

MAP will attempt to answer three of the most important and fundamental

cosmological questions: Which cosmological structure formation model best

describes our universe? What are the values of the fundamental parameters of

cosmology? What was the ionization history of the universe? (Bennett, 1995). To

answer these questions, MAP will make a full sky examination of cosmic microwave

background (CMB) fluctuations. By mapping the CMB radiation at -0.3 degrees

resolution, we can make an important number of observations on the physics of the

early universe.

The probe's design is centered around a single instrument modelled after

COBE's Differential Microwave Radiometer (DMR). This minimizes risk and takes

advantage of a proven design. Its design is driven by the overriding importance of

the requirement to minimize systematic errors. The probe itself will be placed on an

orbit around Earth-Sun libration point L2. This is a disturbance-free orbit that will

permit several observations of the full sky under thermally stable conditions.

The MAP team consists of a close partnership between Goddard and Princeton

University. This integrated team will produce the main flight hardware and

software. Both institutions have proven experience in these tasks, with Goddard

launching more successful scientific missions than any other institution and

Princeton producing very successful instruments flown on the Space Shuttle. Other

collaborating institutions are the University of Chicago, UCI_, and Hughes STX.

The project will be carried out using concurrent engineering with small

Product Development Teams (PDT) in charge of designing, manufacturing,

integrating, and testing the instrument. This management style is intended to

reduce costs while producing high quality, robust designs that deliver an optimized

product within the proposed schedule.

The PI, Dr. Charles L. Bennet from Goddard, is the ultimate authority and is

fully responsible for the success of the mission. He has direct control over all

scientific decisions with advice from his Instrument Scientist and a Science Working

Group. He is also directly responsible for descoping the mission, if needed to contain

the budget or meet necessary deadlines.

The PI delegates day-to-day decisions on project costs and schedule to its

Project Manager, Mr. Rich Day. Both the PI and the PM supervise the activities of

the PDTs who have independent decision making authority over their respective

areas subject to approval from the PM and the PI. Figure 4 displays MAP's

management structure.

25
cT I

NCee

Figure 4. MAP management structure.

Overall management remains at Goddard with Princeton supporting a

business manager to negotiate and control procurements with contractors and

subcontractors. Flight hardware will be developed and delivered by Princeton under

full contract to Goddard. On the other hand, Godclard commits to provide labor and

facilities, as well as space flight expertise, and assistance with handling and

qualification of flight subsystems. The remaining partners will provide data analysis

and mission science oversight and operations. The PM will report to the MIDEX

Project Office once a month on the progress of the project.

MAP management will capitalize on a simplified project structure to reduce

costs and deliver on schedule:

- There are only two highly qualified institutions involved in the

development of the flight hardware.

- Goddard and Princeton have been working together on projects for several

years. They are physically close (3-hour car trip) and have the required facilities and

technical expertise.

- The instrument itself operates in a single survey-scanning mode with little

ground intervention.

26
- Data analysis uses modified software inherited from the COBE mission. Online electronic systems such as the Internet will be used to provide rapid internal

communications.

MAP also uses Goddard's management expertise from projects such as SMEX,

XTE, CIRS and ACE to develop active management techniques that provide accurate

program control and risk management. Technical, schedule and cost data is made

available to all team members via electronic interfaces. In order to reduce the

amount of paperwork involved, MAP uses an on-line information and

configuration management system to process and disseminate controlled

documents.

MAP is considered the last of Goddard's in-house projects. The PI leads the

investigation and is ultimately responsible for all decisions, however, the PI is an inhouse scientist and, thus, overall responsibility for the project remains at Goddard.

This is not the only difference with the IMAGE project. MAP's management

structure is based on heavy participation from Goddard personnel. Goddard retains

control and exercises its scientific and managerial expertise over all aspects of the

mission. The PI uses the resources available from Goddard to its fullest extent. This

is positive for the project as it provides the mission with a considerable pool of

knowledge that has been used in many space missions over the years. It is also

positive for NASA since it keeps this pool of knowledge under good use.

MAP could very well serve as an example of how the PI-Mode can be applied

within the framework of NASA.

