NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 7120.7A Effective Date: August 17, 2020 Expiration Date: August 17, 2030

Subject: NASA Information Technology Program and Project Management Requirements (Revalidated with Change 1)

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Information Officer

Chapter 2. Service Line and Project Management Roles, Responsibilities, and Governance

2.1 IT Authority and IT Program Authority Roles and Responsibilities

a. The roles and responsibilities for managing IT are defined in NPD 2800.1, Managing Information Technology, and other NPDs and NPRs.

b. IT Authority is the oversight, insight, policy compliance, information security, investment review, and architectural compliance for IT service lines and projects.

c. IT Program Authority is the management, oversight, implementation, and operations of IT services that are delivered by the NASA CIO or delegate.

d. NASA categorizes IT Services as one of the following:

(1) Enterprise Services are provided to users across the entire Agency using a standard set of technologies and a single, Agency-wide service provisioning method.

(2) Center Standardized Services are not standardized and implemented at the Enterprise level, but are standardized by a Center for the users at that Center.

(3) Unique IT Services are implemented for a defined group of users at a level lower than the Enterprise or Center level (e.g., a department, mission directorate, mission program, IT program, project, or team).

2.1.1 NASA CIO

a. The NASA CIO is responsible and accountable for all IT investments, within IT service lines and programs and non-IT programs, and is required to fully implement Federal law, Federal regulations, and Agency directives.

b. The NASA CIO is the DA for all IT service lines and projects.

c. The NASA CIO is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all NASA information systems operate at an acceptable level of security risk; therefore, the NASA CIO evaluates and approves the designation of all Authorizing Officials (AO) to all NASA information systems.

d. The NASA CIO has IT Authority and IT Program Authority over all IT service lines and projects. This authority is delegated to each Service Line director based on the scope of their respective service line.

2.1.2 Deputy CIO for Operations

a. The Deputy CIO for Operations is responsible for the delivery of a large and diverse portfolio of IT products and services.

b. The Deputy CIO for Operations is responsible for the IT enterprise program/project management function.

2.1.4 Center CIO

a. The Center CIO is responsible for ensuring that IT service delivery meet center and mission requirements.

b. Through the Business Relationship Management (BRM) / Customer Relationship Management (CRM) community, the Center CIO identifies requirements and future needs for the center and local missions.

c. The Center CIO ensures transparency into all IT at the Center, including enterprise services, center standardized and unique IT services.

2.1.5 Service Line Director

The Service Line Director ensures the service line portfolio and offerings are managed and optimized to meet current and future Agency needs and are vetted to enable sound business decisions and compliance with technical and architectural standards. The Service Line Director ensures that NASA IT users receive quality service.

2.1.6 Service Line Deputy Director

a. The Service Line Deputy Director is responsible for the implementation and execution of the service line in compliance with the IT Service Line Life Cycle (Figure 4, IT Service Line Life Cycle).

b. The Service Line Deputy Director is responsible for achieving service line goals/objectives, formulating and implementing the service line's projects and initiatives, and ensuring that Operations and Maintenance (O&M) activities successfully meet operational/performance agreements.

2.1.7 Project Manager

a. The Project Manager is responsible for managing the project in accordance with the IT Project Life Cycle (Figure 5-4, IT Technology Development Pre-Formulation Life Cycle and Figure 5-3, IT Project Life Cycle).

b. The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring the project is aligned to the service line's objectives and contributes to the associated performance measures detailed in the Service Line Plan.

2.1.8 Initiative Lead

a. The Initiative Lead is responsible for execution of the initiative.

b. The Initiative Lead is responsible for ensuring the initiative is aligned to the service line's objectives and contributes to the associated performance measures detailed in the Service Line Plan.

2.1.9 Activity Lead

a. The Activity Lead is responsible for operation of a specific service element, service, system, or product.

b. The Activity Lead is responsible for enforcing the approved change management process.

c. The Activity Lead is responsible for ensuring the activity is aligned to the service line's objectives and contributes to the associated performance measures detailed in the Service Line Plan.

2.1.10 IT Program/Project Management Lead

a. The IT Program/Project Management Lead within the Enterprise Program/Project Management Office (EPMO) is responsible for providing the framework to facilitate integrated service line and project management needed to streamline service lines and projects and to improve methodologies.

b. The IT Program/Project Management Lead within the Service Line is responsible for:

(1) Providing advice, counsel, and recommendations for consideration by the IT Program/Project Management Lead within the EPMO relating to maintaining/improving all aspects of IT service line and project management.

(2) Maintaining accountability to the IT Program/Project Management Lead within the EPMO by communicating and training their service line and ensuring compliance with the requirements of this NPR and related processes.

(3) Serving as an interface between the service line and the EPMO and ensuring proper reporting and transparency of projects, initiatives, and activities within the service line.

(4) Engaging with, monitoring, and helping to improve performance of component projects, initiatives, and activities.

2.2 IT Service Line and Project Management Governance

2.2.1 Service Line and Project KDP Reviews

a. Pursuant to the requirements detailed in NPD 1000.3, NASA and the NASA CIO establish IT governance by chartering boards with specific, independent oversight scope, and diverse stakeholder representation.

(1) These chartered boards inform the KDP DA for all NASA IT service lines.

(2) NASA's IT governance refers to the specification of decision rights, the accountability framework, and the processes by which service lines effectively enable NASA to set and achieve its goals through the strategic use of IT.

b. The NASA CIO delegates the KDP DA for NASA IT project KDPs based on the criteria in Table A-1, Criteria for Service Line and Project KDP Decision Authority.

c. If a project has criteria that correlate to more than one level of DA, then the criteria tied to the highest level KDP DA will take precedence. An "X" in the table identifies the assignment of the KDP DA.

Table A-1, Criteria for Service Line and Project KDP Decision Authority

Note: DME = Development, Modernization, and Enhancement, M = Million, and LCC = Life-Cycle Cost

d. The KDP DA may request or require a project's KDP decision to be elevated even if the project does not meet the criteria for that higher KDP DA.

(1) Such a decision may be made, for example, for projects of high interest or importance to the Agency as a whole.

(2) In making this determination, the KDP DA will consult and coordinate with the service line that is sponsoring the project.

(3) In the event of a disagreement, the sponsoring service line may appeal the KDP DA determination to the NASA CIO.

2.2.2 Systems Engineering Reviews

a. The SE reviews evaluate the technical aspects of the project to ensure that the systems/subsystems engineering processes are functioning properly and are correctly applied as the project progresses from concept to product to closeout.

b. The Technical Review Board (TRB) shall conduct each SE review and make a recommendation to the SE DA on whether the project should pass the SE review.

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