NASA plans to invest billions in the coming years in science and exploration space flight initiatives. The scientific and technical complexities inherent in NASA's mission create great challenges in managing its projects and controlling costs. In the past, NASA has had difficulty meeting cost, schedule, and performance objectives for some of its projects. The need to effectively manage projects will gain even more importance as NASA seeks to manage its portfolio in an increasingly constrained fiscal environ. This is an independent assessment of selected NASA projects. It compares projects against best practice criteria for system dev¿t. incl. attainment of knowledge on technologies and design as well as various aspects of program mgmt. Illus.

NASA plans to invest billions in the coming years in science and exploration space flight initiatives. In the past, NASA has had difficulty meeting cost, schedule, and performance objectives for many of its projects. The need to effectively manage projects will gain even more importance as NASA seeks to manage its wide-ranging portfolio in an increasingly constrained fiscal environment. This report provides an independent assessment of selected NASA projects. This report compared projects against best practice criteria for system development including attainment of knowledge on technologies and design. The projects assessed are considered major acquisitions by NASA -- each with a life-cycle cost of over $250 million. Charts and tables.

The development and execution of a knowledge-based business case for NASA's projects can provide early recognition of challenges, allow managers to take corrective action, and place needed and justifiable projects in a better position to succeed. Our studies of best practice organizations show the risks inherent in NASA's work can be mitigated by developing a solid, executable business case before committing resources to a new product's development.

NASA : assessments of selected large-scale projects : report to congressional committees.

In 2014, GAO reported that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) major projects continued a general positive trend of limiting cost and schedule growth, maturing technologies, and stabilizing designs, but that NASA faced several challenges that could affects its ability to effectively manage its portfolio, such as completing a series of complex and expensive projects within constrained budgets and competing priorities. This 2015 report assesses (1) the current performance of NASA's portfolio of major projects; (2) NASA's progress in developing and maturing critical technologies and stabilizing design; and (3) NASA's initiatives to reduce acquisition risk and work that remains to strengthen management of the agency's largest, most complex projects. Table and figures. This is a print on demand report.