tional Space Station program, managed by NASA, was going through painful changes due to its inherent complexity as well as significant budget problems that forced almost continuous design changes and interface realignments,” Abramovici says. “The changes affected everything, from SPDM interfaces to the way to robot was to be used in space.”

The system engineering team focused on finding ways to integrate to evolving SPDM into the changing Internal Space Station architecture while minimizing the impact on the product. The results speak for themselves: Very few out-of-scope changes appeared through the life of the project.

“The requirements were extremely well thought out at the beginning,” Gowans says. “There were no soft requirements, and that made it easier to put a plan in place that was achievable both cost- and schedule-wise. Nailing down those requirements is key in a fixed-price job.”

Major internal risks arose from the introduction of new, untested technologies into the design, by the sheer geometrical complexity of the mechanical and electrical packaging. MD Robotics design engineers and quality-assurance personnel were onsite for extended critical time periods.

Add Subcontracts, Stir

Because subcontracted items accounted for 50 percent of the total contract value, suppliers were brought early into the design process and cooperated with engineers to mutual benefit, Abramovici says.

During the SPDM proposal stage, budgets were allocated to each subcontract. The information was validated through previous program experience, quotations and past procurement history. “At this time, potential vendors were identified, and sole-source components were flagged as program risks,” Abramovici says.

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