Project Selection and Initiation
Project execution and control can, and should be, very procedure-based. Reports are written, information is shared, meetings are held, milestones are met or not met, work schedules and budgets are adjusted, etc. This is fertile ground for the project management consultants, who specialize in making sure all the procedures work as expected. Procedures tend to go out the window, however, when a crisis strikes. A crisis is, by definition, an existential threat to the project; the whole thing is in danger of failing. The Apollo Project encountered at least two. In the first, three astronauts died on the ground. In the second, three astronauts were in imminent danger of dying in space, as the world watched in horror. For this Case,Describe the crises.Describe how NASA reacted to them.How did the NASA response either exemplify, or vary from, the various recommendations contained in the background readings? Explain. Resources for this Case are listed on the Background Information page. These are starting points; feel free to search the Web for additional information, and use whatever you think is useful. Be sure to provide citations and references for everything you use, including materials linked to this course.. References:Barron, M. & Barron, A. (2012). Project management for all careers. Creative Commons. Retrieved on 25 September 2017 at https://tlc.trident.edu/content/enforced/106885-PRM301-2017OCT02FT-1/ProjectManagementforAllCareersEdition2.pdf New York Guide (2002). Management’s Guide to Project success. New York State Office for Technology. Retrieved on 25 September 2017 at https://tlc.trident.edu/content/enforced/106885-PRM301-2017OCT02FT-1/NY%20Management%27s%20Guide%20to%20Project%20Success.pdf Blash, S. (2011). Ten lessons for leading during crisis. Retrieved on 2 November 2017 at www.projecttimes.com/articles/ten-lessons-for-leading-during-crisis.html McConnell, E. (2011). Nine lessons of effective crisis management for project managers. Retrieved on 2 November 2017 at http://www.mymanagementguide.com/9-lessons-of-effective-crisis-management-for-project-managers/Woods, W. (2011). The Apollo flights: A brief history. How Apollo flew to the moon (Chap 2). NY: Springer Praxis Books. Retrieved on 25 September 2017 from: http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/9781441971784-c1.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-1277143-p174136957 Madrigal, A. (2012). Moondoggle: The forgotten opposition to the Apollo program. Atlantic magazine: Retrieved on 16 Apr 2017 from www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/09/moondoggle-the-forgotten-opposition-to-the-apollo-program/262254/ NASA (2015). The Apollo Mission (website). Retrieved on 16 Apr 2017 from www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/index.html NASA (n.d.) The Apollo program (links). Retrieved on 16 Apr 2017 from https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo.html