文/Ross Foti 譯/趙克琛

加拿大航天設(shè)備開發(fā)公司MD Robotics通過(guò)關(guān)注于軟技能提高了他們的項(xiàng)目管理水平。在這個(gè)過(guò)程中，他們找到了市場(chǎng)定位并使其產(chǎn)品變得多樣化。

在MD Robotics, 創(chuàng)新意味著巨大的商機(jī)。1997年，加拿大太空總署（CSA）委托這家位于安大略省賓頓市的公司交付一項(xiàng)價(jià)值1.6億美元的具有特殊效用的靈巧操作器（SPDM），這是國(guó)際空間站計(jì)劃的重要組件，也是美國(guó)宇航局（NASA）領(lǐng)導(dǎo)實(shí)施的第三個(gè)機(jī)器人系統(tǒng)。

SPDM在國(guó)際空間站會(huì)執(zhí)行精準(zhǔn)的維護(hù)和服務(wù)工作，如安裝拆卸電池、操作特殊的扳手和套筒扳手、提供載荷的能源和數(shù)據(jù)連接，這些工作以往都是由一名宇航員通過(guò)進(jìn)行危險(xiǎn)的太空行走來(lái)完成。此外，最新的科技還可以使機(jī)器人“觸摸”和“感知”運(yùn)動(dòng)。

CSA要求在規(guī)定預(yù)算和進(jìn)度下完成產(chǎn)品的技術(shù)規(guī)范，同時(shí)，在最小程度上影響和改變國(guó)際空間站的結(jié)構(gòu)和控制軟件。對(duì)于MD Robotics來(lái)說(shuō)，這項(xiàng)挑戰(zhàn)有更多積極意義。MD Robotics的副總裁和總經(jīng)理梅格·伊斯坎達(dá)說(shuō)：“加拿大在諸如太空機(jī)器人技術(shù)等需要較少預(yù)算和精確應(yīng)用特殊高新技術(shù)的市場(chǎng)上一直是非常成功的。對(duì)于未來(lái)，我們需要尋找新市場(chǎng)并且追求卓越。”

MD Robotics以前曾生產(chǎn)出裝置在美國(guó)的航天飛機(jī)的Canadarm機(jī)器人和在2001年4月裝備在國(guó)際空間站的第二代Canadarm機(jī)器人，SPDM從根本上是一次全新的設(shè)計(jì)。管理層認(rèn)定MD Robotics將通過(guò)此次獨(dú)特的經(jīng)歷創(chuàng)造出項(xiàng)目管理和工程開發(fā)的新方法。最佳實(shí)踐會(huì)使公司自信地競(jìng)爭(zhēng)全新的“更快、更好、更便宜”的固定總價(jià)項(xiàng)目，這是任何公司開發(fā)“前所未有”的技術(shù)的開端。

MD Robotics項(xiàng)目總監(jiān)艾德里安·阿布拉維奇解釋稱：“我們打算徹底改造我們的公司，我們通過(guò)此項(xiàng)目在公司內(nèi)實(shí)施變更管理，并改進(jìn)以往處理流程和工具的方法?！?br>
執(zhí)行策略

在正式開展工作之前，MD Robotics與CSA談判小組進(jìn)行了重要的范圍定義與規(guī)劃。成本帳目協(xié)議包括工作說(shuō)明、完成工作所需的預(yù)算、必要的輸入（內(nèi)部或客戶提供的設(shè)備）和輸出（交付物）。所有的描述都要符合合同工作說(shuō)明書，并達(dá)到除去管理儲(chǔ)備和風(fēng)險(xiǎn)準(zhǔn)備金之外的預(yù)算要求。

除了SPDM本身，MD Robotics還必須提供額外的硬件、全面技術(shù)支持、操作和軌道運(yùn)行維護(hù)計(jì)劃以及飛行支持設(shè)備。這些工作在運(yùn)作中的合同之外，但在戰(zhàn)略上是非常重要的。

