NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 7120.8A Effective Date: September 14, 2018 Expiration Date: September 14, 2028

Subject: NASA Research and Technology Program and Project Management Requirements (Revalidated w/change 5)

Responsible Office: Associate Administrator

Preface

P.1 Purpose

P.2 Applicability

a. This NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) is applicable to NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers, including Component Facilities and Technical and Service Support Centers. This directive applies to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (a Federally-funded Research and Development Center) and other contractors only to the extent specified or referenced in the applicable contracts.

b. R&T programs and projects will be managed using NPR 7120.5 in lieu of NPR 7120.8 when:

(1) the R&T program or project is directly funded by a human or robotic space flight program or project;

(2) a space flight program or project is directly dependent on the R&T program or project;

(3) the R&T program or project has an LCC greater than $365M and is intended to be flown in space;

(4) the R&T program or project includes significant radioactive material (see Section 2.1.3.1), whether or not the system being developed is for ground or space flight; or

(5) as determined by the NASA AA.

If clarification or guidance is needed, R&T programs and projects should consult with the CPMO.

c. This document establishes the management requirements for formulating, approving, implementing, and evaluating NASA R&T programs and projects consistent with the governance model contained in NPD 1000.0 and applies to R&T managed or funded by NASA (excluding all NASA-funded programs, projects, and activities managed under NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements and NPR 7120.7, NASA Information Technology Program and Project Management Requirements). R&T programs and projects that are directly funded by a space flight program/project should decide whether they are subject to NPR 7120.5, NPR 7120.8, NASA Research and Technology Program and Project Management Requirements, or a hybrid per Mission Directorate policy and Decision Authority (DA) approval. R&T projects that directly tie to the space flight mission's success and schedule are normally managed under NPR 7120.5. For existing R&T programs and projects, the requirements of this NPR apply to their current and future phases as of the effective date of this NPR as determined by the responsible Mission Directorate and concurred with by the DA.

d. Programs and projects governed by NPR 7120.8 that have systems under development with information technology (IT) components follow relevant IT management processes and requirements contained in NPR 7150.2, NASA Software Engineering Requirements and NPD 2800.1, Managing Information Technology.

e. In this NPR, all mandatory actions (i.e., requirements) are denoted by statements containing the term "shall." The terms: "may" or "can" denote discretionary privilege or permission, "should" denotes a good practice and is recommended but not required, "will" denotes expected outcome, and "are/is" denotes descriptive material.

f. In this directive, all document citations are assumed to be the latest version unless otherwise noted.

P.3 Authority

a. The National Aeronautics and Space Act, as amended, 51 U.S.C. § 20113(a).

b. NPD 7120.4, NASA Engineering and Program/Project Management Policy.

P.4 Applicable Documents and Forms

a. Declaration of Policy, 15 U.S.C. § 205b.

b. Metric Usage in Federal Government Programs, Executive Order (EO) 12770, 56 Federal Register (FR) 35801 (July 29, 1991).

c. Procurement Strategy Meeting (PSM), NASA FAR Supplement (NFS), Part 1807.170.

d. NPD 1000.0, NASA Governance and Strategic Management Handbook.

e. NPD 1000.3, The NASA Organization.

f. NPD 1000.5, Policy for NASA Acquisition.

g. NPD 1001.0, NASA Strategic Plan.

h. NPD 1200.1, NASA Internal Control.

i. NPD 1382.17, NASA Privacy Policy.

j. NPD 1440.6, NASA Records Management.

k. NPD 1920.1, Scientific Integrity.

l. NPD 2800.1, Managing Information Technology.

m. NPD 2810.1, NASA Information Security Policy.

n. NPD 7120.6, Knowledge Policy for Programs and Projects.

o. NPR 1080.1, Requirements for the Conduct of NASA Research and Technology (R&T).

p. NPR 1441.1, NASA Records Management Program Requirements.

q. NPR 2210.1, Release of NASA Software.

r. NPR 2810.1, Security of Information Technology.

s. NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements.

t. NPR 7120.11, NASA Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA) Implementation.

u. NPR 7123.1, NASA Systems Engineering Processes and Requirements.

v. NPR 7150.2, NASA Software Engineering Requirements.

w. NPR 7500.2, NASA Technology Transfer Requirements.

x. NPR 7900.3, Aircraft Operations Management.

y. NPR 8000.4, Agency Risk Management Procedural Requirements.

z. NPR 8580.1, Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and Executive Order 12114.

aa. NPR 8705.6, Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Audits, Reviews, and Assessments.

bb. NPR 8715.3, NASA General Safety Program Requirements.

cc. NPR 8715.6, NASA Procedural Requirements for Limiting Orbital Debris and Evaluating the Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Environments.

dd. NPR 8715.7, Payload Safety Program.

ee. NASA/SP-20220009501, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Handbook.

ff. NASA/SP-20230001306, NASA Standing Review Board Handbook. //https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230001306

gg. NASA/SP-2016-6105, NASA Systems Engineering Handbook.

hh. Guidebook for Proposers Responding to a NASA Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/2021_ed._nasa_guidebook_for_proposers.pdf.

ii. NASA Agency Program Management Council (APMC), Independent Assessment Principles and Approach Decision Memorandum, December 13, 2016, https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCE_docs/OCE_31.pdf.

jj. Guide for Successful Headquarters Procurement Strategy Meetings (PSMs), https://nasa.sharepoint.com/sites/procurement/Shared%20Documents/NASA%20PSM%20Guide.pdf

P.5 Measurement/Verification

Compliance with this document is verified through oversight by the governing Program Management Council (PMC) and NASA internal controls described in NPD 1200.1, NASA Internal Control. Special audits are performed per NPD 1000.0.

P.6 Cancellation

NPR 7120.8, NASA Research and Technology Program and Project Management Requirements, dated February 5, 2008.

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