STUDY SUMMARY - IPMU

SUMMARY REPORT
WIDE FIELD FIBER-FED OPTICAL
MULTI-OBJECT SPECTROMETER (WFMOS)
7.0 Management and Cost
7.1 Management and System Engineering
Instruments on the scale of WFMOS have few precedents in the domain of ground-based
astronomy. Indeed, the cost and complexity of WFMOS are more typical of space-based
astronomy instruments and missions. As such, the management approach to WFMOS should be
appropriate to the complexity of this development and draw on lessons learned from the
management of other developments of this scale
The WFMOS team has chosen the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to be the lead partner institution
to manage and coordinate these activities. In this role, JPL provides overall project management
and project systems engineering in addition to its technical contributions to WFMOS. JPL has
broad experience in project management on a range of projects for both NASA and non-NASA
projects and has delivered over 40 spaceflight, airborne, balloon, and ground instruments in the
$10 M–$100 M range over the past 20 years. Based on this experience, JPL has identified practices
that are applied through the project phases to ensure that WFMOS will successfully deliver
within schedule and budget:
1. Detailed planning during pre-project phases, including detailed schedules, budgets, and
resource requirements.
2. Identification of cost containment strategies, including descope lists.
3. Identification of potential risks and mitigation strategies.
4. Provision for adequate budget and schedule reserves.
5. Clear statements of roles and responsibilities for key project members (PI, PM, PSE, PS)
and decision-making.
6. Early identification of project communication and coordination strategies.
Managing an instrument developed by multiple international partners requires additional effort
and is routinely done at JPL. This requires detailed knowledge of the development of the instrument
in order to correctly assess progress and identify trends in schedule or cost growth
quickly to take corrective action. Experience has shown the key to managing this type of project
is through continuous communication with all partners, focused attention on the cost and schedule,
and adherence to requirements and ICDs for design structure. JPL is committed to delivering
this instrument on time and at cost and, during the development, providing complete insight on
the instrument progress to Gemini. This is done through the monthly reports that include technical
status, milestone status, cost and schedule detail, and any issues and mitigation.
A recent example of an instrument delivered on time and on cost is the Moon Mineralogy
Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer designed to map the surface mineral composition of the
moon for the Chandrayaan-1 Indian Space Research Organisation mission. This instrument was a
JPL in-house development managed by Mary White, the WFMOS project manager. The original
proposal cost was $23.6 M and final costs after delivery and preliminary integration on the
spacecraft was $25.1 M, with the increase due to delays from the spacecraft provider. Completing
M3 at cost required constant interaction with the spacecraft provider, detailed assessment of
development progress against schedule, and implementing design changes in a timely manner.
JPL involvement with ground instruments includes the Keck Interferometer and the M1 Control
System (M1CS) for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), and the calibration system for Gemini
Planet Imager (discussed in section Management Proposal Section 12.1). JPL is also support-
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