Major Management & Systems
Engineering Ideas for Reducing Costs
Peter Wizinowich
NGAO Team Meeting
September 11-12, 2008
Discussion Points
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Schedule
Leveraging & Collaboration
Lower cost approaches
Efficiency
Responsibility
Contingency
– Risk reduction
– Cost estimation
2
Schedule
• Each year we carry over the dollars we lose ~5% on the remainder
• Make procurements early when we can
– Will need to make case for long lead procurements at PDR
• Make sure schedule supports efficiency & team effectiveness
3
Leveraging & Collaboration
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Leverage work by others even if not our perfect path (IRIS pickoff)
Collaborate to reduce costs or risk (laser, MASS)
Risk reduction experiments at LAO
Understanding & optimizing concepts (MOAO working group)
Leverage faculty & students (SAT)
Leverage other Keck development activities (MAGIQ, DCS upgrade)
Science instrument built with non-NGAO funds (possible telescope
time trade)?
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Lower Cost Approaches
• To what extent do we want to & can we use lower cost labor
between our Institutions?
• Utilize the best vendors (experience, cost, delivery)
• Use existing technology where possible
• Trade between low cost & risk
• Video conference versus travel
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Efficiency
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Full time personnel
Make sure resources available when needed
Clarity on requirements, deliverables, interfaces, WBS scope, etc.
Early identification & resolution of problems
Early decision making to keep team moving
Identify dependencies & make sure dependent tasks aren’t delayed
Stay on schedule
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Responsibility
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Everyone responsible for D2C and B2C
Project’s success depends on all of us
Look for opportunities
Think about the cost implications of decisions
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Contingency
Lower risk  less dollars need to be held in contingency
Risk reduction ideas:
• Collaborate with others to ensure lasers available & affordable
• Utilize LAO for risk reduction experiments
• Monitor the relevant efforts of others
• See programmatic & technical risk KAONs for what we proposed for
SDR
• Fixed price contracts lower risk (potentially higher cost up front)
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Contingency
Better cost estimates  less dollars need to be held in contingency
Cost estimation ideas:
• NFIRAOS cost comparison
• Use of commercial products where possible
• Quotes
• Demonstrated experience on similar tasks
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Cost Comparisons
NGAO Cost Estimate Comparisons
100
90
80
60
50
40
30
20
10
RA
O
S
NF
I
AO
NG
S
G
EM
G
PI
LG
S
K2
PA
LM
30
00
W
FC
0
NG
FY08 $M
70
10