Roles

Organization

Click here for the VAST organization chart.

Roles and Responsibilities

Project Manager [Austin Howard]

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Project Manager Job Description

The responsibility of Project Manager is to create an environment where the team (as individuals and as a whole) performs to the best of their ability, all resources are utilized effectively, and the product is delivered within the internal and external constraints of the project (including schedule, and budget).

There are two separate and very different components to this role: leadership and management. Both components are important to the success of the project and both offer unique challenges and require different skill sets.

Leadership

Leadership is defining a vision that is motivating and making decisions that people on the project are willing to support.
A strong leader:

• provides a clear picture of the future that is motivating, meaningful and aligned with the personal goals of the group
• encourages team members to be their best both as individuals and as a team
• makes decisions with the interest of the team in mind and rationalizes decisions to the team in order to obtain the support of the team
• is enthusiastic and appears to always be having fun
• provides insight by telling stories and making observations that help put accomplishments and struggles in to perspective
• effectively facilitates meetings to stimulate team growth and progress toward the team's goals
• leads by doing not saying
• listens to the people on the team and works to understand what individuals want and why
• shares information openly to keep the team informed

Managing

Managing is defining process, personnel organization, tasks, and schedule, tracking progress and accomplishments, resolving conflicts (technical, logistical, financial and personal) and organizing the budget and administrative details.
A strong manager:

• is organized
• communicates effectively
• ready and able to solve problems quickly
• prioritizes and aligns tasks to the strengths of the team and its members
• expects high performance and communicates this expectation in a motivational way
• is constantly adjusting schedule and priorities to adapt to a dynamic project
• provides the necessary resources and tools needed to meet objectives (including training, money…) within constraints
• tracks progress and is always aware to the status of the project
• is constantly trying to plan for every contingency, but at the same time realizes that that's impossible
• identifies and avoid pitfalls before its too late
• allows team to make small mistakes (this is how people learn)
• does not do tasks that people within the team are capably of doing on their own

Responsibilities

• Facilitate weekly project meetings
• Define direction of VAST project by setting specific semester goals, and defining L1 and L2 requirements
• Manage project budget
• Mange project timeline (post in public place)
• Communicate with ISGC/Faculty advisers

Measure of Success

• Team members working many hours on VAST, not because they have to but because they want to.
• Any and all team members could list the goals of VAST, their team, and personal goals if asked.
• Team members know the project schedule (including specific deliverables and due dates).
• Team members know what they are accountable for.

Words of Wisdom

• The more mistakes you make, the closer you are to the right answer.
• If you can't measure performance, you can't manage it.
• If you don't like the way things are today, be patient. Everything will change tomorrow.
• Don't sweat the small stuff (p.s. its all small stuff).
• The simple approach is often the best.
• Promise little, deliver a lot

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Project System Engineer [Justin]

• Manage major project tasks (post in public place)
• Manage project requirements (post in public place)
• Manage project risks (post in public place)
• Define and manage interface requirements for senior design, high school and other payloads (post in public place)
• Lead weekly systems meetings

High School Coordinator

• Coordinate high school activities and engineering/science interfaces with high school students

Project Webmaster

• Keep website organized and up to date
• Take notes during Systems/project meetings

Chief Scientist (PI)

• Define science objectives (post in public place)
• Define minimum success, mission success, and full success criteria (post in public place)
• Lead science meetings
• Create science models

Chief Instrumentation Engineer

• Define instrumentation requirements (post in public place)
• Specify flight instruments
• Calibrate and test instruments

Sub-System Chief Engineer

• Report to Project Director
• Lead weekly sub-system meetings
• Work with sub-system systems engineer to define tasks
• Track all sub-system expenses
• Submit sub-system purchase requests

Sub-System Systems Engineer

• