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and even a machine learning “watcher”
for when the coffee runs out.
What happens when you combine an objective of global
significance (the exploration of earth and space) with a
powerful mantra (the stars are calling and we must go), add
in a high-energy, collaborative environment that promotes
continuous learning, and enables remote work? You create
an energized workforce that experiences faster innovation
while retaining star performers far longer than average.
2. ENSURE EFFECTIVE PROCESSES
To maintain focus, we consistently communicate the
goals of NASA and JPL (searching for life in space and
protecting Mother Earth). We seek to continuously measure
and reduce “wait states,” thereby enabling appropriate
access to information without impeding individual
progress or causing lengthy wait times. We automate and
measure everything, relentlessly and continuously.
Executing on small but essential projects that are ready to
prototype allows us to experiment with new technologies
at a rapid pace and lower risk. Rapid prototyping by one-
or two-pizza cross-functional teams of end-users and
developers has proven highly effective in understanding
both a project’s potential gain and the user experience.
Using Agile methodologies to iterate from Minimum Viable
Products to rapid releases accelerates the time to market:
automated deployments, tests, and a symbiotic integration
with cybersecurity all help to ensure long-term success.
But how can we infuse new methods and technologies
into the legacy environment? By pairing new team
members with experienced domain experts, we infuse new
technologies and specialized skills to solve significant
domain problems. We also gain cross-mentoring and team-
building benefits. By ensuring that internal open source code
is made available to other developers, we have recorded
a 50 percent increase in code reuse while reducing the
risk of losing code should a critical programmer leave.
We believe our workforce and workspace initiatives are
contributing to faster adoption of new processes in the
enterprise. The emergence of cloud-based tools helps us
address massive amounts of data that are central to all that
we do at JPL. However, if a service is not secure, it puts the
organization at risk and it will not be deployed. Therefore,
we focus on (1) creating gold-sourced data available for
reuse, and (2) building cybersecurity and compliance into
the tools and services themselves. We seek to automate,
measure, and alert if something falls “out of compliance.”
3. INFUSE FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES
By identifying relevant emerging technology waves, we are
better equipped to solve today’s problems with tomorrow’s
technologies. If the solution doesn’t generate exceptional
results, we drop it. However, if the results of prototypes are
positive, we double down. To do so involves partnering with
other users at NASA and JPL, and other business partners as
well. Through successful early adoption of new technologies,
we can influence industry innovation—the creation and
deployment of new products/services—so that NASA JPL,
indeed the larger Federal government, may benefit.
We believe the above approach can work for any
organization. It scales and has flexibility to evolve. Our
results to date (measured against the NASA and JPL goals)
are positive, and the future is even more promising.
Smart Cities and Smart Campus initiatives also contribute by
tying workforce and workplace together through consciously
reducing energy costs and consumption and increasing
workforce productivity and satisfaction through a mixture
of automation, advanced technologies, and gamification.
To enable this future, we need to evolve the way we
work, step by step, and quickly. Sometimes we’ll need
to step out of line and try something daring. Luckily,
daring mighty things is already built into our mission
at NASA JPL and into the human DNA.
Tom Soderstrom will participate in a January 9th CES
Government Executive Roundtable “21st Century
Workforce,” present January 10th “AI, Analytics and the
Commercialization of Space” And moderate a January 11th
panel “Building a 21st Century Technology Workforce.”
MEET TOM SODERSTROM
Tom Soderstrom is recognized globally as a public sector technology innovator. As
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s, IT Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, he leads
research and direct application of the most advanced technologies to JPL’s strategic
mission portfolio to explore space and protect the Earth.
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