MD Robotics政府項(xiàng)目的副總裁克里斯·伍德蘭認(rèn)為：“在我們看來(lái)，運(yùn)作項(xiàng)目的唯一手段時(shí)采用項(xiàng)目管理流程。從戰(zhàn)略角度看來(lái)，信譽(yù)非常重要。為了維護(hù)自己的信譽(yù)，我們必須交付產(chǎn)品。項(xiàng)目管理是我們實(shí)現(xiàn)承諾的核心?！?br>
MD Robotics已經(jīng)擁有一套高度項(xiàng)目化的組織，他們已有的項(xiàng)目管理控制體系涵蓋了必需的項(xiàng)目管理“硬技能”。

阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“我們已經(jīng)開展了掙值管理，項(xiàng)目管理辦公室成為一項(xiàng)必要組織，它已經(jīng)深入到項(xiàng)目中。我們必須做出改變的事情大部分是軟技能：團(tuán)隊(duì)建設(shè)、與供應(yīng)商的交互與管理、對(duì)人員進(jìn)行授權(quán)，還有確認(rèn)信息使用的一致性。”

阿布拉莫維奇還認(rèn)為，一旦團(tuán)隊(duì)意識(shí)到責(zé)任和義務(wù)，他們就會(huì)毋庸置疑地進(jìn)行流程創(chuàng)新。

管理方式

為了鼓勵(lì)自由溝通和促進(jìn)問(wèn)題解決，管理層采用了集中座位的方法：包括管理團(tuán)隊(duì)在內(nèi)的所有項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)搬到了MD Robotics大樓的同一層樓中。借助于開放、公開的環(huán)境，項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理可以方便地與能夠得到領(lǐng)導(dǎo)授權(quán)的工程師進(jìn)行交流。

阿布拉莫維奇介紹說(shuō)，由于團(tuán)隊(duì)每天的交流和大量的特別會(huì)議，每周的小團(tuán)隊(duì)會(huì)議和每月的大團(tuán)隊(duì)會(huì)議顯得不那么必要?！白鳛樘娲?，我們?cè)O(shè)立了‘沒(méi)有意外’的方針，這意味著團(tuán)隊(duì)成員必須迅速地與包括管理層和其他受影響團(tuán)隊(duì)在內(nèi)的相關(guān)各方溝通任何問(wèn)題。”阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)。

在“沒(méi)有意外”的方針下，團(tuán)隊(duì)被賦予了相當(dāng)多的自主權(quán)。管理層會(huì)接到開發(fā)人員的通知，但并不用必須簽署。數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)管理員、額外的文員和大量的實(shí)習(xí)生將工程師從繁瑣的工作中解脫出來(lái)，使他們抽出更多的時(shí)間關(guān)注于他們主要的職責(zé)。

同級(jí)評(píng)審有助于解決問(wèn)題。例如，系統(tǒng)工程技術(shù)評(píng)審（SETR）允許工程師們針對(duì)技術(shù)問(wèn)題和方案進(jìn)行爭(zhēng)論。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“SETR承擔(dān)了早期評(píng)審平臺(tái)的功能，它確保某位工程師不會(huì)花時(shí)間調(diào)查和開發(fā)那些絕對(duì)不會(huì)被著手進(jìn)行設(shè)計(jì)的設(shè)想或者問(wèn)題解決方案?！?br>
SETR同時(shí)促進(jìn)了管理層對(duì)于工程活動(dòng)的快速接受。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)，管理層代表會(huì)參加SETR，但不會(huì)朝著“合乎計(jì)劃”方案的方向操縱決定，而且在大多數(shù)情況下，他們會(huì)當(dāng)場(chǎng)對(duì)SETR的決定做出管理層的批準(zhǔn)。他說(shuō)：“在18個(gè)月內(nèi)，沒(méi)有任何一宗SETR的決定被管理層推翻?！?br>
時(shí)間決定一切

NASA計(jì)劃在2004年裝置機(jī)器人，很明顯，MD Robotics不能錯(cuò)過(guò)他們承諾的交付日期。在SPDM的工作說(shuō)明書里，進(jìn)度表詳述了主要的里程碑和交付物。

MD Robotics基于過(guò)去的項(xiàng)目使用自下而上的方法估計(jì)出成本。兩個(gè)外部的團(tuán)隊(duì)評(píng)審并驗(yàn)證了成本數(shù)字?？紤]到項(xiàng)目風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，2360萬(wàn)美元被留作儲(chǔ)備。

