Planning
for
Program
Closeout
Kevin Repa
Program Manager
SPOC/SSP Closeout
SSP_QMR
PROPRIETARY
Information
Copyright © 2012 by UnitedUSA
Space
Alliance,
LLC.
(Do Not Disclose to Unauthorized Persons)
Agenda
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Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Requirements
Products
Work Breakdown Structure
Organization
Multiple Process Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Lessons Learned
2
4/2/2012
First-Hand Knowledge
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Projects . . . large or small. . . .complex or simple map to
the basic project life cycle
• Closeout is the final phase of the project management
life cycle
• This phase doesn’t get much attention
• Closeout planning should start early in the project
management life cycle
• Objective for this presentation
– Share insights into closeout planning
– Identify what should be considered during the
Planning phase
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President Bush Signals End of the Space Shuttle
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• President Bush announced his
Vision for Space Exploration (VSE)
in February of 2004
‘ . . . .The Shuttle's chief purpose over
the next several years will be to help
finish assembly of the International
Space Station. In 2010, the Space
Shuttle -- after nearly 30 years of duty
-- will be retired from service. ...’
• This signaled the end of the Shuttle at a time when
the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) was looking to
continue flying
• The Shuttle Upgrades Office had life extension
projects to support operations through 2020
4
A 180-Degree Turn!
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• The VSE announcement required a 180 degree change
our direction
• There were no closeout requirements for the Space
Shuttle Program
• Focus was on operating and flying the space shuttle
• The closeout phase of the project life cycle had not
been addressed
• Closeout was excluded from USA’s Space
Program Operations Contract
• We were moving into the final phase of the life cycle
but for all practical purposes shuttle closeout was
starting from scratch
• Needed organization, requirements and processes
• Decided to treat closeout as a project
Lessons Learned
During the planning phase consider what work remains to
be completed after final product delivery
5
Closing the Program is Big and Complex
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Closeout includes all of the actions to finalize
performance under a project or, in this case, a program
and contract
• This Closeout has two parts
• Space Shuttle Program
• Contract Administrative Closeout
• How to Start?
• Lots of things to deal with • Three Orbiter Vehicles
• Personal Property
• Real Property
• Records/Data
• IT Systems
• Contracts/Subcontracts
• People
• The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) defines the
government’s requirements for contract closeout
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Space Shuttles
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Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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Three Orbiters to make safe for public viewing and
deliver to their individual display sites
• Plus the Enterprise (OV-101) at the National Air &
Space Museum (destined for New York)
The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
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Property
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Disposition ~600,000 line items valued at
over $9B accountable to USA (end of FY10)
• Excess or transfer
• Plus a very large quantity of nontagged property
• Identified subset as artifacts
• Multiple legacy property management
systems resulting from the merger of
multiple Shuttle contractors to form USA
Lessons Learned
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Facilities / Real Property
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• USA manages 300 Government facilities and leased
> 1.2M sq ft of office, manufacturing & warehouse space
• Major subcontractor, Boeing, also had Palmdale,
Huntington Beach and Houston facilities
• Closeout of real property
• Shutdown or transfer government facilities
• Vacate or transfer cost burden of leased facilities
KSC Launch Complex
JSC
Lessons Learned
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Closeout Becomes Real for Property and Facilities
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Before
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After
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BEFORE: Orbiter
maintenance in
Palmdale, CA
AFTER: Facility cleared
for turnover to the USAF
Similar activities
underway at KSC’s
Orbiter Processing
Facilities (OPFs)
Records
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Estimated 44,700 boxes and 30,800 gigabytes of data
• Archive or destroy
• Application of NASA Records Management
requirements
• Identification of government records
• Assignment retention schedules
• Formatting
• Storage
• Federal Records Center or the National Archives
Lessons Learned
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Information Technology
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• ~78,600 IT systems to disposition
• Decommission or transfer
• Included highly complex IT systems
• Integrated system architecture
• Thousands of custom and Commercial Off The Shelf
(COTS) applications
• Associated licenses and maintenance agreements
Lessons Learned
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Contracts/Subcontracts
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• USA has dozens of large subcontracts and hundreds
of purchase orders to close
• Some will be simple while others will be
complex
• USA’s space operations contract (SPOC) can not
close until all the subcontracts and purchase orders
are closed
• This represents the long-pole in closeout and
represents some of the administrative closeout
actions
• Final actions may be 10 – 15 years after closeout
start
• Final rate
settlements
• Potential
lawsuit
closeouts
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People
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Approximately 10,000 employees supported the Shuttle
Program at its peak
• Closeout requires significantly less personnel than
during the performance phase
• Identified skills and
headcount needed for
closeout
• Placement /
reductions started as
operations
requirements
declined and will
continue throughout
closeout
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Lots to Do
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• The work scope was simple…compared to flying shuttle
missions
• All the
• Personal Property
• Including the Orbiter Vehicles
• Facilities
• Records
• Information Technology
• Contracts/Subcontracts
. . . had to ‘come off the books’
• No requirements addressed this scope
Lessons Learned
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Planning the Work . . . Starts with a Team
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Established a small, but broad planning team
• Program representation from key NASA Centers
– Johnson Space Center
– Kennedy Space Center
– Marshall Space Flight Center
– Stennis Space Center
• USA as Prime Contractor
• Key Organizations
– Human Resources
– Public Affairs
– Procurement
Lessons Learned
Closeout isn’t the ‘glamour’ job but can be a great
opportunity; Find team members interested in the task
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Benchmarking Provides Good Data!
