A Report by a Panel of the NATIONAL ACADEMY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION For the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies February 2007 NASA: BALANCING A MULTISECTOR WORKFORCE TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHY ORGANIZATION Panel Sallyanne Harper,* Chair Benita A. Cooper Harold B. Finger* Harriett G. Jenkins* Bernard D. Rostker* John G. Stewart* * Academy Fellow Officers of the Academy Valerie A. Lemmie, Chair of the Board G. Edward DeSeve, Vice Chair Howard M. Messner, President Franklin S. Reeder, Secretary Howard M. Messner, Treasurer Project Staff J. William Gadsby, Vice President for Academy Studies Alethea Long-Green, Program Area Director Laurie J. May, Project Director Joseph P. Mitchell, III, Senior Research Analyst Sherrie Russ, Senior Project Advisor Julia Mensah, Research Associate Martha S. Ditmeyer, Senior Administrative Specialist The views expressed in this report are those of the Panel. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Academy as an institution. National Academy of Public Administration 1100 New York Avenue, N.W. Suite 1090 East Washington, D.C. 20005 www.napawash.org Printed in the United States of America ISBN 1-57744-141-9 Academy Project Number: 2035 ii FOREWORD As the first and only organization in the world to land a man on the Moon, NASA has one of the most complex and exciting missions in the federal government. By managing the Shuttle Program and International Space Station, sending robotic missions to every planet in our solar system, and conducting cutting edge research in aeronautics, space science, and earth science, NASA expands our knowledge of the universe and applies these insights in ways that improve our daily lives. With the Vision for Space Exploration, the President and Congress have asked NASA to expand our presence in the solar system. Among other things, this will involve establishing a permanent human outpost on the Moon as a base for ultimately going to Mars and beyond. To assist NASA in this significant expansion of its mission, Congress and the agency asked the Academy to conduct an independent review of workforce issues associated with a transformation of this magnitude. This included developing a framework and metrics to help the agency assess and maintain organizational health as well as policies, procedures, and criteria for improving use of its workforce. Over the course of this study, an Academy Panel also considered management tools and flexibilities that NASA needs to safely accomplish its mission. Although optimistic about the future, the Panel concludes that NASA must continue to find ways to balance its multisector workforce and restructure its existing civil service component to meet its ambitious exploration agenda and timeline. As someone who began his federal career at NASA, this report has special meaning to me. I am pleased the Academy had the opportunity to undertake this study. I want to thank the Academy Fellows and other experts on the Panel for their outstanding guidance and insights. I also thank NASA executives, staff, and other stakeholders throughout the country for their time and cooperation. Finally, I extend my appreciation to the study team for its hard work and diligence in helping to produce such an important report. Howard M. Messner President iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD................................................................................................................................iii ACRONYMS................................................................................................................................ xi PANEL MESSAGE .................................................................................................................... xv CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 NASA’s Mission....................................................................................................................... 1 The Vision for Space Exploration....................................................................................... 2 NASA Organizational Structure ............................................................................................... 3 NASA’s Multisector Workforce......................................................................................... 5 NASA’s Civil Service Workforce by Occupation.............................................................. 7 NASA Budgetary Challenges ................................................................................................... 7 Financial Management Issues............................................................................................. 8 NASA Workforce Challenges................................................................................................... 9 Human Capital Landscape .................................................................................................. 9 Workforce Challenges ...................................................................................................... 10 Uncovered Capacity.......................................................................................................... 10 Skill Mismatches............................................................................................................... 12 NASA Legacy Challenges ...................................................................................................... 14 Hiring Freezes................................................................................................................... 14 Demographic and Staffing Impacts .................................................................................. 15 NASA Stakeholders................................................................................................................ 19 Report Methodology ............................................................................................................... 19 Road Map to the Report.......................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER II: PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING ..................................................... 21 NASA’S Evolving Mission..................................................................................................... 22 Constellation Program ...................................................................................................... 23 Organizational Support for Strategic Goals............................................................................ 24 Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation ..................................................................... 24 v Office of Human Capital Management............................................................................. 26 NASA Workforce Planning Processes.................................................................................... 27 Implementing NASA’S Strategic Plans and Goals................................................................. 29 Shuttle Transition Planning............................................................................................... 30 Useful Methodologies as NASA Transitions to the Vision for Space Exploration................ 34 Scenario Planning ............................................................................................................. 34 RAND Model for Projecting Core Workforce.................................................................. 35 Collaboration with other countries or multinational entities ............................................ 37 Conclusions............................................................................................................................. 38 Recommendations................................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER III: TEN HEALTHY CENTERS......................................................................... 41 The Ten Healthy Center Concept ........................................................................................... 42 Best Places to Work: An Indicator of Center Health .............................................................. 43 Insights from Field Visits........................................................................................................ 46 Assessing the Ten Healthy Centers Initiative ................................................................... 54 Potential to Adjust the Structure to Achieve the Vision................................................... 55 Conclusions............................................................................................................................. 56 Recommendations................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER IV: ACQUISITION: A KEY SUPPORT CAPABILITY .................................. 67 Contracting Overview............................................................................................................. 68 NASA Functions Contracted Out ..................................................................................... 70 Four Categories of NASA Contractors............................................................................. 71 Union Views on NASA’s Use of Contractors .................................................................. 72 NASA’S Acquisition Organization and