Space Station Fact Sheet
Management Structure

   The Station Redesign Team has proposed new management 
structures for the redesigned space station options. Common 
management characteristics, regardless of the design selected, are:

o       Build a single team under a Program Manager with budget 
authority, contract management responsibility and accountability 
for the program; authority to add and remove people and 
appraise performance. Initially locate the team at the same site 
but allow members to re-locate to contractor plants as the 
products move from design, to construction, to test. Dissolve the 
distinction between the "Program" management (typically at 
Headquarters) and "Project" management (typically at a field 
center). 

o       Organize the management organization for development around 
a systems engineering and integration function and "Integrated 
Product Teams." The tiered product team approach would 
provide teams at each level of buildup - component, subsystem, 
system, and ultimately the launch package stage. Teams would 
follow product through all stages of development - design, 
integration, construction, test and initial on-orbit operation. 
Teams are fully accountable for technical aspects of deliverable 
product, as well as cost and schedule.

o       Select a single prime contractor to be responsible for integration 
of the space station, thus removing this responsibility from the 
Government, and manage this contractor out of the Program 
Office. All hardware contractors will be subcontractors to the 
prime. Program Manager will be the fee determination official.

o       Limit the use of Center institutional capabilities only to cases 
where the task is clearly defined, will contribute to an end 
product or provide a needed facility, and is cost effective.

o       Combine Space Shuttle and Space Station under a single Associate
Administrator.

o       Limit the growth of the organization by clear job descriptions and
accountability, and assign each job once.


o       Safety criteria and independent advice to the Program Manager is 
provided by the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, but 
Product Teams conduct safety analysis and quality control of 
hardware and procedures to ensure safety criteria are met.

o       Establish a single, independent verification and validation 
function to conduct a single check and balance on Vehicle 
Manager and prime contractor effort.

o       Strengthen Utilization and Science office under Program Manager 
and fund development of some payloads to enhance builder-to-
user relationships and create a more focused user constituency 
for the space station.

Specific Recommendations for Option A and Option B

o       Locate the Program Manager and core team at a "Host" center. 

o       As the launch package moves through its development, launch 
processing and on-orbit phases, allow the Integrated Product 
Teams to move with it until it is successfully on-orbit at which 
time they can transition into part of the mission management 
team or they can move on to the next launch package.

Specific Recommendations for Option C

o       Locate the Station Program Manager and the core team at the 
same site as the Shuttle Program Manager to increase 
communications between the two organizations.

o       Analytical support for the new Integrated Launch Vehicle will be 
performed by the Shuttle's system integration organization.

o       An alternative approach would be to place both the Shuttle and 
Space Station programs under a single Program Manager.


Ways New Management Structure Will Save Money and 
Increase Efficiency

   NASA estimates at least a 10 percent savings in overall program 
management costs can be achieved with the new proposed 
management structure based on analysis of Government and 
Industry programs which used a single prime contractor and 
Integrated Product Team approach in major development programs. 
Those savings come from:

o       Program Manager's core team of civil service will be about 1/3 
the size of the current combined Level 1, 2 and 3 organizations. 
Supporting institutional civil service manpower can be reduced 
nearly in half.

o       Fewer boards, panels will result in fewer civil servants and 
corresponding contractors which will improve efficiency and 
increase speed in decision making and decision implementation. 

o       Assigning civil service to operations capability development and 
operations tasks, currently being performed by contractors.

o       Moving to a single prime contractor to reduce overlap created by 
multiple contractors performing similar functions.

o       Giving contract management authority to the core team to avoid 
costs to subcontractors resulting from excessive management by 
NASA at too low a level.
