Prepared to Launch: Growing up PM at NASA

About this Blog

by David Maynard, BSEE, MBA, PMP

This blog is intended to spread some of the project management best practices that I grew up with at NASA.   I hope you and your companies can find a few nuggets in my writings that will be helpful to you.

Having “Grown up as a PM at NASA,” there are items from the well-disciplined project Management environment that may apply to a wide variety of industries.  And YES, even Agile development – in my case hardware design and hardware-specific software.  Perhaps not currently thought of as mainstream Agile activities, but Agile none the less.

Dave worked at the NASA Johnson Spacecraft Center for many years.  He participated in the Shuttle avionics architecture design, the “glass cockpit” development and in crew training.  Incrementally David’s level of responsibility increased, becoming a Senior Engineer, Project Engineer, Project Manager and Program Manager. After leaving NASA, David was asked to become the General Manager of Systems Management Inc. in Orlando, Fl. whose mission was to turn-around troubled projects, programs or operations. 

I currently teach Project Management at Purdue University, Fort Wayne (IPFW) and Indiana University, Indianapolis (IUPUI).  He is active the PMI-Northeast Indiana Chapter of which he was a founding member.  He volunteers for PMI global in many various capacities