NASA – Public P/PM Resources

Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. For over 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management (P/PM).

Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov. The following P/PM resources are available for download from NASA websites.

NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) - NASA’s internal resource for project management and systems engineering development and training. APPEL promotes learning through its four business lines: curriculum, hands-on development, strategic communications, and training and support. APPEL’s training initiatives help enhance and refine critical job skills, provide hands-on learning experiences, and supplement formal educational programs. The Academy also offers development and learning resources on its website, which serve as a platform for sharing information, highlighting initiatives, and promoting digital collaboration. In addition, the Academy creates opportunities for project management collaboration through research and exchange with universities, government agencies, professional associations, and industry partners. To visit APPEL go to https://appel.nasa.gov/ (Kaushik)

APPEL Annual Reports - The APPEL Annual Reports highlight the Academy’s efforts to serve the NASA workforce’s needs in adapting to the challenges of today and the future. (Kaushik)

APPEL News Digest (2014 - Present) - A monthly digital publication created by APPEL since 2014, the News Digest contains articles and stories about NASA programs and projects and the people who guide and plan those fantastic ventures. Case studies and lessons learned are included, as well as stories from NASA's history. Read various issues at https://appel.nasa.gov/archives-appel-news-digest/appel-news-digest-november-2016/ (Kaushik)

ASK Magazine (2001 - 2013) - ASK Magazine grew out of the Academy and its Knowledge Sharing Initiative, designed for program/project managers and engineers to share expertise and lessons learned with fellow practitioners across the Agency. Reflecting the Academy’s responsibility for project management and engineering development and the challenges of NASA’s new mission, ASK included articles about meeting the technical and managerial demands of complex projects, as well as insights into organizational knowledge, learning, collaboration, performance measurement and evaluation, and scheduling. To read archived issues of ASK Magazine, go to https://appel.nasa.gov/archives/past-issues/ (Kaushik)

Case Studies - NASA case studies illustrate the kinds of decisions and dilemmas managers face every day, and as such provide an effective learning tool for project management. Due to the dynamic and complex environment of projects, a great deal of project management knowledge is tacit and hard to formalize. A case study captures the complex nature of a project and identifies key decision points, allowing the reader an inside look at the project from a practitioner’s point of view. For more, go to https://appel.nasa.gov/knowledge-sharing/case-studies/ (Kaushik)

Virtual PM Challenge -

NASA Knowledge Inventory - During more than 60 years of unparalleled achievement at the boundaries of engineering and science, NASA has collected a wealth of information that can help the technical workforce continue to excel. As NASA charts the course from the Moon to Mars, APPEL Knowledge Services has developed this Knowledge Inventory to provide quick, easy access to a growing collection of this valuable information, with case studies, lessons learned, expert videos, knowledge networks and more. To access, go to Knowledge | APPEL Knowledge Services (nasa.gov)

NASA Lessons Learned - The NASA Lessons Learned system provides access to official, reviewed lessons learned from NASA programs and projects. These lessons have been made available to the public by the NASA Office of the Chief Engineer and the NASA Engineering Network. Each lesson describes the original driving event and provides recommendations that feed into NASA’s continual improvement via training, best practices, policies, and procedures. To access, go to https://llis.nasa.gov/

Office of the Chief Engineer - The Office of the Chief Engineer provides policy direction, oversight, and assessment for the NASA engineering and program management communities and serves as principal advisor to the Administrator and other senior officials on matters pertaining to the technical readiness and execution of NASA programs and projects. More at https://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/

NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook - A 2014 handbook prepared by NASA’s Office of the Chief Engineer. With inputs from the compilation of best practices and lessons learned from various sources, the handbook is a codification of the “corporate knowledge” for existing and future NASA space flight programs and projects”. To reach guidance, click here. (Dağli)

NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook (2015) - This handbook is a companion to NPR 7120.5E, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements and supports the implementation of the requirements by which NASA formulates and implements space flight programs and projects. Its focus is on what the program or project manager needs to know to accomplish the mission, but it also contains guidance that enhances the understanding of the high-level procedural requirements. (See Appendix C for NPR 7120.5E requirements with rationale.) As such, it starts with the same basic concepts but provides context, rationale, guidance, and a greater depth of detail for the fundamental principles of program and project management. This handbook also explores some of the nuances and implications of applying the procedural requirements, for example, how the Agency Baseline Commitment agreement evolves over time as a program or project moves through its life cycle. To download a free copy, go to https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20150000400