By Ed Hoffman “Rocket science” has become a catchphrase for anything that is extremely difficult, and the popular understanding is right: rocket science deals with technological marvels and the daunting challenges of complex systems.
In one way or another, many of the articles in this issue of ASK are about the importance of seeing the big picture.
By Frederick Manzer Have you ever thought, “This will never work, but if I tell management they’ll fire me”? Have you suppressed information, such as a growing estimate at completion, to prevent unwanted attention, criticism, or help?
By William H. Gerstenmaier Any project or program manager will tell you that the key to successful execution lies in mastering a toolkit of basic techniques.
By Brent Robertson and Jerry Klein Wouldn’t it be nice to have a project management crystal ball that revealed all problems before they occurred?
By Henry Petroski “Nothing succeeds like success” is an old saw with many different teeth — some still sharp and incising, some worn down from overuse, some entirely broken off from abuse.
By Don Cohen Don Cohen and Ed Hoffman met with NASA’s Associate Administrator to talk about his NASA career and his view of the Agency’s current and future challenges.
By Gus Guastaferro Early in my career, just after I completed a special task on the development of the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer for the Viking lander, Viking project manager Jim Martin asked me to go to Denver to manage the day-to-day activities of the all-up systems test on the entire lander.
By Kevin Vipavetz When Tom Shull, my supervisor, told me the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) might ask for project management and communications support for a university research balloon project, I thought about how I was already juggling four projects and didn’t have time to volunteer.
