Engineering Excellence and the Role of Technical Standards

Paul Gill, Manager, NASA Technical Standards Program Office, and William Vaughan, Research Professor, University of Alabama in Huntsville,

1/22/2008
(Original Publish Date: 3/1/2005)

Various endeavors are undertaken to ensure engineering excellence. Determining how to measure and ascertain the degree to which engineering excellence has been achieved is another matter. The Columbia Space Shuttle accident in February 2003 brought additional visibility within NASA to the subject of engineering excellence. In response to the Columbia Accident Investigation Report, NASA implemented an independent Technical Authority for technical requirements and processes directly affecting the safe and reliable operation of NASA products and missions. This technical authority was delegated to Discipline and Systems Technical Warrant Holders. Technical standards were integral to the Discipline Technical Warrant Holders responsibilities. In this regard, the NASA Technical Standards Program worked in close collaboration with the independent Technical Authority. With the thrust to enhance engineering excellence within the Agency in response to the Administrator’s initiative, technical standards were also noted as an important element of engineering excellence. This paper addresses the role of technical standards with regard to enhancing engineering excellence as part of this process.