Progress in Improving Project Management at the Department of Energy; 2001 Assessment

National Research Council, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

ISBN 10: 0309082803 / ISBN 13: 9780309082808

Published by National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2001

About this Item

xi, [1], 128 pages. Wraps. Figures. References. Appendices. In 1997, Congress, in the conference report, H.R. 105-271, to the FY1998 Energy and Water Development Appropriation Bill, directed the National Research Council to carry out a series of assessments of project management at the Department of Energy (DOE). This report, the 2001 Assessment, is the first in that series. It presents an examination of DOE's progress in improving program management and offers recommendations regarding project management methodology and project oversight. Prepared under the auspices of the Committee for Oversight and Assessment of U.S. Department of Energy Project Management, Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environments, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council. The 105th Congressional Committee of Conference on Energy and Water Development in its appropriation conference report directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to undertake an independent review and assessment of its project management structure and processes for identifying, managing, designing and constructing facilities. The concern was the quality of the technical scopes, cost estimates, schedules, and supporting data regarding these construction projects as well as the validity of the proposed costs, scopes, and schedules. The study was to also include a review of large operating projects such as environmental projects which may or may not involve much construction, but should clearly be managed with the same principles and guidelines. The overall objective was achieve departmental processes that controlled the projects' cost and schedule as well as reduce cost growth and schedule slippages. While the original congressional direction was for the US Army Corps of Engineers to perform the review, the final version allowed the DOE to ask the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct such a study. In 1998, prior to delivering the later general study in 1999, NRC completed a short time frame study using a generic approach to assess DOE's FY98 budget request, which did not attempt to address the broader issues of systems acquisition and project delivery within DOE raised by the conference report.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Progress in Improving Project Management at the Department of Energy; 2001 Assessment
• Publisher: National Academy Press, Washington, DC
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0309082803
• ISBN 13: 9780309082808
• Binding: Trade paperback
• Edition: Presumed First Edition/First Printing.
• Condition: very good

About this title

Synopsis

The Department of Energy (DOE) is engaged in numerous multimillion- and even multibillion-dollar projects that are one of a kind or first of a kind and require cutting-edge technology. The projects represent the diverse nature of DOE's missions, which encompass energy systems, nuclear weapons stewardship, environmental restoration, and basic research. Few other government or private organizations are challenged by projects of a similar magnitude, diversity, and complexity. To complete these complex projects on schedule, on budget, and in scope, the DOE needs highly developed project management capabilities.

This report is an assessment of the status of project management in the Department of Energy as of mid-2001 and the progress DOE has made in this area since the National Research Council (NRC) report Improving Project Management in the Department of Energy (Phase II report) was published in June 1999.

Book Description

In 1997, Congress, in the conference report, H.R. 105-271, to the FY1998 Energy and Water Development Appropriation Bill, directed the NRC to carry out a series of assessments of project management at the Department of Energy (DOE). This report, the 2003 Assessment, is the final one in that series. It presents an examination of DOE's progress in improving program management over the past three years including the Department's response to the recommendations of the previous assessments in this series. In addition to assessing DOE&s progress, the report also describes opportunities for further improvement and gives a prognosis for future developments.