Space Shuttle External Tank

Transcription

1 I. Program Overview Name of Program: Space Shuttle External Tank Your Name/title: Mark D. Bryant, Vice President External Tank Project Customer: Program Category Program Background: What is this program all about? (No more than one page) Describe The overarching need for this program History of the program The product that is created by this program Current status of the program NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (Choose One) o Sub-System R&D/SDD program or project o Sub-System Production/Sustainment program or project o System level R&D/SDD program or project System level Production/Sustainment program or project The Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) is the component of NASA s Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contains the fuel and oxidizer for the Space Shuttle s Main Engines (SSMEs) and also serves as the structural backbone of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle. The ET program began in 1973 with design, development, and test activities and has continued through six production contracts until the present. The primary location of ET program activities is at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ET has three primary components: a Liquid Hydrogen pressure vessel, a Liquid Oxygen pressure vessel, and an unpressurized structural component called the Intertank that splices the pressure vessels together. The ET is covered with various Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials to provide pre-launch conditioning of the propellants, control ice formation, and protect the metal substrate from thermal effects. Numerous design enhancements have been implemented during the program culminating in the current Super Lightweight Tank (SLWT) version of the ET which is 7,500 pounds lighter than the previous Lightweight version due to the introduction of aluminum-lithium alloys and structural configuration changes. This weight savings was crucial in providing additional payload performance to enable NASA to build and sustain the International Space Station. The ET program is currently in late stage production while continuing Space Shuttle launch operations. Project activities are slated to cease with the completion of Space Shuttle flights in late AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 1

2 II. VALUE CREATION = 10 POINTS Value: What is the value and competitive advantage created by this program to your: Customers Company and shareholders Excellence: Why should this program be awarded the Program Excellence Award? As a key component of the Space Transportation System (STS), the nation s human space flight program, the External Tank (ET) is critical to the execution of each Space Shuttle mission, whether for Hubble Space Telescope repair, International Space Station (ISS) assembly and logistics, or any of the other myriad accomplishments of the STS. The most recent significant ET program contribution to the value proposition of the STS is the improved Thermal Protection System performance (reduced potential for foam loss) which enhanced the overall safety posture of the STS and enabled safe return to flight following the loss of Columbia and her crew. The ET program has allowed Lockheed Martin to fill a long-term role in the nation s human space flight program and has accorded it an opportunity to continue to fulfill such a future role, most noticeably in the development of the Constellation Program s Orion vehicle. The ET program has celebrated numerous achievements and has endured near-crushing hardships. While achievements have been cherished, it is the triumphs over hardships that are truly worthy of celebration. These triumphs are the hallmark of the recent history of the ET program and are the basis for this nomination. The ET program has displayed excellence in program management as demonstrated by achievement of critical successes under extremely challenging circumstances. The primary success is the implementation of TPS redesigns and critical process controls that enabled a safe post-columbia return to flight. This was accomplished by personnel that were devastated by the trauma of the Columbia accident in 2003, were impacted in 2004 with the impending end of their careers by the STS s planned 2010 retirement, then were nearly overwhelmed by the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in Throughout, the program achieved success for its customer, for the company and its shareholders, and for its personnel. Success has come in improved in-flight TPS performance, effective restarts of ET production following Columbia and Katrina, implementation of myriad productivity enhancements, and significant improvements in ET delivery capabilities to support the safe and timely flyout of the STS flight manifest by the end of AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 2

3 III. ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES/BEST PRACTICES: (HOW DO YOU DO THINGS) = 30 POINTS Strategic: Describe how you developed your program strategy and competitive advantage in support of your company strategy, how you monitor progress toward achieving this strategy Operational: Monitoring and Controlling How do you monitor your program s progress and make corrections to keep the program on track Operational: Supply Chain What processes, tools and relationship-building The ET program strategy is to safely fly the remaining Space Shuttle missions by the end of 2010, retain the required program personnel, continuously enhance key processes, and do so within cost and funding limitations. The strategy was derived from our customer s imperatives of safe return to flight, safe completion of Space Shuttle flights by the end of 2010, and the realities of human space flight funding restrictions; was infused with Lockheed Martin s imperatives of Mission Success and Operational Excellence; and is monitored and managed appropriately: Mission safety through the Post-flight Engineering Evaluation Plan (PEEP). Personnel retention through the ET Completion Plan. Process improvement through a productivity improvement program and the ET Program Excellence Plan. Cost and funding performance through the Earned Value Management (EVM) system. ET program progress is monitored and controlled at the program, department, and work center level: Production performance is monitored in daily reviews at the work center level which include the customer. A weekly program review provides performance insight. A weekly program review of production status, technical issues, delivered hardware processing, and special topics is conducted and includes our NASA customer. Employee skill retention is monitored monthly. Each instance of attrition is assessed for impact and mitigation. Skill retention is reviewed with Shuttle Program management in semi-annual Human Capital reviews. Weekly reviews with Human Resources implement realtime actions required by the ET Completion Plan. Quality trends are measured and corrective actions taken in real-time. Trends are reviewed on a monthly basis. Unique quality issues are reviewed in Corrective Action Boards. Technical issues are monitored weekly through the Chief Engineer s and Process Control review boards. Summaries are briefed at the weekly program review. EVM performance is reviewed monthly at the program and company levels. Weekly Business Coordination meetings provide a forum for real-time review of cost and contractual performance issues. The ET program supply chain was developed over the nearly 36 year history of the program and the supply chain is now in a terminal phase with few suppliers still delivering hardware AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 3

