The document describes the NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now Communities of Practice (CoP). It was established in 2006 to support NASA's safety and mission assurance requirements. The NASA Safety Center focuses on developing people, processes and tools to achieve NASA's strategic goals through functions like mishap investigation support, technical training, and audits. It uses an online CoP system to enable knowledge sharing and preserve organizational memory. The CoPs allow practitioners in technical disciplines like system safety and software assurance to exchange information.

1. NSC Knowledge Now Communities of Practice
Mike Lipka
November 6, 2013
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
National Aeronautics Space Administration

2.  Established in 2006 to support the safety and mission
assurance (SMA) requirements of NASA's portfolio of
programs and projects
– Safety: Operational safety and health
– Mission Assurance: System safety, reliability & maintainability,
software assurance, quality engineering, aviation safety
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
We are the NASA Safety Center
 Focused on developing people, processes and tools for
the achievement of NASA's strategic goals
 Key functions
–
–
–
–
Mishap investigation support
Technical excellence training
Program and facility audits
Knowledge management tools and processes
 HQ function, located at Glenn Research Center
2

3. Safety concerns were raised as a result of
Challenger, Columbia and other independent
agency mishap assessments
“The [Columbia Accident
Investigation] Board
concludes that NASA’s
current organization does
not provide effective
checks and balances,
does not have an
independent safety
program and has not
demonstrated the
characteristics of a
learning organization.”
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
NASA Safety & Mission Assurance Culture
- Synopsis, p.12
3

4. Create a continuous learning culture within
Safety and Mission Assurance to support the
successful execution of all NASA programs
1. Identify and facilitate knowledge sharing opportunities
2. Develop knowledge sharing tools and processes
3. Educate SMA practitioners
4. Embed KM as an organizational strength
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
SMA KM Strategic Objective
4

5.  “First-stop shopping” for SMA professionals
 Develop and capture expertise in SMA technical
disciplines
 Identify opportunities to share appropriate knowledge
and experience between NSC Offices- Mishap
Investigation Teams, Audit and Assessments, and
Technical Experts
 Risk avoidance
 Cost avoidance
 An environment of Trust- Transparency- Open agenda
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
What We Strive to Achieve
 Not repeating mishaps, avoiding obsolescence,
constantly evolving
5

6.  NASA has a highly skilled workforce where complex
knowledge is not easily gained or replaced
 We remember the “what, when and how” but not the
“why” - the context or rationale of what we do
 We sometimes duplicate efforts (and errors) because
we are too "Center/Program/Project- centric”
 SMA professionals learn on the job due to a lack of
external SMA formal education programs
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
SMA Knowledge Challenges
6

7.  Avoid re-work and ensure business continuity by
accessing documents and information already
assembled and completed
 Preserve “organizational memory”





Who did the work?
What was completed/accomplished?
When was the work done?
Where is it located?
Why and how did we do the work?  Context
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
Why Use Communities of Practice?
 “One-stop shopping”
7

8.  Using commercial version of the Air Force Knowledge Now
communities of practice (CoPs) system developed by Triune
 Secure online CoPs cleared for SBU content- Rated as high.
 Available Agency-wide
 Inventory: Over 950+ CoPs and 8,200+ members
 Open to Civil Servants, Contractors, External Partners
 12GB capacity
 Supports all doc types- video, audio, pictures
 Easily configurable
 Online Help wiki and Help Desk
 Available via e-Authentication; must have a NASA ID
 Easy to request
https://nsckn.nasa.gov/
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
Knowledge Now Communities of Practice
8

9.  Document
management system
w/ permissions
 Discussion forums and
blogs
 Wikis
 Members listing
 Community calendar
 Alerts
 Search and discovery
 Surveys and
questionnaires
 Action Item tracker
 Links
 Drop and drag
configuration
 Metrics
https://nsckn.nasa.gov/
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
Knowledge Now Key Features
9

10.  All NSC Civil Servants and Contactors can view
–
–
–
–
–
Marketing
NSC CoP Implementation Plan
Organizational Charts
Photos and videos
Presentations
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
Document Folder Permissions: The NSC CoP
 Only NSC Civil Servants can view
–
–
–
–
NSC Key Activities Reports
Office Reviews
Retreats
Trip Reports
 Only NSC Leadership can view
– Budget
Permissions are at the
folder level only
10

11. System Safety- A disciplined, systematic approach to identifying, analyzing,
and controlling system hazards that can impact human health, the
environment, or the mission itself.
Reliability & Maintainability- Design and review activities that improve
systems’ reliability during their missions while minimizing system downtime for
maintenance. Provides confidence system and its components will function
when required.
Quality Engineering- Analysis, principles and practices used to demonstrate
that a system suits its purpose and complies with relevant requirements.
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
NSC CoPs: SMA Technical Disciplines
Software Assurance- Activities that ensure software life cycle processes and
products conform to requirements, standards and procedures. This includes
quality, safety, reliability, verification and validation, and independent
verification and validation of software.
Operational Safety- Preventing operations-related safety hazards to assure
mission success and to protect personnel and the public, protect the
environment, protect aircraft/spacecraft/payloads, and protect facilities,
property and equipment.
Aviation Safety- Processes and practices aimed at eliminating or mitigating
hazards in aviation to prevent injury to personnel or damage to aircraft and
other hardware.
11

12. NASA Policy
News
OTJ
Resources
Industry
expertise
SME K
Capture
Gov’t
Expertise
Events
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
Operational Safety Community of Practice
Documents
Prof
Orgs
12

13. Center Web
Pages
Documents
Events
OTJ
Resources
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
SMA Safety Day Planning CoP
Center Event
Pages
Agency
Points of
Contact
INFORM YOURSELF
Recommended
Event Speakers
13

14.  Every Center hosts a
Safety Days event and
faces similar challenges
– Reduced budget
– Reduced personnel
– Keep employees interested
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
Safety Days Event Planning CoP
 Identified event planning
and logistics leading
practices
 Meet virtually to tell stories
and exchange experiences
 Goal: Embed knowledge
management in work
14

15.  CoP Implementation Plan
–
–
–
–
–
Knowledge Inventory
Configuration Plan
Communication Plan
Quarterly Governance
Operating Standards
NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
Managing the Change and Lessons Learned
 Some Lessons Learned
– Less is more
– Consolidate communications
– Serve as first stop knowledge
resource- “Mini portal”
– Collaboration is cumbersome
– The 1% rule- 99% lurk
15

16. NASA Safety Center Knowledge Now
DISCUSSION
16