Academy of Program / Project & Engineering Leadership - APPEL

Career Development Framework

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:20:54 -0400

Career Development Gateway

Career Development Framework

The foundation of the development process for project managers and systems engineers is the career development framework. The framework represents a progression through four levels of increasing responsibility and performance expectation over the course of an individual’s career. The framework can be used to describe the appropriate job assignments, education, coaching and mentoring, training and other development activities necessary for each level of performance capability. These guidelines, in conjunction with the identified priorities of each field center, enable individuals to play an active role in defining their career paths.

The Academy’s four-level career development framework is the basis for determining what training, work assignments, and developmental activities are right for you.

The career development framework represents a progression through four levels of increasing responsibility over the course of an individual career:

project team member or technical engineer
small project manager or subsystem lead
large project manager or systems manager
program or very large project manager

The four career levels have been fully integrated with the competency model to determine the professional experiences and development activities that demonstrate the ability to perform at a given level.

Program or very Large Project Manager
Core course: Executive Program Mentoring Leadership by example in knowledge sharing	Manages complex program or set of projects with tightly coupled interfaces

Large Project Manager or Systems Manager
Core course: Advanced Project Management & Systems Engineering Mentoring In-depth courses Participation in knowledge sharing activities	Manages complex project and/or contributes to leadership of larger project/program management

Small Project Manager or Subsystem Lead
Core course: Project Management & Systems Engineering In-depth courses Participation in knowledge sharing activities	Performs simple project/subsystem management or contributes to complex management

Project Team Member or Technical Engineer
Core course: Foundations of Aerospace at NASA Developmental learning assignments and on-the-job training Attendance at technical conferences or knowledge sharing activities	Performs and/or contributes to fundamental, basic and routine project activities

APPEL's Development Approach

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:59:37 -0400

Career Development Gateway

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APPEL's Development Approach

APPEL’ development approach provides a basis for enhancing the capabilities you will need in the future while at the same time strengthening competencies required for current assignments. Embedded in APPEL’s philosophy is the assumption that the curriculum is only a portion of the preparation necessary to produce successful program/project managers and systems engineers. Much of the preparation lies in the time and duration spent gaining professional experiences in the real world of NASA projects in conjunction with access to current and previous generations of individuals that share their project management and systems engineering talents by serving as mentors, coaches and subject matter expert guides.

APPEL Curriculum

The core curriculum offers NASA technical community with a knowledge base of the highest quality and a wide range of project management and systems engineering approaches and practices. APPEL also sponsors in-depth courses in a number of topic areas to augment development where more in-depth coverage of an area is necessary. Individuals and their managers should review course content, competency development needs, and current and future work requirements to determine at what point in a person’s career a course should be taken. The course descriptions provide recommendations on who should attend the course.

Outside the Classroom

Developmental activities are structured work/training experiences agreed to between employee and supervisor and that have well-defined objectives intended to enhance job knowledge and skills. Some developmental experiences are designed to broaden an employee’s knowledge and understanding of the Agency through a combination of expanded work experiences and formal training. Others may be particularly related to specific job requirements when skill enhancement is required to properly perform a task.

Rotational assignments are a traditional type of developmental experience. Rotational assignments can occur within a Center, between NASA Centers, on an interagency basis, between the public and private sectors, as well as between segments of the public sector (federal, state and local). Consideration should be given to identifying rotational assignments that involve realistic individual goals consistent with anticipated NASA requirements and Center priorities.

Mentor-protégé relationships provide the protégé with access to experienced NASA leaders who can provide guidance and advice in an informal, non-supervisory setting. Individuals can work with their managers to identify mentors and document developmental needs and mentor program plans in his/her IDP.

