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A still from the animation, “Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission: A fly up the Nile River in Egypt, then a pull-out into space,” showing Saudi Arabia, India, and the Caspian Sea. Image Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio; Blue Marble Next Generation data is courtesy of Reto Stockli (Goddard) and NASA’s Earth Observatory.
Configuration Management: A Record and a Resource

At the 2009 NASA Project Management Challenge, I walked to the lectern wearing a white wig. I asked the audience to step back in time with me to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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The Knowledge Notebook: The Meaning of Meaning

By Laurence Prusak A while ago I asked a number of colleagues, clients, and friends the following question: “If the word ‘knowledge’ were somehow banned from the English language, what existing word could take its place?”

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Volunteers Wanted: Best Practices from Volunteer Organizations

By Keith L. Woodman   I once had a NASA project manager who was notoriously hard to work with lament that people were leaving his project as fast as they could. Another project manager, who had no trouble retaining people, told me one of his secrets to success was to manage team members like volunteers. […]

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Managing in an Unsettled Environment
Managing in an Unsettled Environment

By Scott J. Cameron   Government service has historically been associated with a relatively stable work environment, at least when compared with private-sector organizations forced to continually adapt to shifting market forces in the pursuit of survival and profitability.

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Rüdiger Süß
Interview with Rüdiger Süß

By Don Cohen Rüdiger Süß is the project manager for corporate strategy and international relations for the German Aerospace Center (DLR). DLR is the national research center for aeronautics and space research and the German Space Administration.

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Crew Resource Management Improves Decision Making

  By Jerry Mulenburg   People make decisions, and people are fallible. So how can we make the best decisions in a particular situation given the information available? Crew resource management techniques designed for aircraft emergencies can help.

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In This Issue (ASK 42)

Don Cohen, Managing Editor   In his article on a technique devised to help pilots and others deal with emergencies (“Crew Resource Management Improves Decision Making”), Jerry Mulenburg sums up the core actions of crew resource management as “see it, say it, fix it.”

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Spacecraft technicians at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mars Science Lab: The Challenge of Complexity

By Richard Cook   One of NASA’s great strengths over the past fifty years has been our ability to execute complex, one-of-a-kind projects.

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From the Academy Director: 2011 Trends in Project Management

By Ed Hoffman     Throughout the past year, I have seen organizations, leaders, and managers wrestle with challenges brought on by economic, political, technological, and organizational change.

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