Recent improvements in JPL's mission formulation process

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has introduced a number of improvements to help Pre-Phase A concept, proposal, and project teams develop and plan missions that have high science value and are implementable for their committed costs. These new measures include: (1) Pre-Phase A Life Cycle: detailed Life-Cycle templates map out sub-phases, gates, and reviews for competed and assigned missions. (2) Concept Maturity Levels: consistent approach measures maturity of mission and instrument concepts. (3) Cost Risk Subfactors: algorithm estimates appropriate cost reserve posture very early, based on influence coefficients extracted from recent flight projects. (4) Cost and Schedule Profile Rules of Thumb: guidelines establish schedule and cost profiles as a function of mission class, based on historical data. (5) Formulation Support Team: institutional experts join all pre-projects to assure tailored support. (6) Pre-Project Principles & Practices: detailed guidelines clarify concept development expectations in each life-cycle sub-phase. (7) Frontline web portal: provides on-line access to current information, templates, and standards for study teams, proposal teams, and pre-projects. (8) Mission Development Workshop: week-long class provides in-depth discussion of techniques for concept development, competition and proposal preparation, cost estimating, and early formulation planning. (9) Senior management attention: new position of JPL Associate Director for Project Formulation and Strategy coordinates Lab-wide policy through a new Office of Strategic Planning and Project Formulation. These measures have noticeably improved the quality, consistency, and efficiency of mission concepts, reviews and proposals. Reaction by JPL implementers, program managers and sponsors has been favorable.