Knowledge Sharing Activities

As individuals plan and discuss developmental opportunities with their supervisors and managers, consideration should be given to knowledge sharing activities such as:

Attending Center-based “Fast Forums”
Participating in Communities of Practice
Participating in APPEL’s Biannual Masters Forums
Attending or speaking at the annual PM Challenge
Writing articles for ASK Magazine

Center Forums

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:27:47 -0400

Center Forums

APPEL Center-based Forums (Fast Forums) represent a collaborative effort between NASA HQ, Contractors and NASA Centers to identify and deliver targeted, “just-in-time” learning solutions to project teams. The goal of this knowledge-sharing event is to accelerate capabilities of practitioners and project teams to successfully solve problems, make decisions, and improve performance by tapping into and effectively integrating and applying the explicit and tacit knowledge that already resides across the Agency.

Expert local community resources shall be used as needed to ensure that Fast Forums provide high quality, high impact solutions to challenges identified as critical to the team’s performance.

Fast Forums will be 4-8 hrs of customized “share-and-learn” opportunities featuring case studies, lessons learned, interactive technology workshops, and stories highlighting challenges most relevant to each Center’s work context, interests, and needs. In this setting, project teams will uncover and reuse knowledge essential to the team’s success.

Centers

Johnson Space Center
Ames Research Center
Kennedy Space Center

Johnson Space Center Forum

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:56:05 -0400

Center Forums

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Johnson Space Center Forum

A successful Constellation Program at NASA will require the application of superb system engineering competencies. Currently, we face unique system engineering challenges that must be addressed to effectively design a complex manned space vehicle, develop new sub-systems and integrate existing elements that were designed for other missions.

To address some of these challenges, Johnson Space Center (JSC) Director Michael Coats is sponsoring a 4-hour Systems Engineering (SE) Forum. The forum is being presented in collaboration with the NASA Academy of Program/Project Management and Engineering Leadership, and it will feature a panel of distinguished experts in SE design who will share their insights and lessons learned from similar challenges.

Panelists include: Dennis Mays, Director, System Engineering and Integration, Missile Defense Agency; Brian Persons, Engineering Director, Naval Sea Systems Command; Michael Gaydar, Chief Systems Engineer, Naval Air Systems Command; Brian Muirhead, Program Systems Engineer (PSE), Constellation Program; Richard Ryan, Technical Specialist, Chief Engineer’s Office, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC); Wayne Hale, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships; and Dale Thomas, Deputy Program Manager, Constellation Program. The panel will be facilitated by Steve Kapurch from the Office of the Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters. Opening remarks will be given by Bobby Watkins, Chief of Staff, Office of the Director, JSC.

Due to an overwhelming response, only those individuals whose names have been provided by their organizations will be guaranteed seats at the forum, and all personnel must register upon arrival. Those members of the JSC community who are unable to attend the event in person are encouraged to participate via WebEx / Teleconference or view the broadcast on JSC TV on Friday, August 22, 2008.

Participants should use the following URL to join the SE Forum WebEx meeting: https://nasa.webex.com.
To obtain the WebEx meeting number and password, as well as the Teleconference phone number and passcode, please contact the JSC Center Director’s Office @ 281-483-5309. WebEx participants are urged to assemble in conference rooms for this event to minimize the number of WebEx connections needed and to foster group discussion of the topics presented.

This is a reminder that members of the SE community at other NASA Centers, who were not able to attend the recent JSC Systems Engineering Forum via WebEx / Teleconference, will have an opportunity to watch the rebroadcast of the event on the NASA TV Space Operations Channel (Cable TV Channel 95) on Friday, August 22, starting at 11:00 AM (Central).

Event Details

DATE: Thursday, August 21, 2008
TIME:1:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST
PLACE: JSC Gilruth Center, Alamo Ballroom

NASA TV: Friday, August 22, 2008

System Engineering Forum Feedback

Competencies and Career Development Framework

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:59:06 -0400

Career Development

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Competencies

The Academy’s development framework is based on a rigorous set of competencies that project managers and systems engineers should have in order to perform their jobs. The Academy seeks to help practitioners build their competencies in order reach the highest level of performance. A key step for NASA project managers and systems engineers is to understand the requirements of their roles and the related competencies.

