Small projects have unique characteristics that should be closely observed to help achieve a successful outcome.
David Wilcox, Chief, Special Projects Office at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, who also served as a project manager for the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator, shares helpful lessons about characteristics unique to small project work at NASA.
Video key learning points:
- 1.
The project management role gets smaller as a function on a small project team.
- 2.
On smaller projects, it is more effective to have a small, dedicated team with everyone working full-time on the project.
- 3.
Team members on a small project should have a systems mindset of how their specific area is working with the rest of the project. Cross-discipline awareness is valuable for small project teams. Team members should focus on their assigned project area but understand the interfaces they have with the rest of the project team.
- 4.
It is valuable to have team members with a broad work experience outside of their assigned technical discipline. This broad experience can help on a smaller project.
- 5.
It is easier to have cross-discipline interaction on small projects.
Related Resources
NASA VPMC: Smaller, Faster, Better: Big Lessons from Small(er) NASA Missions (full video)
ASK Magazine Article: GALEX: Managing the Unexpected
APPEL KS Courses: Building and Leading NASA Teams
ASK Magazine Article: A “Sweet 16” Of Rules About Teamwork