8. Concerns and Questions Over the PI-Mode

"The policies that led to the establishment of the Discovery program and to

the reformulation of the Explorer program have profound implications for NASA

management, for NASA centers, for industry, and for the science community."

(Assessment of Recent Changes to the Explorer Program, 1996)

The PI-Mode is a new way of thinking. It implies important changes to

NASA's way of "doing business." Yet, is it the right approach? What are the

consequences of placing the Principal Investigator at the helm of a project? What

does this entail to the rest of the parties involved in the design and development of

space science missions? These are the questions must be asked in order to assess the

effect of the PI-Mode.

Does the PI have the knowledge and experience needed to become a successful

project manager? This question has no clear answer. As project managers, PIs wiU

have to manage teams of engineers and scientists in a coordinated effort to develop

managerial techniques that control costs and streamline schedules. This involves

27
skins that are only acquired after many years of project management experience.

The question is whether there are scientists who have these skills. FUSE's PI is a

good example of a highly qualified scientist/manager. He has been able to bring new

breath to a project destined for cancelation through new managerial approaches that

have redefined the way projects win be carried out in the future. However, it is not

clear whether there are enough scientists with the same stature to handle projects of

similar characteristics. It is very likely that there are not enough. NASA has an

important pool of in-house scientists with relevant experience in flight projects, but

this defeats the purpose of opening opportunities to the entire research community

by relinquishing in-house control. Furthermore, experience is not the only

prerequisite to leading a project of the MIDEX or Discovery class. The researcher will

be required to have a strong consortium of institutions supporting his proposal in

order to be selected. This raises the issue of lack of research opportunities for

upcoming scientists who do not have the required level of experience and support,

but who have viable research proposals. Selecting an investigator with a good

scientific background but little managerial experience involves a great deal of risk on

the part of NASA. The tight constraints of the Agency's new programs require a

great deal of important decision making early in the initial stages of the project.

These decisions are crucial in order to maintain all mission parameters within the

prescribed limits. Will an upcoming PI be able to make the right decisions on

subjects that do not involve science? It is possible, but only a process of trial and

error will corroborate this. The pitfall is that error results in cancellation of the

mission and cancellation implies loss of financial, material, and human resources

that, today, have tremendous opportunity costs associated with them.

Is the PI-Mode the right approach to managing NASA's new programs?

NASA believes so. In projects of the magnitude of COBE, Hubble, or XTE, the

Agency's managers have always adopted severe measures to identify, control, and

mitigate risk. This is understandable because of the magnitude of the financial

resources invested in such projects. However, the amount of overview and

reporting required to assure mission success carried significant penalties to the

efficiency of day-to-day management, which resulted in longer development times

and increased costs.

To break this cycle, NASA adopted a new mentality that significantly shifts

the focus of mission management: mission costs are drastically reduced,

development times are shortened, and the number of missions is increased. This is

designed to spread the risk over more missions, which means that higher risks can

be taken for each mission. These risks can be in the form of "single-string" designs

or in using selective redundancy. This does not imply a careless approach. On the

contrary, improved techniques will have to be used to develop products that address

the issue of risk aversion, reduction, and control in the first stages of the design

process. These new design techniques will be essential to further reduce project costs

and increase the amount of resources that can be allocated to science. But, is the PI28
Mode the adequate management environment required to introduce these changes?

There are many experienced voices that say yes. Traditionally, scientists in their

research centers, following their own management techniques, have been

developing instruments for astrophysics for a long lime under moderate budgets.

These instruments have pushed the state of the art in technology and science under

environments of independence, and there is no doubt that the PI-Mode will also

bring significant improvements to many aspects of mission management. FUSE,

M1DEX, and the Discovery program have already paved the way in many aspects of

procurement simplification and have proven that small, well-prepared

management teams can deal with problems in an efficient manner without NASA's

oversight. However, the PI-Mode is such a new management approach that no

mission has completed its life cycle yet. IMAGE and MAP are the new missions

under the Explorers MIDEX program, and it is yet to be seen whether they will

introduce the necessary techniques needed to implement the Agency's goals.

