Essay About Gao Report And Essay Preview

Gao Report: Nasa: Better Mechanisms Needed for Sharing Lessons Learned” Gao-02-195, January 30, 2002.
Essay Preview: Gao Report: Nasa: Better Mechanisms Needed for Sharing Lessons Learned” Gao-02-195, January 30, 2002.
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Executive Summary
Purpose
In the early 1990s, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator
challenged the agency to complete projects faster, better, and cheaper. The intent was to reduce
costs, become more efficient, and increase scientific results by conducting more and smaller
missions in less time. Although NASA maintained a high success rate under the faster, better,
and cheaper strategy, a few significant mission failures also occurred–particularly the loss of
the Mars Polar Lander and Climate Orbiter spacecraft. NASA investigations of these failures, as
well as its review of other programs, raised concern that lessons from past experiences were not
being applied to current programs and projects. At the request of the Chairman and Ranking
Minority Member, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, House Committee on Science,
GAO assessed whether NASA has adequate mechanisms in place to ensure that past lessons
learned from mission failures are being applied. Specifically, GAO (1) identified the policies,
procedures, and systems NASA has in place for lessons learning, (2) assessed how effectively
these policies, procedures, and systems facilitate lessons learning, and (3) determined whether
further efforts are needed to improve lessons learning.
Background
NASAs procedures and guidelines require that program and project managers review and apply
lessons learned from the past throughout a programs or projects life cycle and to document and
submit any significant lessons to the agencys Lessons Learned Information System (LLIS) in a
timely manner. NASA defines a lesson learned as knowledge or understanding gained by
experience. The experience may be positive, such as a successful test or mission, or negative,
such as a mishap or failure. A lesson must be significant in that it has a real or assumed impact
on operations; valid in that it is factually correct; and applicable in that it identifies a specific
design, process, or decision that reduces or eliminates the potential for failures