4 methods have you used to develop, refine and improve supply chain integration? This is one of the most imperative needs of our industry please provide in specifics and with data that assist you in gauging the effectiveness. Operational: Risk Management Describe the processes used to identify risk and avoid future/potential issues or risks. Operational: Opportunity Management Describe how your program team identifies opportunity and manages this opportunity. Team Leadership: Team Motivation Describe how you accomplish full team integration, motivation, and inspiration. Efforts in recent years have focused on implementation of Lockheed Martin-wide supplier management tools, but have also focused heavily on supplier process control and the maintenance of quality as suppliers near completion. Some very effective tools have been process control lessons learned briefings, LM and customer executive management visits, and Astronaut visits to boost morale and maintain quality focus. ET program risks are identified, assessed, and mitigated through a formal Risk Management Plan (RMP) which defines the ET program risk management processes: Identify threats to success (risks) Assess potential cost, schedule or safety impact Define plans to eliminate or mitigate the risk Identify mitigation resources and schedules Review and assess mitigation progress Monthly risk review meetings are held by responsible departments and a program review assesses risk plans, reviews risk candidates, and reviews RMP metrics. Opportunity Management is a formal element of the RMP, now called the Risk and Opportunity Management Plan: Opportunities are identified The potential impact of the opportunity is assessed Plans are defined to achieve the opportunity Resources and milestones are assigned and progress is monitored The ET program expends significant resources to integrate, energize and motivate its workforces: Achievement and sustainment of integration is nurtured through intensive two-way communications in which leaders and employees share company, customer and program objectives, challenges, and accomplishments, as well as business and individual career outlooks. All personnel are reminded of our ultimate customer, the Astronauts, through posters in the workplace and recurring visits by Astronaut crews so that personnel remain keenly aware of their product s key function. Timely and meaningful expressions of appreciation for the workforce are essential to motivation. Groups of employees are taken to each Space Shuttle launch to see the end result of their efforts. Cash and non-cash awards are distributed on a weekly and daily basis. Appreciation events are held for the entire population and personnel and teams are honored at the Company Awards Night. Personnel also receive the Astronaut Office s most coveted award, the Silver Snoopy AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 4

5 Team Leadership: Knowledge Management Describe how knowledge, best practices, lessons learned are shared and used across the team to improve performance. Team Leadership: Leadership Development How do you develop team s skills and build future leaders Engagement in process improvement is a workforce integrator and motivator wherein people gain insight into program challenges and apply their knowledge and skills to improve their processes. This empowers and increases ownership. They learn process improvement disciplines, become Green or Black Belt certified, and experience the success of their efforts which enhances job satisfaction. The ET program shares knowledge, best practices and lessons learned across the team in innovative ways: The web-based Requirements & Certification Traceability System manages the program s critical parts, requirements, certification, and documentation information. The Launch ET Observations web-based system provides a portal for assessment of TPS flight performance history. The Return to Flight Secure Website is an active repository of critical program knowledge such as tests and analyses, tools, and critical process results. Production knowledge is captured in our Paperless Manufacturing Execution System. Value-Stream Maps and Visual Management Boards capture and share best practices across ET flows. Each ET has an assigned project manager and a support team that follows their specific ET through production. The various ET PMs and their teams share experiences across ET flows to accelerate learning. Each work center is supported by a Collaborative Work Cell which exists to capture learning and incorporate it into process changes which enhance success. The ET program develops the leadership skills of its personnel for the benefit of the program, the individual, the corporation, and for our customers: Applies corporate Leadership Development Programs where short-tenure employees are provided training, mentoring, and educational opportunities along with rotations that accelerate learning and broaden perspectives. Employees with higher level potential are enrolled in more senior development programs which provide training, executive mentoring, coaching, and stretch opportunities. Personnel are assessed as High-Potential employees with the capability to advance significantly beyond their current responsibilities and are afforded development opportunities and increased executive and customer exposure. Higher level leadership positions develop Succession Plans to identify likely successors to the position as well as the training and development required to assure succession. Other development methods include challenging cross AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 5

