Promoting Workforce Excellence Through Knowledge Sharing at NASA

Paper number

IAC-11,E1,3,1,x10426

Author

Dr. Edward J. Hoffman, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States

Year

2011

Abstract

The challenges that NASA practitioners face when executing their projects are frequently technically demanding and unique - they are often “firsts” or one of a kind missions that demand innovation, technical excellence, specialized knowledge, and discipline. The NASA Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) promotes excellence in project management and engineering by providing a structured tier of technical workforce development and training activities, that include: individual instruction through specialized curriculum, project team performance though hands-on experience, team assessments and mentoring, and community learning through knowledge sharing.  The goal of the Academy’s knowledge sharing activities is to use the power of stories to build a community of reflective practitioners. Examples include:

o	Masters Forums that bring together communities of master practitioners in project management and engineering;

o	Principal Investigator (PI) Team Forums that bring together PI mission teams to learn from master practitioners;

o	Masters with Masters events that bring together 2-4 master practitioners to share stories and reflections in a one-hour television program format; and 

o	Publications such as the quarterly ASK Magazine, the monthly ASK the Academy e-newsletter, and teaching case studies about NASA missions.

o	Activities to integrate and develop young professionals

By facilitating agency-wide knowledge sharing through forums, conferences, publications, and multimedia offerings, the Academy helps ensure that critical lessons and knowledge remain accessible. In recognition of NASA’s broader mission and its collaboration with the broader space community, the Academy’s knowledge network extends beyond NASA to include expert practitioners from industry, academia, other government agencies, research and professional organizations, as well as with other international space agencies - through the recently established IAF International Program/Project Management Committee (IPMC), which has established a new means for broad collaboration in the development of our respective technical workforce.

Abstract document

IAC-11,E1,3,1,x10426.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-11,E1,3,1,x10426.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.