掙值里程碑有其自身的進(jìn)度日期和相應(yīng)的預(yù)算。隨著項(xiàng)目進(jìn)展，項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理每月會(huì)評(píng)審里程碑，將其與計(jì)劃日期比較，并得出完成它們的實(shí)際花費(fèi)。

MD Robotics項(xiàng)目計(jì)劃和控制經(jīng)理道格·高安斯說(shuō)：“如果你控制住進(jìn)度，那你總是會(huì)控制住費(fèi)用。非常關(guān)鍵的一個(gè)問(wèn)題是：要有一份集成的進(jìn)度表將包括交付物和里程碑在內(nèi)的所有項(xiàng)目元素整合到一起?！?br>
總體計(jì)劃將從客戶付款到里程碑的所有項(xiàng)目元素集成為一份固定總價(jià)合同。高安斯說(shuō)：“我們沒(méi)有選擇，這是使客戶確信‘只有付錢，才會(huì)有進(jìn)展’的唯一方法。但你一定要選擇那些可實(shí)現(xiàn)的進(jìn)展。”

這種機(jī)制帶來(lái)了管理上的挑戰(zhàn)，特別是當(dāng)積極地管理關(guān)鍵路徑時(shí)更是如此。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“一方面，付款里程碑較有優(yōu)勢(shì)，因?yàn)樗鼈兪刮覀兂掷m(xù)地關(guān)注于交付物，并且使客戶看到已有的進(jìn)展，但是如果有太多的里程碑彼此靠得太近，靈活性就會(huì)大打折扣。由于里程碑被鎖定于付款的前提下，所以你無(wú)法使用滾動(dòng)計(jì)劃法?！?br>
在項(xiàng)目的生命周期內(nèi)，通過(guò)集成客戶強(qiáng)制的和批準(zhǔn)的范圍變更建議，他們會(huì)修正原始的費(fèi)用和進(jìn)度計(jì)劃，同時(shí)修改相應(yīng)的項(xiàng)目費(fèi)用和接受評(píng)審日期。

進(jìn)度報(bào)告

SPDM的產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)工作與工程工作并行展開。工程團(tuán)隊(duì)與管理層詳細(xì)審查了所有的客戶變更請(qǐng)求，這樣做是為了確保目前的設(shè)計(jì)會(huì)滿足這些新需求并確認(rèn)它們是否已經(jīng)包括在最初的范圍內(nèi)。工程團(tuán)隊(duì)會(huì)迅速地與客戶討論范圍外的變更，如果客戶批準(zhǔn)了變更的實(shí)施，工程團(tuán)隊(duì)就會(huì)分析這些變更對(duì)各方面的影響，如技術(shù)、成本、進(jìn)度、人力、設(shè)備和風(fēng)險(xiǎn)等。

由于太空機(jī)器人必須在太空中停留至少10年，所以質(zhì)量和安全上有強(qiáng)制的要求。作為最初項(xiàng)目計(jì)劃中定義的一部分，MD Robotics團(tuán)隊(duì)建立了一套完整的產(chǎn)品保證計(jì)劃，涵蓋了諸多方面，如材料與流程選擇、電氣及機(jī)械零件選擇、配置管理、安全性與可靠性保證，還有軟件產(chǎn)品保證等。

產(chǎn)品保證人員把座位與項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)安排在一起，并且變?yōu)樵O(shè)計(jì)、生產(chǎn)和測(cè)試團(tuán)隊(duì)的一個(gè)組成部分。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“他們帶來(lái)了許多太空相關(guān)的寶貴經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

控制風(fēng)險(xiǎn)

MD Robotics同時(shí)著手于對(duì)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)管理進(jìn)行特別地思考。通過(guò)持續(xù)地重復(fù)檢查關(guān)鍵路徑，項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)想出了減輕成本和進(jìn)度風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的創(chuàng)新方法。

阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“在這個(gè)項(xiàng)目里，我們的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)管理與關(guān)鍵路徑是同步的。由于它會(huì)影響成本和進(jìn)度，所以這樣做很有必要。我們同時(shí)關(guān)注機(jī)會(huì)，這在從前從來(lái)沒(méi)有被看作風(fēng)險(xiǎn)管理的一部分。通常，人們會(huì)清楚地理解其中的明顯聯(lián)系，但是大多數(shù)情況下，他們沒(méi)有探討這種可能性?，F(xiàn)在，我們嚴(yán)格地遵循了這種做法。”

創(chuàng)新的機(jī)會(huì)大量存在。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“NASA管理下的國(guó)際空間站計(jì)劃經(jīng)歷了痛苦的變更過(guò)程，這是由于它內(nèi)在地復(fù)雜性和重大的預(yù)算問(wèn)題，這迫使幾乎所有的后續(xù)設(shè)計(jì)進(jìn)行變更和接口重新調(diào)整。這些變更影響了所有的事情，從SPDM接口到機(jī)器人在太空的運(yùn)行方式?！?br>
系統(tǒng)工程團(tuán)隊(duì)集中精力尋找一種方法將進(jìn)化的SPDM與不斷變化的國(guó)際空間站架構(gòu)整合在一起，同時(shí)還要將對(duì)產(chǎn)品的影響降到最低。其結(jié)果不言而喻：極少的范圍外變更出現(xiàn)在項(xiàng)目生命周期內(nèi)。

高安斯說(shuō)：“在項(xiàng)目開始時(shí)，需求被充分地深思熟慮過(guò)。由于不存在模糊的需求，這使得做出成本和進(jìn)度上可行的計(jì)劃變得容易。在固定成本的工作中，明確需求是關(guān)鍵所在?！?br>
主要的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)起因于設(shè)計(jì)中引入了未經(jīng)測(cè)試的新工具，帶來(lái)了機(jī)械和電氣封裝的純粹的幾何復(fù)雜性。MD Robotics的設(shè)計(jì)工程師和質(zhì)量保證人員在長(zhǎng)期的關(guān)鍵時(shí)期一直待在現(xiàn)場(chǎng)。

項(xiàng)目分包

由于分包出去的部分占據(jù)合同總價(jià)的50％，所以為了達(dá)到共贏，供應(yīng)商很早就與工程師合作并介入了設(shè)計(jì)過(guò)程。

早在SPDM建議階段，預(yù)算就被分配到每份分包合同上。這些信息通過(guò)先前的項(xiàng)目經(jīng)驗(yàn)、配額和采購(gòu)歷史記錄被驗(yàn)證是行之有效的。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“潛在供應(yīng)商在此時(shí)被識(shí)別出來(lái)，來(lái)源單一的組件被標(biāo)識(shí)為項(xiàng)目風(fēng)險(xiǎn)?！?br>
MD Robotics盡可能與供應(yīng)商簽訂固定總價(jià)合同協(xié)議。然而，為了使工作更有靈活性，SPDM工程師們建議MD Robotics在與一家供應(yīng)商艱苦談判的同時(shí)自行開發(fā)設(shè)計(jì)符合空間標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的照相機(jī)。MD Robotics同意了此建議并批準(zhǔn)新項(xiàng)目上馬。這種照相機(jī)后來(lái)變成他們自己一項(xiàng)成功的商業(yè)機(jī)遇，公司獲得了超過(guò)1300萬(wàn)美元的合同。

為了保證在整個(gè)合同中的工程與質(zhì)量高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，每家供應(yīng)商配備了一個(gè)專門的分包商管理團(tuán)隊(duì)。對(duì)于規(guī)模較小的供應(yīng)商，一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)會(huì)負(fù)責(zé)多個(gè)分包商。