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Recognized the need for additional information and
insight from others – benchmarking
• Brainstormed candidate programs and projects
• Generated selection criteria to narrow the list
• Made contacts and held interviews
• Titan Program (USAF/Lockheed Martin)
• Closest analogue
• They said we were already 2 years behind!
• Electric Boat
• F/A-18 production line (McDonnell Douglas/Boeing)
• Rockwell’s Downey facility shutdown
• And a few more
• Benchmarking resulted in initial concepts
• Not all were readily accepted by our stakeholders
Lessons Learned
Benchmarking can be valuable at any stage of a project
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Key Concepts from Benchmarking
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Strategic Capability Assessments for ‘big picture’
decision making for future Programs
• Transition Property Assessments to support property
disposition estimates (proactive vs. reactive)
• Last Need Date
• Transfer or excess
• Hazards
• Special handling
• Potential artifact
• etc
• Artifact and historic site requirements and planning
considerations
• External dependencies that can impact planning and
performance
• Federal, state and local regulations
Early planning can assure that the tools and data are in
place for an efficient closeout
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Planning the Work . . . Needs a Plan
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Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
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No formal Initiation process, but met the intent
• Goals & objectives
• Recognition of project need from stakeholders
• Early planning documents and reviews with senior
management defined and approved the approach
• Served as a project charter
Management Plan development
• Goals and objectives
• Roles and responsibilities
• Focused on management methods
• Used ideas from benchmarking
• Looked to existing processes
• Plan did not include cost or schedule information
Stakeholder involvement was limited
• Recognized the risk that our plans may be challenged at
a later date
Lessons Learned
Be flexible in plan development – document what you can
when you can and share with the team
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Engaging Stakeholders in Closeout
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
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A CHALLENGE!
The combined focus on operations, a state of denial, and years
in front of us was not a conducive atmosphere for stakeholder
engagement
• Closeout would be a priority after last wheel stop
• NASA HQ was engaged with capability decisions
• As the date of last wheel stop approached multiple
stakeholders have made themselves known
Many team members and interfaces changed over time
• New players had to be brought up to speed
• Constellation Program was IN! then it was OUT!
• New Programs, Space Launch System and Multi-Purpose
Crew Vehicle, are IN
Due to the political environment, decisions from the
stakeholders were typically delayed due to the lack of
information and approved funding
Lessons Learned
Recognize your work’s priority in the bigger picture and
remain flexible
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Project Planning
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Requirements enable development of a top-level plan
• Formal requirements were slow to develop
• How can you plan to unknown requirements?