6 Lessons Learned: Describe how you collect lessons learned and how they are shared with your team and company Best Practices: Identify one or two specific Best Practices that you applied in your program and that you believe to be unique approaches. Next Practices: To what extent and how can your practices be shared with other programs and become Next Practices? training assignments and deputy positions to accelerate learning and exposure. The ET PM positions are a great example of stretch assignments that broaden horizons, expand knowledge and skills, and provide an opportunity for increased management and customer exposure. The ET program participates in formal lessons learned processes such as the SSC Lessons Learned system and the Rapid Notification System to share lessons across programs. Practices such as Safety Notices and Production Tips also capture lessons learned which are web-based, widely disseminated and reviewed in crew meetings and huddles. As previously discussed, the Collaborative Work Cells and ET PM teams are powerful repositories and conduits of lessons learned for ET production, which are primarily captured in Value-Stream Maps, Visual Management Boards, and Manufacturing Process Plans. The Post-flight Engineering Evaluation Plan, which provides for the rigorous and expedient assessment of ET pre-launch and flight performance, is a Best Practice, as is the TPS Process Control Plan that controls ET program critical TPS activities. These practices have dramatically reduced ET foam releases and enhanced Space Shuttle flight safety. ET program best practices are the province of NASA. They are not Lockheed Martin proprietary and are generally available, subject to ITAR restrictions, for application on other programs. They are directly applicable to space flight programs and especially to NASA s planned Constellation Program of human exploration vehicles and activities. ET best practices are captured in lessons learned and knowledge management systems to assure availability. IV. ADAPTING TO COMPLEXITY: (HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH YOUR PROGRAM S UNIQUE COMPLEXITIES) = 30 POINTS Identify the Program s Market Uncertainty level using the definitions below. Then describe how you deal and address this specific uncertainty: - Is it a Derivative of existing product/system? - Is it a New Generation of existing product line/system applied to new market segment? - Is it a Breakthrough Program (new to the world product or system) The current External Tank (ET) is a Derivative of previous versions of the ET. The ET has undergone several design and process evolutions including weight reductions, introduction of composites and solid-state welding, and Thermal Protection System (TPS) design and process changes as a result of lessons learned from the loss of Columbia and her crew. The ET s market is currently constrained to the STS program which is due to end in Our approach is to assure delivery of ETs to support planned launches, retain personnel to execute the program, deliver ETs that perform safely, and undertake activities to improve safety, producibility, and promote workforce engagement and morale AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 6

7 Identify the Program s Technological Uncertainty using the definitions below. Then describe how you deal and address this uncertainty: - Low-tech: application of mature, well-established technology - Medium Technology: existing technology adopted to meet new design requirements - High-Technology: recently developed new technology - Super High- Technology: nonexisting technology that needs to be developed during the program. Identify the level of your System Complexity using the definitions below. Then explain how you are dealing with this complexity: - An Assembly performing a single function. - A Sub-system fitting within a larger collection of systems? - A System a collection of subsystems performing multiple functions? - An Array a system of systems ; a widely dispersed collection of systems serving a common mission? Identify the Pace of your team s effort using the definitions below. Then describe how you deal with the program s pace requirements: - Regular timing based on past efforts - Fast Competitive the pace is driven by desire to be first to market ET is a Medium Technology program which has evolved through numerous design and process evolutions to the current Super Lightweight Tank Return to Flight II version. The program s most significant technical uncertainty is the ET s TPS production and performance. Uncertainty is addressed primarily through intensive process controls: Manual foam applications are controlled by schedules within Manufacturing Process Plans which define the critical steps for a successful application. Applications are recorded and reviewed for compliance. High-fidelity mockups for destructive process evaluation. Non-destructive inspections. TPS designs and processes are controlled by a TPS Process Control Board and the Chief Engineers Review Board as governed by the TPS Process Control Plan. TPS performance is assessed using the Post-flight Engineering Evaluation Plan process, which evaluates prelaunch and flight performance to requirements, identifies areas for corrective action, and feeds into the Certification of Flight Readiness process for subsequent missions. The ET is a System comprised of structural, electrical, propulsion, and thermal sub-systems, that when integrated, fulfill the roles of the ET within the Space Transportation System. The sub-systems and their effective integration into the ET system are controlled by several means, including: Comprehensive Configuration Management and Systems Engineering processes. A Certified Principle Engineer (CPE) program with CPEs responsible for design, test, production, and support of their respective sub-systems. Sub-system CPEs report to an Executive CPE with overall ET technical responsibility. A Chief Engineer s Review Board, including customer and LM Chief Engineers, reviews and assesses technical issues, plans, and design and process changes. A rigorous Certification of Flight Readiness process incorporating successive Flight Readiness Reviews to assess and certify the readiness of the ET for flight. The ET program team s pace is Time Critical. Timely delivery of ETs is essential to completing all Space Shuttle flights by the end of Timely ET deliveries have been extremely demanding due to a variety of program challenges: Incorporation of significant TPS design and process changes severely impacted the ET production flow. The shutdown and restart of manufacturing following the loss of Columbia and her crew resulted in loss of learning. The shutdown and restart of manufacturing following 2008 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 7