收獲成果

項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)于2001年11月14日和15日完成了與CSA的接受評(píng)審，僅有像微小的軟件修復(fù)這類少數(shù)的遺留任務(wù)需要完成。然而，機(jī)械臂接合部位深處的一塊價(jià)值50美元的不合格塑料元件迫使MD Robotics在所有的21處接合部位更換了此元件并重做了部分測(cè)試。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“所有項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理都會(huì)遭遇‘墨菲定律’，我們也不例外?！?br>
總的來(lái)說(shuō)，MD Robotics達(dá)成了進(jìn)度和成本計(jì)劃，而且客戶也比較滿意。目前，正在進(jìn)行機(jī)器人端到端測(cè)試也確保其軟件接合并集成到國(guó)際空間站系統(tǒng)中。伍德蘭說(shuō)：“我認(rèn)為此項(xiàng)目的交付使用賦予了我們一種競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)，我們現(xiàn)在可以以完全不同的方式競(jìng)標(biāo)。把這個(gè)項(xiàng)目完成并做好很重要，它為我們積極競(jìng)爭(zhēng)類似項(xiàng)目建立信心，并使我們知道我們能夠完成自己的承諾?！?br>
今天，公司繼續(xù)從他們的自身認(rèn)識(shí)中收獲成果。阿布拉莫維奇說(shuō)：“在公司大多數(shù)的新項(xiàng)目中，項(xiàng)目副經(jīng)理已經(jīng)被提升到總監(jiān)職位。我們現(xiàn)在在領(lǐng)導(dǎo)實(shí)施新項(xiàng)目，并且使用我們的軟技能和經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)，這的確有很大幫助。我們開始接手小型的快速項(xiàng)目。我們的項(xiàng)目組合迅猛增長(zhǎng)，這主要?dú)w功于我們充分展現(xiàn)了‘我們能夠做到’。”（完）

附文：

小行動(dòng)，大收獲

●SPDM團(tuán)隊(duì)被組織成小型的子項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)，這些小團(tuán)隊(duì)的座位被安排在一個(gè)沒(méi)有隔斷的開放辦公環(huán)境里。團(tuán)隊(duì)成員間傳達(dá)著這樣的信息：各團(tuán)隊(duì)的地位平等；管理者平易近人；項(xiàng)目成功依賴于開放而迅速的溝通。儲(chǔ)物柜被集中起來(lái)并蓋上桌板以充當(dāng)臨時(shí)畫圖討論區(qū)。會(huì)議室環(huán)繞辦公區(qū)修建。

●員工參與到項(xiàng)目基線集思廣益討論、工程問(wèn)題方案和變更管理的提出、評(píng)審核風(fēng)險(xiǎn)方案中。由于管理層避免“干擾”、猜測(cè)和自上而下的決定，團(tuán)隊(duì)相應(yīng)地增強(qiáng)了所有權(quán)和責(zé)任感。

●項(xiàng)目和團(tuán)隊(duì)績(jī)效評(píng)估還有獎(jiǎng)金和加薪與項(xiàng)目總體目標(biāo)和績(jī)效相關(guān)。管理層通過(guò)以下方式表彰員工成就：獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)和認(rèn)可、允許員工而不是經(jīng)理領(lǐng)導(dǎo)客戶演示、VIP人員訪問(wèn)和電視采訪等。

領(lǐng)導(dǎo)藝術(shù)

一份固定總價(jià)合同團(tuán)結(jié)了項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)。以下的項(xiàng)目管理實(shí)踐將團(tuán)隊(duì)合作變?yōu)楝F(xiàn)實(shí)：

項(xiàng)目計(jì)劃與項(xiàng)目基線。在建立基線或項(xiàng)目中任何的自下而上估計(jì)時(shí)，獨(dú)裁都不允許出現(xiàn)。變更只有在被咨詢過(guò)提出者的意見(jiàn)之后才會(huì)被付諸實(shí)施。

項(xiàng)目管理控制系統(tǒng)。關(guān)鍵路徑不僅在問(wèn)題發(fā)生時(shí)才起作用。管理層使用“思考會(huì)”的形式來(lái)做假定情況分析。項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)嘗試新方法來(lái)驗(yàn)證它們?nèi)绾斡绊懗杀竞瓦M(jìn)度。

強(qiáng)調(diào)人員聯(lián)系。包括經(jīng)理、客戶和員工在內(nèi)的項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)緊密接觸。當(dāng)公司里很多人墨守陳規(guī)時(shí)，團(tuán)隊(duì)聚集起來(lái)，集中意見(jiàn)，并一起證明其行之有效。

風(fēng)險(xiǎn)管理技術(shù)。項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)對(duì)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的持續(xù)關(guān)注促使成員在包括同步工程在內(nèi)的各方面工作進(jìn)行創(chuàng)新。設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)邀請(qǐng)主要的供應(yīng)商作為平等的伙伴參與到工作中。

原文：
Mission Control
By Ross Foti

By focusing on soft skills, this Canadian aerospace development firm improved its project management practices. In the process, the company refined its niche and diversified its portfolio.