PM Competency Model

Project Management Competencies

1.0	Project Conceptualization	6.0	NASA Environment
1.1	Project Proposal	6.1	Agency Structure and Internal Goals
1.2	Requirement Development	6.2	NASA PM Procedures & Guidelines
1.3	Acquisition Management	6.3	International Standards and Political Implications
1.4	Project Planning	7.0	Human Capital Management
1.5	Cost Estimating	7.1	Position Management
1.6	Risk Management	7.2	Recruitment, Hiring and Retention
2.0	Resource Management	7.3	Team Dynamics & Management
2.1	IT and MIS	8.0	Safety, Security, & Mission Assurance
2.2	Budget and Full Cost Management	8.1	Environment and Ecology
2.3	Capital Management	8.2	Workplace Safety
3.0	Project Implementation	8.3	Mission Assurance
3.1	Systems Engineering	8.4	Security
3.2	Design and Development	9.0	Professional & Leadership Development
3.3	Contract Management	9.1	Mentoring & Coaching
4.0	Delivery, Operation, and Closeout	9.2	Communication/Decision-Making
4.1	Logistics Management	9.3	Leadership
4.2	Stakeholder Management	9.4	Ethics
4.3	Technology Transfer and Communication	10.0	Knowledge Management
5.0	Project Control and Evaluation	10.1	Knowledge Capture & Transfer
5.1	Tracking/Trending of Project Performance	10.2	Knowledge Sharing
5.2	Project Control
5.3	Project Review and Evaluation

Career Development Gateway

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:29:18 -0400

Career Development Gateway

Your future at NASA depends on a number of factors. Participation in professional development activities that complement and enrich your work experience is particularly important. The Academy of Program, Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) provides NASA’s technical workforce with guidance on the competencies, professional experiences, and educational opportunities needed at each level of their NASA careers. It offers a systematic approach to professional growth and self-improvement, and is designed to build competency and support career-planning activities for program/project practitioners.

The Planning Process for Practitioners

Tools You'll Need

APPEL’s Development Approach (overview of The Academy’s development philosophy and key components of Technical Development Model)

PM/SE Four-Level Development Framework (what you need to know and be able to do at each level)

Development Planning Matrix (training and development requirements for each level)

Individual Development Plan (constructing your roadmap)

Project Management Competency Model and the Systems Engineering Competency Model (competencies and performance level descriptors)

The cornerstone activity in the career development process for project managers (PM) and systems engineers (SE) is the creation and execution of an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The IDP includes self-assessment, goal setting, and planning development strategies, and will assist you in developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed for success. In addition to the IDP, each individual should create a Personal Development Portfolio (PDP). This will serve as a record of all of your development accomplishments and can be used to assist you in tracking your progress through the career development framework. An important part of the process is working with your manager or supervisor to identify and agree upon planned strategies that can help you achieve your development goals.

Project Management Development Files

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:35:09 -0400

Career Development Gateway

Files

The PM Development Framework outlines the experience requirements and examples of what individuals should know for Levels 1 through 4.

PM Development Framework

The Development Planning Matrix sets out recommended APPEL courses for each level

Development Planning Matrix

Masters Forum 16 Videos

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:01:45 -0400

Videos

[ Graphics ] [ Group Work Images ] [ Group Work Pictures ] [ Videos ]

Masters Forum 16

Video Summaries		Video Links
Project Management: Are You Using the Right Stuff?		Click to Play Video
Steve Goo, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Steve Goo describes the Boeing Program Management Best Practices, an integrated management system the company has refined over the past ten years to enable programs of all sizes achieve high levels of performance and customer satisfaction. He discusses the importance of staying focused on the fundamentals, sharing lessons learned, and balancing new technologies with proven methods of program management as well as the essential elements of leadership and creating a culture of success. 24 minutes running time		Click to Play Video

