Tough Love at SMD

Wielding a Cost-Cutting Ax, and Often, at NASA, NY Times

“With today’s tight budgets, he said, it is unfair to expect NASA to raid other programs or stop initiating programs to pay for the excessive costs of current projects. “The mission that makes the mess is responsible for cleaning it up,” Dr. Stern said. He acknowledged that NASA shared responsibility for some problems, noting that “the blame goes all around.” The agency needs to change the way it does business, he said, in part by avoiding the tendency to micromanage projects and by doing a better job of picking more experienced people to lead programs. “The person at the helm should not be a rookie,” he said.”