At MD Robotics, innovation means big business. In 1997, the Brampton, Ontario, Canada-based firm was commissioned by Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to deliver a $160 million special-purpose dexterous manipulator (SPDM), a critical component of the International Space Station program and the third robotic system contributed to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-led effort.

The SPDM performs delicate maintenance and servicing jobs on the International Spec Station, such as installing and removing batteries, operation specialized wrenches and socket extensions, and providing power and data connectivity to payloads – tasks that otherwise would require an astronaut to perform dangerous space walks. What’s more, the latest technology allows the robot to “touch” and “feel” movements.

CSA needed a product that met technical specifications, within budget and schedule, while minimizing the impact and changes to the International Space Station architecture or control software. But for MD Robotics, the challenge was more meaningful. “Canada has been very successful with a small budget, very smartly applied to specific high-tech niches like space robotics,” says Mag Iskander, vice president and general manager, MD Robotics. “As for our future, we need to look for new niches and excel in them.”

In past efforts, the aerospace company produced the Canadarm robot (on the U.S. Space Shuttle) and the Canadarm 2 (launched April 2001 on the International Space Station), but the SPDM is a radically new one-off design. Management decided the unique effort would allow MD Robotics to create a new approach to project management and engineering development. Best practices would enable the company to move with confidence into bidding new “faster, better, cheaper” projects with a firm, fixed price – a first for any company developing “never-before” technology.

“We attempted to reinvent ourselves as a company,” says Adrian Abramovici, director of programs, MD Robotics. “We used this project to implement change management in our organization – and improve the way we traditionally approached processes and tools.”

Executive Suite

Before “official” work even began, the MD Robotics and CSA negotiating teams performed a significant part of the scope definition and planning. Cost account agreements included work description, budget to accomplish the work, necessary inputs (internal- or customer-furnished equipment) and outputs (deliverables). All of the descriptions corresponded to the work effort defined in the contractual statement of work (SOW) and its budget, excluding the management reserve and risk allowance.

In addition to the SPDM itself, MD Robotics had to provide spare hardware, as well as overall engineering support work, operational and in-orbit maintenance planning, combined robotics operations and flight support equipment. Aside from the contract in hand, the effort was strategically important.

“In our view, the only way to run a project is to use project management processes,” says Chris Woodland, MD Robotics vice president, government projects. “From a strategic point of view, credibility is important. In order to be credible, you have to deliver. Project management is the heart of how we deliver on our commitments.”

MD Robotics already was a highly “projectized” organization – its established program management control system covered the required “hard” project management skills. “We already performed earned value management, and the project management office was a given – it was all already built in,” Abramovici says. “A lot of the things we had to change were related mostly to the soft skills: team building, interaction with suppliers and management, empowering our people and making sure the message is consistently applied.” Abramovici says one the team felt ownership and accountability, process innovation was sure to follow.

Full Responsibility

To encourage free communication and problem-solving, the executive team hit upon the idea of co-location”: All project staff, including management, were transferred to one floor of MD Robotics facility. Due to an open, communal setup, project managers were free to interact with engineers who could approach leaders for sign-off.

Due to the daily interaction and numerous ad-hoc meetings of the co-location tam, Abramovici says weekly subteam and monthly primary team meetings weren’t as necessary. “Instead, we instituted a policy of ‘no surprises,’ meaning that all team members immediately communicated any and all information to all parties interested, both in management and in the other potentially affected teams,” Abramovici says.

The teams were given considerable autonomy under the “no surprises” rule. Management was informed of developments, but sign-off was not require. Database technicians, additional secretaries and numerous engineering students relieved engineers of mundane tasks, allowing them more time to concentrate on their primary responsibilities.