Learning from Space Entrepreneurs		Click to Play Video
William Pomerantz, X PRIZE Foundation On October 4, 2004, Brian Binnie piloted SpaceShipOne above 100 km, marking the third time ever—and the second time in as many weeks—that a civilian astronaut had taken a privately built craft to outer space. In doing so, Binnie and SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for Mojave Aerospace Ventures. Prizes like the Ansari X PRIZE and later efforts like the NASA-funded Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge and the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE exist to focus public attention and apply innovative new ideas to targeted technical problems. Equally, if not more, important are the innovative program management practices that come into play when extremely small and motivated teams put their own money on the line to win a prize. Program mangers at NASA and other government agencies can take important cues from the teams competing for prizes. +Read related ASK story. 53 minutes running time		Click to Play Video

Applying the Secrets of Hubble’s Success to Contellation		Click to Play Video
Frank Cepollina, Goddard Space Flight Center Frank Cepollina is known as the “Father of On-Orbit Servicing” for his decades of leadership in repairing and upgrading satellites in orbit. The most famous of these is the Hubble Space Telescope. He is responsible for the on-orbit servicing and the development of new science instruments and replacement hardware that allow Hubble to stay on the cutting edge of technology throughout its long life, and he discusses how these experiences can help NASA better prepare for future missions and its Vision for Space Exploration. +Read related ASK story. 1 hour running time		Click to Play Video

Jump-Starting the Future Apollo Legacy, Shuttle Lessons		Click to Play Video
G. Lee Norbraten, Johnson Space Center The current NASA strategic initiative to return to the moon and go beyond has its heritage in both the Apollo and the Space Shuttle programs. The legacy of Apollo lies in the physics: the shape and size of the spacecraft and the path to the moon and back remind us strongly of Apollo because the laws of physics have not changed over the past forty years. The lessons of the shuttle lie in the programmatics—the delicate balancing of cost, schedule, and technical constraints in an environment where consensus is hard to reach and even harder to maintain. G. Lee Norbraten examines how the heritage of both the Apollo and shuttle programs provides a proper foundation for the future of human space flight. He also reviews the current status of the Space Shuttle program, including the issues presented by its planned retirement in 2010. 1 hour 3 minutes running time		Click to Play Video

Masters Forum 16 Graphics - Pictures

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:20:01 -0400

Masters Forum 16

Graphics

[ Graphics ] [ Group Work Graphics ] [ Group Work Images ] [ Videos ]

Group Work Pictures

How We Learn—Group Exercise

Ed Hoffman, Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership

Ed Hoffman asked Masters Forum 16 participants, “How do you learn?” Participants separated into nine groups to discuss the various ways they learn as individuals and teams, then captured those myriad ways on white boards. Many overarching common themes and approaches surfaced from the different groups, and the visual representations also demonstrated the different ways we assimilate and distribute information, from bulleted lists to creative artwork. Images from the group discussions are available below.

Masters Forum 16 Graphics - Group Work Images

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:30:35 -0400

Masters Forum 16

Graphics

[ Graphics ] [ Group Work Graphics ] [ Group Work Images ] [ Videos ]

Group Work Images

How We Learn—Group Exercise

Ed Hoffman, Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership

Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (APPEL-PMP)

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:01:59 -0400

Course Description

Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (APPEL-PMP)

[ Registration ] [ Back to In-Depth Courses ] [ In-Depth Course Schedule ]

Audience

This course is designed for individuals seeking the Project Management Professional certification.

Goal

This 3.5-day course will acquaint the student with the 44 PMI processes, their inputs, tools, techniques and outputs that comprise approximately 80% of the exam. It will also give the student the opportunity to become acquainted with the significant amount of material on Professional Responsibility and Human Resources that are not covered in the PMBOK.

Learning Methods

The large amount of material to be absorbed requires that the material be presented in a variety of ways. In addition to conventional lecture, the students will act in skits, participate in games, see videos and hear silly but effective jingles, poems, etc. They will take notes using color-coded pens that will match a large colored chart they receive. Whatever the student’s preferred learning style, the presentation that will meet their needs.

