All individuals should feel ownership and accountability, not only for their own work, but for the success of the entire mission. Examining the current state of NASA's program and project management environment, the Board found that a significant infrastructure of processes and requirements already is in place to enable robust program and project management. To move toward the ideal vision of Mission Success First, the Board makes a series of observations and recommendations that are grouped into four categories, providing a guide by which to measure progress. The Board recognizes that one of the most important assets to a program and project is its people. Success means starting with top-notch people and creating the right cultural environment in which they can excel.
Teamwork is critical for mission success.
To ensure good teamwork, the project manager must guarantee an appropriate level of staffing, and all roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined. In most cases NASA has very good processes in place, but there are a few areas for improvement. A concise set of mission success criteria should be developed and frozen early in the project life cycle. During the mission formulation process, the program office and the project should perform the system trades necessary to scope out the expected costs for mission success. This should be accomplished independently of any predefined dollar cap.