In 2018, the Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) joined forces with NASA’s Chief Knowledge Office (CKO) to create APPEL Knowledge Services.
APPEL Knowledge Services unites the award-winning curriculum and career development tools from APPEL with the critical knowledge sharing and knowledge management capabilities of the CKO to establish a comprehensive, knowledge-dedicated resource for NASA. The new organization supports the agency’s mission on multiple levels. It delivers critical learning through its wide range of courses. It offers vital career development opportunities through its interactive resources and hands-on development programs. And it fosters knowledge sharing through unique tools and initiatives that enable NASA’s technical workforce to gain access to essential knowledge when they need it in order to increase the likelihood of mission success.
As part of the integration of APPEL and CKO into APPEL Knowledge Services, we have introduced a new website that provides access to all of the organization’s resources. By combining extensive online materials from the original APPEL and CKO websites in a single location, the new website serves as a one-stop resource for course information and registration, career development tools, and knowledge-sharing activities, as well as information on events hosted by APPEL Knowledge Services, such as NASA’s Virtual Project Management (PM) Challenge. In addition, the website is the home of INSIGHT, a new publication from APPEL Knowledge Services that features articles, interviews, and videos.
The website also acts as a platform for a range of initiatives designed to facilitate knowledge sharing at NASA. Two new tools for the technical workforce will be introduced in the coming months: the first supplies guidance for writing a knowledge management project plan, while the second offers support for capturing knowledge by writing a lessons-learned document. Additionally, the website will provide daily news updates relevant to engineers and project managers. Finally, the website-based Course Catalog will highlight new courses that incorporate a knowledge-management focus as they become available.
The APPEL Knowledge Services website consists of six main sections:
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Course Catalog: An interactive compendium of courses at every career level |
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Career Resources: Unique tools designed to help practitioners achieve their development goals |
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Lessons Learned: A portal to NASA’s extensive compilation of lessons learned housed in both agency-wide and center-specific databases |
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Virtual PM Challenge: An inspiring and informative agency training event that examines current trends in program and project management |
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Knowledge Sharing: A compilation of key knowledge management resources designed to facilitate the identification, access, and sharing of knowledge across NASA |
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Multimedia Library: A collection of critical knowledge and learning resources, including publication archives, videos, eBooks, and case studies |
A key driver behind the development of the new website is customer engagement. APPEL Knowledge Services collaborated with NASA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to enhance the organization’s online assets and elevate the user experience. By utilizing advances in website design, the new site ensures important resources are easily accessible to NASA practitioners as well as internal and external stakeholders.
“The goal of APPEL Knowledge Services is to leverage our world-class training curriculum, knowledge-sharing initiatives, and development resources to help ensure NASA’s technical workforce has the skills and knowledge needed to advance mission success,” said Roger Forsgren, NASA Chief Knowledge Officer and APPEL Director. “By consolidating critical resources for use by NASA’s engineering and project management communities, our comprehensive new website makes it easier for us to achieve that goal—and for our audience to advance mission success.”
Visit the new APPEL Knowledge Services website today to learn more about the organization and resources.
Click here to receive INSIGHT, the new publication from APPEL Knowledge Services, in your inbox each month.