How will mission designs be influenced by the PI-Mode? PIs have a natural

tendency to place science at the forefront of the mission. Instruments will constitute

the bulk of the spacecraft's mass and cost, and these will be designed and

manufactured using the latest technologies. The rest of the subsystems will be

purchased under "fast-paced" contracts (of the IDIQ type) as off, the-shelf,

prequalified modules. The first three phases of the project (Phase A, Preliminary

Analysis; Phase B, Definition; Phase C, Design) will be significantly compressed.

Phase A, and most of B will have to be performed before flight opportunities are

even awarded. This is necessary to achieve full mission development schedules of

less than 4 years. A top-level systems engineering approach will be implemented to

coordinate development team activities and assure accurate subsystem interfaces

early on in the design process.

What is NASA's role under the PI-Mode? By serving as a supplier rather

than a customer, the Agency wants to provide the scientist with the necessary tools

and expertise to carry out the research as he best sees fit. Over the years, NASA's

research centers have accumulated a wealth of human and material resources that

places them at the forefront of the world's space research community. Goddard itself

has fostered programs that have pushed the boundaries of our knowledge of the

universe and our solar system farther than any other organization. This is a

valuable asset that PIs should take advantage of by bringing NASA on as a partner.

To implement this policy of partnership with the scientific community,

NASA will have to forego a significant amount of control over mission

management. It is obvious that overview is needed to protect the overall integrity

of the project and to preserve the interests of the Agency and the U.S. taxpayer.

However, the PI-Mode implies that full responsibility lies with the investigator.

Therefore, it is necessary to clearly set the limits that define NASA's involvement in

project development: where, when, and how much. NASA, as an overall

29
organization, is intrinsically set up to undertake large-scale projects such as Apollo,

the Space Shuttle, Hubble, and the International Space Station that need direct and

constant supervision. However, the PI-Mode requires a "microenvironment" of

independence. This environment can be fostered only by smaller organizations

within NASA designed to carry out these small, independent initiatives. Programs

such as Discovery, Explorers, or Pathfinder are examples. What is needed from these

organizations? Fundamentally, vision. Vision to have the correct frame of mind to

facilitate the development of PI-led missions. Vision, to be able to select the

missions that offer the most adequate management structure to achieve the best

possible science. And vision, on the part of its leaders, to channel NASA's resources

to the benefit of its customers.

Nevertheless, there is true concern with regard m the loss of scientific

expertise on the part of NASA's research centers. There is a general perception that

NASA scientists will lose ground to outside researchers and, therefor, will not be

able to present competitive proposals to future research opportunities. Many inhouse scientists and engineers fear that by giving away responsibility to external Pis,

they will choose to work with other external organizations. Some even go as far as

to say that outside investigators will be reticent to work with NASA managers and

scientists for fear of losing control to them. This is a possibility, and NASA scientists

should expect to lose research opportunities to out-of-house institutions over the

next few years. MAP is an example of an "in-house PI-Mode," but as this technique

gains momentum, fewer missions will be assigned to in-house groups. What can

NASA centers do to avoid a possible degradation of its scientific expertise? Continue

with projects led under the traditional management style? This is not the solution.

NASA's research centers will have to reorganize themselves to become as

competitive as any other organization. In fact, Goddard is currently undergoing

such a restructuring process to enable its scientists and engineers to develop

technologies and expertise that will result in competitive mission proposals. In

essence, Goddard is trying to compete with the rest.

Other opinions voiced by in-house managers focus on the role of NASA

personnel working for external PIs. Some are concerned that these individuals will

not play a significant role in the project unless they are selected for top managerial

positions. Assignments to PI-led missions could have no promotional potential for

NASA engineers and scientists other than doing the same job again on a larger scale

PI-Mode project. Would junior or intermediate-level engineers be willing to accept

this risk? Mr. George Daelemans, retired Systems Manager for the Explorers Project

Office stated in a memorandum on PI projects that "acceptance by GSFC of

responsibility for Headquarters' initiated/mandated PI-Mode projects is probably not

a good utilization of GSFC's manpower, either technical or managerial. These

programs will at best be no-winners for the centers and its personnel, and can easily

be losers if they fail in any respect, managerially, financially or technically." This is a

biased opinion, but it is one shared by many Goddard managers. They have

3O
commented that one of Goddard's strengths is based on sharing knowledge and

experiences from one project to another. Recurring problems are solved by

contacting the person who worked on a similar project under similar circumstances.

