No One Grades Their Own Homework: Independent Assessment Under the New Decentralized Model

Independent assessment is a project management tool designed to provide unbiased information on project progress to key decision makers. At NASA, that means analyzing schedule, cost, and technical risk at major project milestones. In the fall of 2015, NASA updated the independent assessment function by transferring it from a central office to the four mission directorates. During this Virtual Project Management Challenge, key agency personnel will explore what has changed in terms of independent assessment at NASA and why. Presenters will discuss how the changes in independent assessment implementation impact NASA projects and project managers, and provide updates on the transition’s progress to date as well as lessons learned from the transition. NASA presenters at the event will include Deputy Associate Administrator for Management of the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Prasun Desai, Director of the Strategic Investments Division in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) Cristina Guidi, NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot, Senior Advisor to the NASA Associate Administrator James Ortiz, Langley Research Center (LaRC) Deputy Chief Counsel Pete Polen, Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Greg Robinson, Director of the Integration Management Office for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Tony Springer, Program Executive, Program and Project Management Division of the Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE) Ellen Stigberg, and Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Plans for Human Exploration and Operations (HEOMD) Greg Williams.

Robert Lightfoot

5/17/2017 2:30:00 PM