• The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) define the
government’s requirements for contract closeout
• Understood what needed to be done at the Program level,
• Disposition of Property, Records, Facilities, and IT
• Closeout of contracts and subcontracts
• Identify skills to retain for closeout
. . . but we needed the government acquisition strategy
• Without the acquisition strategy we didn’t have good
insight into the ‘disposition’ direction or who would
perform the work
• Cost and schedule variations could be big
Define top-level closeout requirements at project start to
address the major closeout components AND implement
those requirements
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Planning Products Overview
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Project planning is taught as a logical build up of project
data that increases in detail throughout the process
• We’ll step through the basic planning steps to prepare for
closeout
• Reality did not follow the typical sequence
• It would be too confusing to address the planning
process in a chronological order
Lessons Learned
Use project management theory and processes to guide
you through planning, but don’t let it restrict you
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Closeout Work Breakdown Structure
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• The need for a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) was not
immediately recognized
• Top level WBS developed based on the general
knowledge of the work to be accomplished
• Structure enables cost roll up across the Program
• Eventually used to organize the closeout Request For
Proposal (RFP)
Lessons Learned
A project WBS should include closeout work scope – it is
work that has to be completed
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Closeout Organization
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• USA established a closeout office relatively early
• Coordinated contract level planning
• Became lead organization for closeout proposal
effort(s)
• Culture shift was required to move into the closeout
environment following years of operations and process
rigor
• Reduction in the workforce caused a significant change in
management structure
• Relevance of support organizations increased, but they
were not fully prepared for their new role
Lessons Learned
Early closeout planning can proactively address internal
interface, roles, and management structure changes
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Management Plans. . .Plans. . and more Plans
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Process Viewpoint
• Program Management
• Property
• Records
• Information Technology
• Environmental
• Functional Viewpoint
• Ground Ops
• Orbiter
• SRB
• Plus
• Contract transition plans
• Facility closeout plans
• Updates to company policies and procedures
• Establishment of a NASA-USA Property Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU)
Plans should be as extensive as necessary – especially
when processes, tools and interfaces change
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Scheduling Approach
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Strategic Capability Assessment (SCA)
• Last Need Date for a capability and associated assets
• Facility
• Equipment
• Systems
• People /Skills
• Moved to the Last Need Event as a better approach
with uncertainty in closeout start
• Last need events fit with an Integrated Master Plan
(IMP) approach
• Events centered around Orbiter Vehicles and facilities
• Provided overall structure for schedule development
• Detailed schedules developed at the lower level
• An Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) was not
developed at the contract level
Evaluate what’s needed from the project schedule and
tailor it to those needs
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Top-Level Budget
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Government budget cycle projects a 5-year window
and slides each year
• Allows improved fidelity each year
• President Bush’s announcement came in time to get
into the beginning of the 5-year cycle
• No requirements, but guidance was developed to
support estimation
• Provided the first time-phased budget
• Eventually the WBS structure became part of the
guidance
• Developed estimating models and factors
• Fidelity in the budget estimates did not come until
USA submitted the closeout proposal
Budget estimating for closeout – performed early and often
results in a more accurate estimate before entering that
phase of the life cycle
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Risk Management
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• SSP operations had a rigorous risk management process
• 5x5 score card, but, it did not fit closeout
• Developed new 5x5 risk score card
• Tailored to closeout environment
• Lower $ thresholds
• Lower catastrophic risks
• Involved our direct customer in the development of the
scorecard to get buy in
• Change to a well-established process for operations
was not readily accepted for closeout
Lessons Learned
Consider tailoring the risk scorecard for each phase in the
project management life cycle
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Change Management
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Change management processes required during
closeout
• Tailor to fit closeout
• Changes from several areas
• Process tailoring for closeout introduces change
• Closeout decisions change as stakeholders become
more engaged
• Property ‘transfer’ lists were created by each of
the requesting organizations
Lessons Learned
Change is inevitable; don’t assume change stops during
closeout
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Detailed Planning
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
• Planning was iterative with detail increasing each year
prior to the last wheel stop
• Annual budget cycle
• Closeout proposals
• Top-level and detailed planning was not in lockstep
• Some elements stayed at a top level
Lessons Learned
Continue to improve planning data as more information
becomes available
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Benefit from Closeout “Lessons Learned”
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Develop an integrated Operations Concept for closeout
• Limit the development of ‘new’ tools proposed in the
name of efficiency; at the end of the program simplicity
tends to be most efficient
– Planning for closeout means the tools would have already been in
place!
• Provide top level closeout education for the workforce
– Government property and records disposition requirements
– Layoffs may mean the usual people are no longer available
• Property – include data in the property management
systems that enable proactive planning for disposition
– Use a consistent definition and approach to counting line items
– Clearly communicate changes to process and hardware
certification
– Establish a requestor priority to minimize conflicts
– Define milestones that close early transfer requests
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Benefit from “Lessons Learned”
Objective
Background
Defining Closeout
Scope
Planning
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The Team
Benchmarking
Management Plans
Stakeholders
Unknown Rqmts
Products
Work Breakdown
Structure
Organization
Multiple Process
Management Plans
Scheduling
Budget
Risk Management
Change Management
Detailed Planning
Lessons Learned
• Records – explicitly identify the records, define the
retention schedules and formats
– Archive as you go
• Information Technology – maintain the system
interdependency mapping, along with an inventory of
applications, licenses, and agreements with software
vendors
• Contract agreements / MOUs must be shared with all the
affected parties
– Property MOU was shared with DCMA, but not all the requesting
orgs
• Create lessons learned because people may want to talk
with you about what you did, how, and why
– We would not have benefited from benchmarking if others had
not done this
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Closing the Space Shuttle Program is
a big and complex project
Project Management “by the book” is
not always possible so stay Flexible
Questions?
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