More About DOD and NASA Management

The latest GAO report on DOD and NASA management concerns the quality of the parts used in the systems of these agencies. Each of the twenty-one programs GAO looked at had problems with the quality of the parts being used. Okay, life is full of problems. But, the major difficulty here is that DOD and NASA did not find the problems until very late in the game; in one case this cost us $250,000,000 and a year delay in launching.

Here's what GAO has to say:

The causes of parts quality problems GAO identified were poor workmanship, undocumented and untested manufacturing processes, poor control of those processes and materials and failure to prevent contamination, poor part design, design complexity, and an inattention to manufacturing risks. Ineffective supplier management also resulted in concerns about whether subcontractors and contractors met program requirements.

Did the bosses flunk Management 101?