Prepared to Launch: Growing up PM at NASA

The Smallest Thing Can Cause Major Problems, and take a long time to find & fix

Life Lessons I learned as a Project Manager at NASA. 

These are things that my mind drifts to occasionally.   They are real, they happened to me while managing projects, but had a larger life-changing effect.   They affected my personality, my outlook on life and the way my brain works.

A couple I’ve already blogged about, but in the light of “how we managed projects.”  These blogs are a series of how managing projects at NASA changed my life.  I’m sure the same thing has happened to you.  You learn from managing projects and those lessons apply to more than your next project.  They go into your brain and are “compiled” into your personality

BACKGROUND

The primary caution and warning system is designed to warn the crew of conditions that may adversely affect orbiter operations. The system consists of hardware and electronics that provide the crew with both visual and aural cues when a system exceeds predefined operating limits.

The primary system's visual cues consist of four master alarm lights, a 40-light array on panel F7 and a 120-light array on panel R13.  The caution and warning system interfaces with the auxiliary power units, data processing system, environmental control and life support system, electrical power system, flight control system, guidance and navigation, hydraulics, main propulsion system, reaction control system, orbital maneuvering system and payloads.   

THE PROBLEM

One day one of the indicators on the caution and warning panel was “stuck on.”  I can’t remember which one it was, but it didn’t take long to discover that it SHOULDN’T be on.  It was a false indication of a problem.  Think of a Project Management dashboard that shows a problem – that doesn’t really exist.  ANNOYING.  And, in this case it was VERY annoying to the crew.  Everyone wants to fly in something that has all its parts working.  I know I do!  The false indication seemed to suggest there was something in the Avionics or Glass displays that was wrong.  That’s how I got involved. 

What could cause a false indication? 

The shuttle used MANY MIL-standard 61 pin connectors for the cables.  A GREAT many of them.   They are very rugged, reliable and only semi-difficult to work with.  And the electrical systems on the orbiter are complex with lengthy runs, packed cables and difficult to get to.  Unplugging a cable is something like standing on your head while trying to unscrew a garden hose.   Meanwhile schedules were slipping, deadlines being missed, testing delayed, EVERYONE was aware of the problem and asked me about it all the time.  It moved to the top of the “squawk” list.  Again, I was encountering a “Significant Emotional Event.” 

Finding the problem took  a long, long time.  Scope here, meter there, inspect visually here.  That doesn’t sound too difficult but take a look at the wiring we had.  And there’s lots of connectors!!  There was a problem in there someplace.  The wires were neatly laced, the pins were crimped on and the 61 pin connectors were all in the right places.   Every time a lacing was cut, it had to be re-done and re-inspected.

My Project:  THE LIGHT WAS ON.  FIX IT!

The charter: Manage a group of about 12 people to scientifically and methodically look for the problem.  

We laid out a plan, devised ways to “split the problem” succcussively into halves until we could isolate it. 

This was a very boring task.  Not thrilling, not doing engineering,  not math…  But it was a problem and it had to be fixed.   After about a week I found it.

IT WAS A BENT PIN

The life lesson learned from this rather simple but important project was that sometimes it’s the littlest thing that can set your project back and ruin your schedule.  But you can’t give up – you must “press ahead.”   I think this is  true of nearly every project.

In other words: “Notice the small things. The rewards are inversely proportional.” -  Liz Vassey

By the way, I can still tie the NASA standard lacing knot.  I use it for everything from tying up bags of leaves to fixing my lawn mower.

Here's what I consider to be the "standard" lacing knot -- a single (not running) lacing knot.