PP&C Guidance Documents

PP&C Handbook

The Program Planning & Control (PP&C) Handbook provides an overview of the fundamental principles and explains the functions and products that go into project planning and control. The 2010 Interim Results of the NASA Program Planning and Control Study identified seven categories of activities for PP&C, and those provide the basis for the seven functions described in this handbook. This handbook maps out the interfaces and interactions between PP&C functions, as well as their external interfaces. This integration of information and products within and between functions is necessary to form the whole picture of how a project is progressing. The handbook descriptions are meant to facilitate consistent, common, and comprehensive approaches for providing valued analysis, assessment, and evaluation focused on the project level at NASA. The handbook also describes activities in terms of function rather than the job title or the specific person or organization responsible for the activity, which could differ by Center or size of a project. This handbook is primarily guidance for project planning and control; however, the same principles apply to programs and generally apply to institutional planning and control.

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Cost Estimating Handbook

The NASA Cost Estimating Handbook (CEH) provides guidance for cost estimators and analysts across NASA. The needs of the cost estimating community are as varied as the projects being undertaken at NASA. NASA has a wide range of mission requirements and a variety of expectations and tools that are used to plan and execute those requirements. Cost estimators and cost analysts may be asked to support activities ranging from the development of estimates for competitive proposals to the development of independent estimates. These estimates can be used either for the selection of proposals or the approval to proceed to the next life-cycle phase. NASA requires cost estimating for major acquisition programs. Resources are increasingly scarce, and space systems are increasingly expensive. Informed decisions are critical.

The CEH itself is a standalone summary of the process for developing cost estimates that will be of use to a broad community including experienced analysts, new cost estimators, and the non-estimating professional. Individual appendices cover a variety of relevant subjects in much more detail.

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Schedule Management Handbook

The NASA Schedule Management Handbook (SMH) provides guidance and best practices proven to be successful within the Agency, which will enable continuous improvements Agency-wide that enhance programmatic processes, products, and professional growth (i.e., capabilities).  As such, the necessity of this handbook to establish consistent, Agency-wide best practices is threefold:

1. The NASA Schedule Management Handbook is necessary to capture recommended schedule management processes, methodologies, and techniques based on NASA-specific needs and lessons learned.
2. The NASA Schedule Management Handbook is necessary to define evolving Schedule Management products to be developed during each life cycle phase in accordance with the NASA requirements and policies.
3. The NASA Schedule Management Handbook is necessary to support workforce development and professional growth in the programmatic functional area of schedule management through definition of best practices and identification of the planning, development, and analytical skill sets and familiarity of tools associated with producing products that meet NASA requirements.

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EVM Handbooks

The Earned Value Management (EVM) handbooks provide guidance for the effective application, implementation, and utilization of EVM on NASA programs, projects, major contracts and subcontracts in a consolidated reference document.  EVM is a PP&C function of the project management process that effectively integrates a project’s scope of work with schedule and cost elements for optimum project planning and control. The goal is to achieve timely and accurate quantification of progress that will facilitate management by exception and enable early visibility into the nature and the magnitude of technical problems as well as the intended course and success of corrective actions.  The EVM handbooks address the application of EVM to NASA projects that meet the threshold for implementing EVM. The project effort may be primarily contract, in-house or a combination of both. 

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Independent Assessment and Life Cycle Review Guidance

NASA’s OCFO is responsible for the functional oversight of the independent programmatic assessments and programmatic products associated with the program and project life cycle. The documents described below provide guidance on the processes and products necessary to perform the independent assessment function, as well as programmatic products required throughout a program and project life cycle according to NASA requirements.

• The Standard Operating Procedure Instruction (SOPI) for Standing Review Board (SRB) Independent Programmatic Assessment Processes documents best practices for conducting an independent programmatic assessment within the SRB construct. The SOPI’s purpose is to document the SRB Programmatic Team processes for supporting the completion of an independent assessment of a project throughout the program/project life cycle, per NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR) 7120.5. It is the expectation that the following processes will be followed as part of any programmatic support to an SRB.

• The Joint Confidence Level (JCL) Overview Brochure provides a quick guide to the integrated uncertainty analysis of cost and schedule. The result of a JCL indicates the probability that a project’s cost will be equal to or less than the targeted cost AND that the schedule will be equal to or less than the targeted finish. 

• The CADRe Overview Brochure provides a quick guide to the historical record of cost, schedule, and technical project attributes so that analysts can understand cost-growth trends and develop better estimates for future analogous projects. CADRe is a 3 part document provides a historical record of cost, schedule, and technical project attributes so that analysts can understand cost-growth trends and develop better estimates for future analogous projects.  The CADRe is completed at each Project milestone and stored in the ONCE database.

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Additional PP&C Guidance Links

PP&C Glossary

The NASA Cost Estimating & Analysis, Schedule Management, and EVM communities worked together to create a comprehensive Glossary of PP&C terms.

PP&C Acronyms

The NASA Cost Estimating & Analysis, Schedule Management, and EVM communities worked together to create a comprehensive list of PP&C acronyms.

Risk Management Guidance

The PP&C Risk Management function adds to NASA risk guidance and policy by describing the role of the PP&C team in executing the two risk management process cycles (RIDM and CRM).  Visit NASA's OSMA website to find policy and guidance resources on Risk Management, including the NASA Risk Management Handbook (NASA/SP2011-3422), the NASA Risk-Informed Decision Making Handbook (NASA/SP-2010-576).

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