[CMC] Draft CMC note about projects

[Kearney, Mike W. (MSFC-EO01)]

CMC and CESG colleagues;  This is an informational note from the
Secretariat to explain the approach we are taking to activate the
project management process for CCSDS charters and document schedules.   

 

CRITICAL POINT:  At the CCSDS meetings in Berlin, AD's need to instruct
all WGs that if they do not yet have all their projects (documents)
entered into the online system, they are to work on *nothing else* in
Berlin until they have completed that.   They must first get their
documents and schedules entered into the system to effectively request
approval to work on those documents.   After that, they can continue
working on their normal agenda.  

 

As you know, all of the charters for our WGs have been entered into the
system by the Secretariat, but the WG chairs must enter the projects.
There are very few projects entered so far.   This note will explain:   

(1) how we plan to get all of the current WG projects (documents) into
the new charter/project "Framework" system, and 

(2) the process for approving those projects.   

 

These are our plans, but we welcome inputs from anyone that identifies
problems or has constructive suggestions for doing this.   

 

As you can see online by visiting the framework for any WG, there are
only a few projects in the system right now.  If you visit the AMS WG
area, you can see one of the rare examples of a project that is entered.

http://cwe.ccsds.org/sis/default.aspx#_SIS-AMS

*         Click on "framework" on the left.

*         Then on the row with 6.5 Asynchronous Messaging...  under the
"Projects" column, click on "Click Here".   

*         At the bottom of the screen under "Projects" you will then see
a Blue book and a Green book.  Click on their names.  

 

You will then see the standard table of milestones that every document
will be required to enter.   

 

The Secretariat proposes that the CESG chairs tell the ADs and WG chairs
the following instructions:  

-----------------

*   It is urgent that all WG chairs enter projects (documents) into the
new CWE Framework system as soon as possible.  It is best not to wait
until the Berlin meeting.  

*   If you have not entered your projects (documents) in the system
prior to the WG meetings in Berlin, your working group *must* enter the
projects and their schedules in the system *BEFORE* you address any
other agenda item in Berlin.    Stop all other work until your proposed
projects and their schedules are documented online.  

*   HERE IS WHAT YOU SHOULD ENTER AS PROJECTS:

1.       Enter all projects that are in your *approved charter*
(previous word document version) which you still plan to produce (but
drop any that you have cancelled).

2.       If you have *additional documents* which your WG did not get
previous approval for, but which your team has a clear plan and clear
resources to produce, you may add them at this time, effectively
requesting approval of those projects.  

*   We will then go through a phase of "blanket approval" for all
documents entered into the system at that time.  

*   During their meeting the following week, The CMC will consider the
total list of documents and will approve most, but may disapprove some
for CCSDS work.

*   The Secretariat will then "baseline" those documents as approved.  

*   The online system will then be set up for steady-state processes,
including routine requests by WG chairs for project changes (add,
delete, change dates), and the CMC approval of those changes.   

 

In order for the online system's project management alerts to function,
we require all dates (with checkmarks) to be entered.  For new projects
and future dates, this is not an issue.  For existing projects, some WG
chairs have questioned why they have to enter past dates.  We will tell
them that past dates do not need to be very rigorous or strictly
accurate, but they need to at least enter approximate dates for past
milestones, so that the system alerts will function, and we also benefit
because it provides some historical record of the length of time to
produce various CCSDS documents.   

-----------------

 

We originally considered telling the WG chairs to enter *only* the
documents/projects that have been approved by the CMC in their previous
(word document) charters, and further, enter *only* the dates that have
already been approved by the CMC.  However, that will simply slow down
the process of getting the most accurate plan documented and approved.
So instead the instructions above tell the WG chairs to enter the best
estimation of their working group's efforts at this time.  Hopefully the
CMC can approve that work.  This way we will avoid multiple cycles of
entering currently approved but inaccurate work, and then later another
cycle of making corrections.    

 

Some information on the future process for the CMC:  

*         We will have a CMC poll to add or remove a project from a WG's
charter.   

*         We will not have a CMC poll for every date change of every
projects.  

*         We will have a quarterly report of "schedule changes" for
working group documents to get CMC concurrence using a CMC poll.

 

The Secretariat requests the support of the CMC members as we urge your
agency's ADs and WG Chairs to complete the task of documenting the
document plans as projects in the new CWE Framework system.  This is to
finally bring to fruition the visibility and project insight that has
been requested from the CMC for a long time.   

 

   -=- Mike

 

Mike Kearney

NASA MSFC EO-01

256-544-2029

 

 

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