Peer reviews helped resolve issues. For example, the systems engineering technical review (SETR) allowed engineers to debate technical problems and solutions. “By acting as an early review forum, the SETR helped ensure that individual engineers did not spend time investigating or developing ideas for changes or solutions to problems that ultimately would not make it into the design,” Abramovici says.

The SETR also facilitated quick management buy-in for engineering activities. Abramovici says management representatives attended the SETRs without attempting to steer decisions toward “programmatically palatable3” solutions, and in most cases granted management approval for the SETR decisions on the spot. “In 18 months, not a single SETR decision was reversed by the management team,” he says.

Timing is Everything

NASA planned to launch the robot in 2004, and it was clear MD Robotics could not miss its promised delivery. The schedule, defined in the SPDM SOW, detailed the major milestones and deliverables.

Based on past projects, MD Robotics used bottom-up estimates to arrive at costs. Two external groups reviewed and validated the numbers. Considering the risk associated with the project, $23.6 million was set aside.

Earned value milestones had scheduled dates and associated budgets. As the program progressed, project managers reviewed the milestones monthly, comparing them to their planned dates and the actual costs of achieving them.

“If you hold the schedule, you will invariably hold the cost,” says Doug Gowans, manager of program planning and control, MD Robotics. “Having an integrated schedule that pulls together all the elements of the program – deliverables and milestones – was absolutely key.”

The overall plan tied customer payment to milestones, as firm, fixed-price contracts require. “I don’t think we had a choice,” Gowans says. “That’s the only way the customer is assured that, when the dollars are paid, progress is made. But you must pick increments that are achievable.”

The setup provides management challenges, especially when managing the critical path proactively, Abramovici says. “On one hand, payment milestones are good because they allow a continuous focus on those deliverables and permit the customer to see progress being made,” Abramovici says. “But if there are too many milestones too closely spaced, it takes away flexibility as the program progresses. You can’t use a rolling-wave approach because the milestones are locked down based on payment.”

The original (baseline) cost and schedule was amended through the life of the project by incorporating customer-mandated and approved changes of scope proposals, which consequently modified the project cost and acceptance review date.

Progress Report

Engineering work paralleled the SPDM product design effort. The engineering team and management scrutinized any changes requested by the customer to ensure the existing design would meet the new demands and to define whether or not the new requirements were within the original scope. The team immediately discussed out-of-scope changes with the customer and, if the customer approved implementation, the team analyzed these requests to identify technical, cost, schedule, human resources, facilities and risk impacts.

Because space robotic systems must endure at least 10 years in space, quality, reliability and safety demands are imperative. As part of the initial project plan definition, the MD Robotics team established a complete product assurance plan that covered materials and processes selection (critical for space applications), configuration management, electrical and mechanical parts selection, safety and reliability, and software product assurance.

Product assurance personnel were co-located with the project team and became an integral part of the design, manufacturing and test teams. “They brought extensive space-related experience to the table,” Abramovici says.

The Glass is Half Full

The MD Robotics team also began thinking differently about risk management. By continuously re-examining the critical path, the project team brainstormed innovative ways to mitigate threats to cost and schedule.

“Our risk management on this project was synchronized with the critical path,” Abramovici says. “Because it affects your cost and schedule, this make sense. We also looked at opportunities, which no one ever looked at before as part of risk management. While people intellectually understand that there’s a positive connotation, in many cases, they don’t explore those possibilities. We followed this approach religiously.”

There were plenty of opportunities for innovation. “The International Space Station program, managed by NASA, was going through painful changes due to its inherent complexity as well as significant budget problems that forced almost continuous design changes and interface realignments,” Abramovici says. “The changes affected everything, from SPDM interfaces to the way to robot was to be used in space.”

The system engineering team focused on finding ways to integrate to evolving SPDM into the changing Internal Space Station architecture while minimizing the impact on the product. The results speak for themselves: Very few out-of-scope changes appeared through the life of the project.

“The requirements were extremely well thought out at the beginning,” Gowans says. “There were no soft requirements, and that made it easier to put a plan in place that was achievable both cost- and schedule-wise. Nailing down those requirements is key in a fixed-price job.”

Major internal risks arose from the introduction of new, untested technologies into the design, by the sheer geometrical complexity of the mechanical and electrical packaging. MD Robotics design engineers and quality-assurance personnel were onsite for extended critical time periods.

Add Subcontracts, Stir

Because subcontracted items accounted for 50 percent of the total contract value, suppliers were brought early into the design process and cooperated with engineers to mutual benefit, Abramovici says.

During the SPDM proposal stage, budgets were allocated to each subcontract. The information was validated through previous program experience, quotations and past procurement history. “At this time, potential vendors were identified, and sole-source components were flagged as program risks,” Abramovici says.

Whenever possible, MR Robotics entered into fixed-price agreements with suppliers. However, in one case of ingenuity at work, SPDM engineers suggested MR Robotics develop its own space-qualified camera design in parallel with a struggling supplier. MD Robotics management agreed, and a new project was launched. The cameras turned into a good business opportunity on their own, as the firm won major contracts for more than $13 million.

To ensure the highest engineering and quality standards were maintained throughout the contract, a dedicated subcontracts management team was assigned to each vendor. With smaller vendors, a team was responsible for more than one subcontract.

The Upshot

The project team completed its acceptance review with CSA on 14 and 15 November 2001, with only a minimal number of remaining actions to close, such as minor software fixes. However, a $ 50 plastic part deep in the arm joint failed, forcing MD Robotics to replace the part in all 21 joints and perform a partial re-test. “No project manager goes by without meeting ‘Mr. Murphy,’ and we did too,” Abramovici says.

All in all, MD Robotics met the schedule and budget, and the customer was satisfied. Currently, the robot is undergoing end-to-end testing to ensure that it will interface with software and integrate with International Space Station systems. “I think delivery of this project has given us an edge over other companies – we’re able to bid contracts in different light,” Woodland says. “It was very important to do this project and do it well. It had given us confidence in being able to bid on similar projects more aggressively and knowing that we can accomplish what we set out to do.”

Today, the firm continues to reap rewards from its introspection. “In most of our new projects, the associate program managers have been prompted to director positions with our company,” Abramovici says. “We’re now leading new programs, and we’re applying our soft skills lessons learned. It has made a big difference. We moved into small, fast and quick programs. Our portfolio has dramatically increased and, mostly, that’s because we’ve shown we can do it.”


Small Decisions, Big Rewards

Soft skills-driven management choices enabled the project to stay on track:

l The SPDM was grouped into smaller subproject teams, and these smaller teams were co-located in an open, wall-less office environment. Staff got the message that the team was equal, management was accessible and that project success relied on open and immediate communications. Storage cabinets grouped and capped with tabletop surfaces acted as impromptu drawing review areas. Meeting rooms were built surrounding the team area.

l Employees were involved from the project baseline brainstorming, engineering problem resolution and change management through initiation, review and risk resolution. Because management avoided “interfering,” second-guessing or top-down decisions, the team responded with increased owner ship and responsibility.

l Project and team performance appraisals – and the resulting bonuses and raises – were linked to the overall program goals as well as performance. Management promoted achievements through awards and recognition and by allowing employees, rather that managers, to lead customer presentations, VIP visits or television interviews.

The Art of Management

A firm, fixed-price budget focused the project team. The following project management practices made this teamwork possible:

Project Plan and Project Baseline. No arbitrary cuts were made in any of the bottom-up estimates during the establishment of the baseline or at any other time during the project. Modifications were made only after consulting with the originators.

Program Management Control System. The critical path was “worked” continuously, not just when problems emerged. The management team used “think” sessions to explore “what-if” scenarios. The group tried new approaches to see how they would affect cost and schedule.

Human relations Emphasis. The team, including managers, the customer and the project employees, was extremely cohesive. While many people in the organization were doing things “the old way,” the team felt it had something to prove, leading it to pull together and focus even more.

Risk management Techniques. The team’s continuing awareness of risk drove staff to innovate in all aspects of the work, including concurrent engineering. Major suppliers were brought into the design teams as equal partners.

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