Commercialization of Management Know-How Generated by the ISS Program

Abstract

The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest and most complex technology project in the history of humankind. Currently, 15 countries and their aerospace industrial contractors are participating in this program. This leads to the following organizational challenges for program management: (1) Interdisciplinary integration of highly specialized professionals, institutes and subcontractors, (2) International and intercultural integration of participating countries, (3) Life-cycle-oriented integration: experts for the later stages of space station utilization and operation are also included in the early phases of design and development, (4) Integration of different users and their experiments during the Space Station utilization phase. To face these challenges, NASA and the prime contractor Boeing established a team-oriented organization with Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) and Analysis and Integration Teams (AITs). This type of organization successfully meets the integration requirements mentioned above.

Similar integration problems occur in other projects both within as well as outside the aerospace sector. Even in the real estate development business, there is a growing awareness that a life-cycle-oriented approach to project management is crucial for project success. Such an approach integrates the utilization phase in an overall facility management. The goal of this paper is to show ways to commercialize this management know-how generated by the ISS-Program effectively. This paper begins with an explanation of the IPT/AIT-organizational structure in the ISS-Program, and then explores possibilities to create commercial consulting services for the distribution of this management know-how. Finally, the successful implementation of an ISS-inspired, team-oriented organization in a large real estate development enterprise is described.