Orion Shield Project

Paper Summary:

This paper seeks to explore various challenges that faced program manager Gary Allison in the management of Orion Shield Project. Some of these issues are technical, ethical, legal or contractual in nature. The Orion Shield Project was an undertaking to improve the structural capabilities of NASA's launch rocket booster known as the Shuttle Launch Booster. The paper is a study of the activities undertaken by Gary as a product manager in charge of phase one of the Orion Shield project.

From the Paper:

"According to Meredith, J. R, Samuel J. M, Samuel J. M, Jr (2005, p. 465), the wrong direction and failure of the Orion Shield project could be attributed to the wrong choice of the project manager. Gary was more interested and confident with his work as an engineer and not a project manager. His desire to experiment with his MBA coupled with Henry Larsen's insistence drove him to take up the management of this project. Because he was very new to project management, It was incorrect for Henry Larsen to let Gary be solely in charge of this project, the best way could have been to assign another more experienced project manager to work hand in hand with Gary or better still he could have allowed a more experienced project manager to lead the project while Gary worked as an assistant to the experienced project manager. Henry Larsen's motive could also be read in his choice of having Gary as the project manager, he needed a new inexperienced manager who could be easily manipulated to promote his unethical management standards."

Sample of Sources Used:

• University of Maryland University College (2003). Orion Shield Project. Retrieved on 19th September, 2008 from http://polaris.umuc.edu/cvu/orion/.
• Gary, R. H. (2001). Project management. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. P.23, 204
• Dyson, G. (2002). Project Orion: The True Story Of The Atomic Spaceship. New York: Henry Holt and Co, p. 241
• Lewis, P. J (2007). Fundamentals of project management. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. p.76
• Tigerman, G. (2003). The Orion Protocol. New York: Morrow. P. 293

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