Developing the JPL engineering processes

Abstract

This paper briefly recounts the recent history of process reengineering at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with a focus on the engineering processes. The JPL process structure is described and the process development activities of the past several years outlined. The main focus of the paper is on the current process structure, the emphasis on the flight project life cycle, the governance approach that led to Flight Project Practices, and the remaining effort to capture process knowledge at the detail level of the work group. Copyright © 2004 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.