This accessibility to knowledge is something that would not exist under the PI-Mode.

What will the PI have to do in order to successfully implement his research?

The PI will need to forge strong partnerships with industry and other institutions in

order to achieve the necessary integrity and credibility required to satisfy NASA's

selection process. Ultimately, the strongest competitors are selected, and close

examination of the IMAGE and MAP proposals show that the PI is backed by strong

institutions that offer the necessary expertise and resources to direct the project to a

successful completion. Some believe that researchers work well with researchers.

Under the PI-Mode, researchers must also work well with industry and government.

The PI will have to form integrated partnerships with all the players in the space

business. Very few universities or Federally Funded Research and Development

Centers (FFRDC's) can develop a project on their own. They do have an important

knowledge base but cooperation is needed to accomplish missions under very strict

budgetary and schedule constraints. The PI will have to establish a support network

of organizations that promotes close interaction between partners, and efficient

interdisciplinary communications.

A good balance is required to develop a project: NASA has extensive human

and material resources, and excellent MO&DA facilities. It also provides the

allocated funds. Industry has the necessary technical expertise and management

know-how. Some nonprofit institutions offer adequate work environments for

scientists. The research community provides the necessary scientific perspective as

well as new instruments. Thus, the PI must create the most adequate team to fulfill

the set objectives. How is this team created? The PI must have the necessary stature

and standing in the scientific community to attract his or her partners, both national

and international.

From a technical point of view, NASA's new policy for space science projects

imposes a significant challenge to the PI or any Project Manager for that matter: low,

cost-capped budgets and short development times require a very efficient team of

designers and implementers. In fact, it is the short mission definition phase which

is presenting the most amount of difficulties to development teams. Therefore, a

project-wide systems engineering approach should be proactively pursued to

produce efficient system architectures and interfaces that ensure a successful balance

between cost, schedule, and risk early in the project.

Risk management is another area that deserves special consideration. The

MIDEX AO allows for single-string systems (although some redundancy is

recommended in order to avoid an excessive number of single-point failures). An

adequate risk management plan provides early risk identification, tracking, and

31
mitigation. Ensuring long life and reliability in a single-string system requires

robust designs and a well-defined testing program. Adding selective redundancy to

subsystems where satisfactory robustness cannot be achieved or demonstrated is an

interesting option to be pursued, and the use of heritage components and techniques

can result in significant cost and schedule savings. Although risk is generally

associated with the use of unproven technologies, it also encompasses areas of

schedule, cost control, and instrument performance. An adequate descoping plan

should be studied and built into the design to allow for possible budget and schedule

overruns. Descoping should be done in a way that reduces costs while sacrificing

the least amount of science. However, the issue of descoping posses significant

challenges to the PI-MOde. It is not clear whether the PI will be able to descope the

scientific objectives of the mission in a manner that will reduce costs while

sacrificing the least amount of science. Taking the decision to reduce the capacities

of an instrument, or eliminating it from the mission altogether, is a mature step

toward understanding the nature of the new way of doing business.

What is the overall response of the scientific community to the H-Mode?

The scientific community welcomes the PI-Mode as a positive step in the right

direction. With the PI-Mode, responsibility for the project is in the hands of the

people who are going to gain most from it, and, thus, support from the science

community will be essential for PI-Mode programs to succeed. Both the Explorers

and Discovery programs are received with enthusiasm. However, some

investigators believe that too much emphasis is placed on cost. Others believe that

the program is not directed at universities because of the amount of resources

required to run such projects. This would place institutions such as JPL or other

agencies at an unfair advantage over universities with good ideas but few resources.

Would this be a true concern? Adequate partnerships with meaningful sharing of

responsibilities could prove this wrong.

The Discovery Lessons Learned report suggests that the science community

must learn how to correctly cost modern spacecraft built in highly competitive

environments. "Too much experience is based on situations where funding was not

capped and there was no competition" (Workshop on Discovery Lessons-Learned,

1995). Science must also be assessed and given a dollar value so that it can be

properly evaluated.