8 - Time Critical there is an absolute and criticalto-success deadline - Blitz there is a crisis element driving immediate response Other Complexities Describe other complexities faced by this program team and how you address them. Hurricane Katrina impacted schedules. The devastation resulted in massive hardships for the ET workforce and also began an era of high attrition levels as people left the area which created a significant loss of program learning. The looming 2010 termination of the Space Shuttle program has added more impetus to increased attrition. The program has succeeded in meeting the pace challenges: Intensive training and mentoring to accelerate learning. An ET Completion Plan, which provides incentives to retain skilled workers which limits loss of learning and mitigates additional pace demands. Comprehensive efforts to sustain employee morale. A robust program of productivity improvements to improve first-pass results and shorten critical path activities. The overarching complexity facing the ET team is the challenge of retaining personnel to safely execute the program. The challenge is exacerbated by the lack of other significant corporate and aerospace programs in the area and has been addressed in several ways: The previously described ET Completion Plan. Skills training to prepare workers for post-et. Partnership with the State of Louisiana to provide skills development, education, and job opportunities. A web-based Transition Tool Chest provides information on program status, FAQs, and career planning. Communications between leadership and program personnel to fill the information vacuum and provide firsthand insight into the workforce s state-of-mind. V. METRICS (HOW DO YOU MEASURE PROGRAM S PERFORMANCE) = 30 POINTS (NOTE: WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR YOUR SCOPES BUT THE MEASURES AND METRICS YOU ARE USING) How do you measure the impact of your program on your customer and your customer s satisfaction? Include a description of your metrics, as well as numerical evidence. The most direct measure of the impact on our customer and their satisfaction is award fee scores for ET production and for operation and maintenance (O&M) of the facility: Production O&M 9/06 3/07 9/07 3/08 9/08 3/ AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 8

9 Damage to the Orbiter s thermal protection system is a key customer concern and is assessed after every flight: Configuration Hits ET Zone Hits ET Zone>1 STS-126/ET STS-119/ET RTF Average 43 4 Delivery of ETs to the customer s need dates is an area of significant improvement: 60.0 ET-132 ET-134 ET-136 ET-138 ET-133 ET-135 ET-137 Avg How do you measure your program s efficiency performance in terms such as schedule and budget? How do you measure your program s business success (operating margin, earned value or other indicator that can be released publicly) How do you measure and assess the long-term contribution of your program to the corporation/organization? ET Delivery vs Need Date (20.0) (40.0) (60.0) Was Now 10 (26) An Earned Value Management (EVM) system measures ET schedule and budget performance efficiency. Measures include ITD Cost and Schedule Performance Indexes (both 0.99) and monthly Cost and Schedule Performance (1.01 and 1.11, respectively, for May 2009). Critical-path (CP) float is measured in each work center to assess risk to milestones and deliveries. Top-level CP float is represented in the ET delivery vs need date graphic above. Trends such as labor hours per unit (reduced 18% in the 6- month period ending March 2009 versus the preceding period) and performance to standards (improved by 22% over the same period) are measured. LM reports business performance at the company level and does not release financial business measures at the program level. Some selected EVM measures were discussed above and demonstrate a financially successful program. In addition, program reserves are healthy and continue to grow as a percent of the program s Estimate To Complete. The organizational contribution of the program may be best assessed in terms of leadership that has emerged from the program; the Space Systems Company VPs of Mission Success, Engineering, and Constellation Propulsion Programs were all developed by ET. ET performance had a direct bearing on the Orion program win and will have a direct bearing on the corporation s role in NASA s Constellation Program propulsion vehicle plans AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 9

10 How do you measure and assess the impact of your program on your team development and employee satisfaction? A critical measure of satisfaction is the improving trend of employee departures prior to their planned program end dates: Headcount Declining Rate 2 Months Data Period 3 Period 4 Period 5 (thru 5/09) 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Annualized Forfeiture Rate Key + MSI Forfeitures Key + MSI Forfeiture Rate Team development is also evidenced by the continually improving ET production trends across work centers: Build Rate Increase 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 17% 10% 23% 41% 10% Additional Metrics: Describe any additional metrics you are using to measure your program s progress and success 0% Weld Mechanical Components Hi-Bay/VAB Final/420 Some additional metrics are improvements in production nonconformances and Out-Of-Position work Open MPPs Open NCDs 3 ET 128 ET 129 ET 130 ET 131 ET 132 ET AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 10