GP-B Post-Flight Analysis—Final Report - Gravity Probe B - Stanford ...

6.7 Some Observations on the Management ExperimentWe have strong and deep reason to believe that the GP-B management experiment concept—NASA withskillful oversight, university as prime contractor, aerospace company as major subcontractor—was absolutelycrucial to the success that the GP-B mission achieved. Following are some observations about the keyingredients that led to this success.NASA’s Oversight Role The management experiment concept enabled the building of a GP-B team that couldboth develop the many new and unique technologies required by the experiment—efficiently and effectively—and also take the mission through its full lifetime. Stanford and Lockheed Martin required only minimaloversight from NASA during the technology development phase. Then, as the program approached launch,NASA provided the increased oversight and assistance necessary to minimize risk and ensure flight readiness ofthe spacecraft and the team. Once the spacecraft was in orbit and the IOC phase completed, Stanford and LMonce again required only minimal NASA oversight in successfully completing the flight mission. Finally, duringthe equally-critical data analysis period, the LM team members moved on to other aerospace projects, as theStanford team carried out the final phase of the GP-B program.Subcontractor Selection Following a thorough, by-the-book selection process to find the very best possibletalent, spacecraft experience, and matching team spirit in an aerospace subcontractor for integration with theuniversity’s science and engineering team was an essential ingredient in the success of GP-B through every stageof the program.Incremental Prototyping The incremental prototyping method enabled the development of uniquetechnologies—the very essence of GP-B—from initial conception to flight readiness much faster and moreefficiently than the traditional final-design specification-to-contractor approach would ever have been able todo.Highly Competent People and a Cohesive Team The first ingredient for program success was the forming of asynergistic senior management team. Next came the cultivation of knowledgeable and skilled second-levelmanagers for the various development areas and the selection of the best program manger for each phase of theprogram. It was concurrently essential to find and attract truly talented and competent people—including someoutstanding university students—to provide the deep expertise needed in so many first-time-ever areas ofresearch and technology development. Finally, it was essential to bond all these people—independent of theirhome groups—into a cohesive team, in which everyone knew each other well, and each respected the knowledgeand judgment of each other person. (When a team member speaks in a status review meeting, every otherperson in the room listens carefully. This was inspiringly true through every day of the seventeen-month flightmission.)NASA Personnel at Stanford The decision to place specific NASA personnel directly on the GP-B program atStanford was both cost-effective and a win-win strategy for both NASA and Stanford. This practice enabledStanford to assimilate at once team members having critical experience in areas ranging from management toscience without the long and involved process of university hiring. Conversely, this practice enabled key NASApeople to work in a cutting-edge flight mission—an invaluable experience that they could bring to their nextNASA program assignment.6.8 Sources and ReferencesFollowing are the main source and references consulted in writing this chapter.The GP-B Green Book A Report on a Program to Develop a Gyro Test of General Relativity in a Satellite andAssociated Control Technology, June 1980, pp. 1-10.166 March 2007 Chapter 6 — The GP-B Management Experiment