Industry believes that the PI-Mode introduces an innovative and progressive

approach that will lead to favorable partnerships. Working directly for the

government has its returns, but it also has its pitfalls. Government is sometimes

not the most desirable customer (slow pay, hundreds of regulations). Dealing

directly with the investigator can lead to the avoidance of intermediary functions

and reporting demands. New procurement initiatives studied by the Explorers

Program will lead to more efficient interactions between industry, government, and

32
the PI. In addition, multiple research opportunities are viewed by industry as a way

of keeping scientists on the field, and a chance to foster interest and investment.

Problems arise when it comes to evaluating the science return per doUar. Cost

evaluations may overshadow science at an early stage of the development phase.

Cost estimates are easy to forecast. However, science vs. science is more difficult to

evaluate numerically. The PI must therefore, establish a way to gauge the value of

the science early on.

The government's perspective is that the PI-Mode will help bring the science

to the forefront of the mission. Until recently, the scientific portion of a mission

would account for 25% of the total cost. Today it represents 60% of the total budget.

NASA centers must be supportive of this effort. There is an important pool of

knowledge within NASA that must be maintained in order to preserve the Agency's

integrity as a scientifically oriented organization. Thus, NASA needs to support the

PI-Mode offering its services at a competitive price. But, how much support can be

offered without the natural tendency to control?

9. Conclusions

The PI-Mode of project management offers no checks and balances. It is an

uncomfortable situation that involves taking high level risks and leaps of faith.

Many ask themselves, why is the PI-Mode the solution to NASA's "faster, cheaper,

better approach to space science project management? Why would a scientist be a

good project manager? Why should NASA modify its traditional way of carrying

out a project? These are the questions that create a cloud of doubts around the PIMode. However, very few people question the fact that the PI-Mode is the wave of

the future for NASA's small-to-medium-class missions. The Agency will continue

to foster projects of the scale of Hubble, but these will be fewer and farther apart. The

new science frontiers will be crossed by small probes with highly focused, state-ofthe-art instruments interfaced with commercial, off-the-shelf spacecraft. These

programs will create the "virtual presence" in the universe that NASA's Strategic

Plan has envisioned, and it is a sure bet that the scientific community will have to

bear the responsibility for driving these programs to a successful completion.

However, the day-to-day management of a space science project imposes an

incredible amount of reality checks that experienced in-house managers have had to

deal with for many years: overruns, delays, communication problems, redesigns,

testing, personnel, accounting, contractors, subcontractors, descoping, schedule,

budget, etc. The PI will have to deal with these issues on a daily basis no matter how

much he or she delegates to experienced engineers and scientists. The PI will be

responsible and accountable for all aspects of the mission, and the success or failure

of the mission will ultimately be linked to his or her reputation. How many

investigators are there capable of assuming this responsibility? Many have

33
submitted their proposals to the Discovery, MIDEX, and ESSP AOs, but only a few

were chosen. We will never know how many of them were truly worthy of further

support and how many would have led the project to failure or success.

The key to the success of the H-Mode will depend on the PI's ability to

assemble a truly capable team of people with mustidisciplinary backgrounds. This

team will need to combine experience, knowledge, vision, and managerial expertise.

One could say that these characteristics should be a reflection of the Prs own

personal background. The effectiveness of the team will be crucial to creating the

designs and processes that will allow the project to evolve, unobstructed, from start

to finish. Difficulties and stumbling blocks will have to be dealt with rapidly, since

schedule requirements are too constrained to afford significant delays. The PI will

have to judge his or her own managerial skills, and determine the degree of

delegation required to carry out the project with adequate supervision. In fact, PIs

should take advantage of the number of accomplished managers within NASA's

ranks, and in Industry. The personal stature of the PI will be of great significance to

the mission, since it influences the way the PI interrelates with his or her team. The

PI will need to make use of his or her background and intuition to keep the mission

in focus, make the right tradeoffs, and determine what is important, what is

nonnegotiable, and what is simply good enough. The PI-Mode will only fail if the

team fails. If the PI is not able to obtain the proper level of commitment and support

from all of his or her partners, then the mission will be headed for rough times that

could become insurmountable.

