Planning, Budgeting and Accounting (PBAT) Team

(Agency Team)

Simplifying the Planning & Executing of Resources

(SimPlER) Team(LaRC Team)

Kathy Ferrare (x43776)NASA Langley Research Center

November 18, 2014

Let’s Play the Acronym Game (Video)

3

Agenda

• Planning, Budgeting, and Accounting Team (PBAT) Background• SimPlER Charter, Goals/Objectives, and Outcome• Approach• Team Participants• Schedule• New Way of Thinking: Stop…Think…GO!

• Summary

……

4

PBAT Background

• Planning, Budget, and Accounting Team (PBAT)– Comprised of Deputy Center Directors and Mission Directorate Deputy Associate Administrators– Evaluated business operations across the Agency to enable a more efficient operating model – Performed deep dives into nine projects spanning multiple Centers– Interviewed 45 branch or division managers across the Agency – Met with senior mangers in OCFO and OHCM to understand external drivers

• PBAT recommendations were approved by NASA senior leadership– 1. Simplify FTE Planning Process– 2. Establish Best Practices for WBS Level of Detail– 3. Assign FTE Management to the Centers During Year of Execution– 4. Implement a Common PPBE Schedule for all Organizations– 5. Determine if a Set of Common Tools for FTE Planning is Appropriate– 6. Increase Transparency in FTE Allocation Process– 7. Facilitate Billet Transfers– 8. Continue, Refine, Transition Account Model

• NASA LaRC enabling a comprehensive effort to streamline operations– NASA LaRC Deputy Center Director and Chief Financial Officer sponsoring a team, led by Kathy

Ferrare, to identify and implement changes to current operations and successfully enable the imperatives of PBAT objectives

NASA Policy memo drafted and reviewed by Agency PBAT on the first 3 recommendations

5

SimPlER Team Charter, Goals/Objectives & Outcome

• Charter– Identify, evaluate, and implement positive changes to current business

and programmatic activities to streamline existing process, reduce workload, and enable more efficient operations

• Goals/Objectives– Implement recommendations and objectives of PBAT – Streamline labor planning & charging practices– Streamline programmatic and financial planning processes

• Outcome– Enable meaningful levels of planning, execution, and monitoring

that provide proper insight commensurate with the specific activity of the Agency’s mission

6

Approach

• Gain additional insight & knowledge of challenges– Review materials from PBAT– Gain insight from team members– Gain insight from all professional levels across Langley– Gain insight and collaborate on lessons learned with leaders across the

Centers

• Identify process initiatives that will enable positive changes & meet goals– Evaluate workload, benefit, and requirements– Evaluate ability to make timely changes– Establish actionable steps to implement changes

• Implement changes working with appropriate organizations– Integrate changes into processes for sustainment– Establish appropriate measures to evaluate changes– Establish communication plan to stimulate cultural change– Ensure effective implementation of changes

7

LaRC Team Participants

Technical Expertise Team Members

Human Capital Charlotte Cannon

Budget Formulation Michelle Cohoon-Lawson

Technical Work, Front-Line Management & Facility Operations (Core Resource Unit Perspective)

Drew HopeLaura BrewerMike Difulvio

Project Management & Program Planning and Control (Product Unit Perspective)

Dana GouldPhil Brown

Agency/Program Office Perspective (NESC, ESSPO, Game Changing)

Lisa McAlhaney

Center Operations Facility Expertise (Center Operations Directorate Perspective)

Erik Weiser

Project Coordinator Diane Sarrazin

Consultants

Procurement Susan McClain

Legal Mike Madrid

Outreach / Public Affairs Rob Wyman

Information Technology Kay Costulis

8

Schedule

✔ Identify Team Participants Sept - Oct 2014✔ LaRC Kick-Off Oct 29, 2014✔ Team Meetings Nov – Dec 2014✔ Introduction to PBAT & SimPlER Team November 2014• Focus Groups / Deep Dives Dec 2014-Jan

2015– Senior Leadership– “Focused” (Specific Orgs/Activities)– Cross-Cutting

• Team Data Analysis Jan – Feb 2015• Focus Group Reviews Pre-Recommendations Feb 2015• Recommendations to Senior Leadership March 2015• Implementation Phase/New Team Begins March

2015

9

New Way of Thinking: Stop…Think…Go!

• All it took was a step back, thinking through the rationale, and a little pushback to make a difference in the Space Technology Entry Systems Modeling (ESM) Project (Effie Nicosia)• FY14 ESM Project had 13 WBS• Proposal for FY15 was to increase to 29 WBS

– Most of the 29 WBS were 1 FTE or lower• The Ames Project Manager, LaRC Deputy PM & the LaRC Deputy PM for PP&C

discussed this potential change– Presented the data to the Program Office and to STMD HQ– STMD HQ changed their decision and the Project is using the existing 13 WBS

• Reviewing Space Technology Game Changing (GC) WBS (Rob Lowe)• Currently there are 1,100 active GC WBS• GC has identified ~ 200 that can be closed at this time

– ~ 100 WBS are in the process of being closed – Rob Lowe and I are working on how I can help him with the others

All of us play an important role in making the

PBAT recommendations a normal way of life!

10

Summary

• Upcoming activities we need your participation for us to be successful:• Focus Groups / Deep Dive Activities• Identifying systemic concerns/issues you have in your job stemming

from receiving direction from others or cultural perceptions

• Team will work to identify, evaluate, and implement positive changes to current business and programmatic activities

• Desired outcomes are to streamline existing processes, reduce workload, and enable more efficient operations