Specific Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Sit for the 200-question, four hour PMP exam
Be guided personally through the application process
Be counseled in advance by telephone and email to assure that they are qualified to sit for the exam
Prospective students are invited to contact the instructor in advance to see if they qualify

Cancelled APPEL Courses

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:02:39 -0400

Cancelled APPEL Courses

[ In-Depth Courses ] [ Core Curriculum ]

Here you can find a listing of cancelled APPEL courses for various centers.

Course Name	Location	Start Date	End Date
APPEL-REQ #11	SSC	6/24/2008	6/26/2008
APPEL-REQ #12	JPL	6/25/2008	6/27/2008
APPEL-TW #6	GRC	7/14/2008	7/14/2008
APPEL-RM #3	LaRC	7/16/2008	7/16/2008
APPEL-SSVV #7	JSC	7/21/2008	7/23/2008
PMP Course #2	LaRC	7/21/2008	7/24/2008
APPEL-APM&ASE #8	GRC	7/21/2008	7/25/2008
APPEL-I-AERO #2	DFRC	7/28/2008	7/31/2008
APPEL-IDEA #2	ARC	7/28/2008	7/30/2008
APPEL-TL #3	JSC	8/18/2008	8/20/2008
APPEL-SAGE #9	KSC	8/19/2008	8/21/2008
APPEL-TL #4	MSFC	8/19/2008	8/21/2008
PMP Course #3	DFRC	8/25/2008	8/28/2008
PMP Course #3	DFRC	8/25/2008	8/28/2008
APPEL-TM #2	MSFC	9/9/2008	9/10/2008
APPEL-EXPO #3	MSFC	9/15/2008	9/19/2008
APPEL-LCP #1	GRC	9/15/2008	9/17/2008
APPEL-APM&ASE #9	WFF	9/22/2008	9/26/2008

Process Development Support

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:48:48 -0400

Process Development Support

[ Diagnostic & Planning Support ] [ Technical Training and Workshops ]
[ Mentoring and Coaching ] [ Process Development ]

APPEL process engineers use an incremental, step-wise approach when assisting NASA Centers, support functions, projects and other organizational entities in the development and improvement of processes.

Adherence to Appropriate Process Standards

Once an understanding of the process needs is clearly identified and agreed to, a technical review is performed using appropriate NASA process standards and requirements, as well as industry best practices to identify process gaps and deficiencies. Using the findings from the technical review, APPEL process engineers work with the organizational entity to create a process development and implementation plan with schedule that best satisfies their process needs and priorities based on available resources.

Creating Unique Program Processes

APPEL process engineers are experts in the development of processes that satisfy the requirements of standards such as NPR 7120.5D and NPR 7123.1A, as well as identified business needs. They have assisted in process development at various NASA Centers by working directly with project personnel, sharing lessons learned, and providing actual examples of effective processes that are currently in use within NASA.

Process Implementation and Deployment

As processes are implemented in accordance with the plan, APPEL process engineers assist in piloting activities and develop and provide process training as needed. In addition, at appropriate stages of implementation, they will conduct interim milestone reviews to assess the effectiveness of deployed processes. APPEL process engineers help establish an infrastructure and measurements that foster continued improvement of the processes in use.

Benefits

Business needs and processes identified
Process gaps and deficiencies identified and resolved
NASA Standards and Industry Best Practices consistently implemented
Process effectiveness assessed and understood
Clear path to process maturity identified

Mentoring and Coaching

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:43:11 -0400

Mentoring and Coaching

[ Diagnostic & Planning Support ] [ Technical Training and Workshops ]
[ Mentoring and Coaching ] [ Process Development ]

APPEL’s Mentoring and Coaching activities provide the NASA project community with extensive resources to enhance project performance or to address project management challenges before they threaten project success while offering to strengthen individual skills.