As an engineer, this author believes that there are scientists capable of

undertaking projects of the magnitude of IMAGE or FUSE. However, there are

doubts whether there are enough of them capable of responding to the opportunities

being fostered by NASA's new programs. As of today, Goddard alone will be

expected to produce 3 to 4 missions Per year, and space science opportunities are

expected to increase significantly in the next 10 to 20 years. NASA is already

preparing for this by creating the programs that will allow the PIs to work under

their own terms. Nevertheless, this author believes that there might be a shortfall

in the number of PIs required to keep up with the intended launch rate. The fastpaced nature of the new programs will force investigators to work full time on their

projects, making critical decisions on a daily basis. Are there enough scientists that

can do this? If not, what is NASA doing to encourage the growth of capable PIs?

What are NASA's future perspectives, in relation to the PI-Mode? Will it

retain its stature as one of the world's leading research organizations? Or, will it lose

its capacities to external institutions? The H-Mode will not help NASA control a

slow degradation of its in-house scientific capabilities unless the Agency becomes as

competitive a player as the rest. Missions will go to other research institutions, and

the knowledge and lessons learned from them will most likely remain there or

34
disappear. The Agency will have to find new vigor within itself to support its

exceptional workforce.

The PI-Mode is a risk, much like any new undertaking in life. Will it

succeed? Probably. What is the price of failure? Significant, monetarily, but crucial

in terms of lost opportunities. How many projects will NASA accept to lose before

considering the PI-Mode a failure? It is not known. Let us hope that the spacecraft

already in space and the new missions under development here on Earth, prove to

be a success not only for the scientists, but for everyone in the space science

community.

35

10. References

1. Application for the President's Quality Award Program, pp. 17, NASA, 1997.

2. Assessment of Recent Changes to the Explorer Program, pp. 1-17, Space

Studies Board, National Research Council, 1996.

3. Badawy, M.K.: Developing Managerial Skills in Engineers and Scientists, pp.

233-251, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1982.

4. Bennett, C.H. (PI): MAP, A MIDEX Mission Proposal, Step Two, Management

Volume, pp. 1-19, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center document, 1995.

5. Burch J.L. (PI): Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration

Proposal, pp. 1-29, SouthWest Research Institute, 1995.

6. Medium-class Explorer Missions Announcement of Opportunity, AO-95-OSS02, pp. 1-30, NASA, 1995

7. Moos, W.H.: "FUSE: A Different Approach to Lowering Cost," pp. 3-6, John

Hopkins University.

8. NASA Strategic Plan, pp. 4-7 and 16-17, NASA internal document, 1996.

9. NASA: Strategic Management Handbook, pp. 1-30, NASA, 1996.

10. Ritz, G.J.: Total Engineering Project Management, pp. 173-211, McGraw-Hill

Publishing Co., 1990

11. Ruskin, A.M. and W.E. Estes" Project Management, 2 nd Ed., pp. 109-117, Marcel

Dekker Inc., 1994.

12. Workshop on Discovery Lessons Learned, LPI Technical Report #95-03, pp.3-

47, Lunar and Planetary Institute, 1995.

37
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April 1997

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

The PI-Mode of Project Management

6. AUTHOR(S)

Dan Isaac

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES)

Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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11. SUPPLEMENTARYNOTES

Dan Isaac is a Master of Space Studies student at the International Space University, Strasbourg, France.

The research for this report was performed at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

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13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

The PI-Mode is NASA's new approach to project management. It responds to the Agency's new policy

to develop scientific missions that deliver the highest quality science for a fixed cost. It also attempts to

provide more research opportunities by reducing project development times and increasing the number

of launches per year. In order to accomplish this, the Principal Investigator is placed at the helm of the

project with full responsibility over all aspects of the mission, including instrument and spacecraft

development, as well as mission operations and data analysis. This paper intends to study the PI-Mode

to determine the strengths and weaknesses of such a new project management technique. It also presents an analysis of its possible impact on the scientific community and its relations with industry,

NASA, and other institutions.

14. SUBJECT TERMS

Principal Investigator; Project Management; PI; Announcement of Opportunity;

MIDEX; Explorers; PI-Mode.

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