A project culture open to discussing tough questions can help with mission success.
Former NASA Deputy Chief Engineer Chris Singer talks about creating a cultural environment for programs and projects that allows people to bring forth their concerns and issues during project work. In the video clip, Singer talks about how the right culture can help to avoid tragedies.
Video key learning points:
- 1.
Encourage a culture and environment that is open to changing mental models and how people see the system working. Maintain an environment that encourages questions while still moving forward.
- 2.
Strongly pay attention to close calls, near misses and failures — and learn from them. Discuss failures in your early development programs.
- 3.
Talking about failures and close calls creates an environment where people feel free to bring up questions, concerns and issues. This environment where people feel free and open to bring their concerns forward can help to avoid future tragedies.
Related Resources
NASA Knowledge Inventory: Chris Singer Video
Chris Moore: Learning from Failures
NASA APPEL Courses: Lessons Learned for Mission Success