Agreed-upon coaching or mentoring activities are designed to achieve identified specific individualized goals confidentially while supporting specific work site requirements over a defined time period.

Mentoring and Coaching Services

Subject matter experts are available for short notice support to offer confidential mentoring or coaching support in a wide variety of specialties. SME’s offer both technical and managerial expertise to function as technical advisors to explore innovative solutions to complex issues. The goal of these services is to tap the deep reservoir of knowledge and experience across NASA to capture proven methods and avoid less than optimal results.

Participants will receive quick reaction services to support on going projects to foster individualized knowledge transfer specifically related to work site issues. APPEL SME’s average over 25 years of technical experience and 15 years of mentoring and coaching experience.

Services include support for:

Identifying a projects strategic and tactical opportunities
Using technical Performance Measures as a control response
Creating action plans with checklists and templates
Developing assessment metrics
Software management including cost estimating and earned value
Planning and scheduling
Requirements and architecture development
Process development Integration

Technical Training and Workshops

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:37:54 -0400

Technical Training and Workshops

[ Diagnostic & Planning Support ] [ Technical Training and Workshops ]
[ Mentoring and Coaching ] [ Process Development ]

APPEL’s technical training and workshop support programs enable project teams and individuals to produce high-quality results in the short term, using learning outcomes from technical training programs that improve performance and through workshops that better prepare teams for producing required artifacts.

Technical Training

In Technical Training, APPEL provides training to project teams that prepares individuals and project teams to deliver the right technical solution on time and on budget. Instructors assist teams to conceptualize a broader set of topics to ensure success through tailored exercises to allow teams to plan for the generation of specific artifacts. Training programs are typically 2 – 5 days in length.

Workshops

APPEL provided workshops are designed to facilitate a team production of a specific artifact or set of artifacts or to allow teams to plan the development of those artifacts. APPEL is prepared to provide a 72-hour turn-around on workshop request in certain circumstances should teams require.

Services include workshops for:

Formulation Phase Planning
Requirements Development
Project Plan Development
Decision Making
Work Breakdown Schedule Development
Cost Estimating
Program Control Areas
Integrated Baseline Review
Risk Management

Academy of Program / Project & Engineering Leadership - APPEL

Career Development Framework

Career Development Gateway

Career Development Framework

APPEL's Development Approach

Career Development Gateway

APPEL's Development Approach

APPEL Curriculum

Outside the Classroom

Knowledge Sharing Activities

Center Forums

Center Forums

Johnson Space Center Forum

Center Forums

Johnson Space Center Forum

Event Details

Competencies and Career Development Framework

Career Development

Competencies

Project Management Competencies

Career Development Gateway

Career Development Gateway

The Planning Process for Practitioners

Tools You'll Need

Project Management Development Files

Career Development Gateway

Files

Masters Forum 16 Videos

Videos

Masters Forum 16

Project Management: Are You Using the Right Stuff?

Learning from Space Entrepreneurs

Applying the Secrets of Hubble’s Success to Contellation

Jump-Starting the Future

Apollo Legacy, Shuttle Lessons

Masters Forum 16 Graphics - Pictures

Masters Forum 16

Graphics

Group Work Pictures

How We Learn—Group Exercise

Masters Forum 16 Graphics - Group Work Images

Masters Forum 16

Graphics

Group Work Images

How We Learn—Group Exercise

Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (APPEL-PMP)

Course Description

Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (APPEL-PMP)

Audience

Goal

Learning Methods

Specific Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Cancelled APPEL Courses

Cancelled APPEL Courses

Process Development Support

Process Development Support

Adherence to Appropriate Process Standards

Creating Unique Program Processes

Process Implementation and Deployment

Benefits

Mentoring and Coaching

Mentoring and Coaching

Mentoring and Coaching Services

Services include support for:

Technical Training and Workshops

Technical Training and Workshops

Technical Training

Workshops

Services include workshops for: