Critical Knowledge inSight: Lessons from Working Internationally

December 21, 2020

Programs with international partnerships benefit from having a process framework in place to help with timing of key programmatic decisions, engineering standards, interfaces, software and many other details that contribute to program success.

This video features Mike Hawes, former Associate Administrator, NASA Office of Independent Program Cost and Evaluation, and Lynn Cline, former Deputy Associate Administrator for Special Operations Missions, discussing their work on the International Space Station (ISS) and insights about international collaboration with Ed Hoffman, former Director of NASA’s Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership.

Video key learning points:

1. 1.
  Map out processes with your agreements that identify engineering standards, interfaces, software, key decisions and other important details to the program’s success.
2. 2.
  Allow for flexibility in your agreements because over the life of a program, new and unforeseen challenges arise and need to be dealt with using solutions that might not have been thought of when the original, agreed-upon framework or processes were put in place.
3. 3.
  Consensus in making key decisions with a multi-partner program like the ISS is important and achievable because all of the partners have the common overarching goal of mission success.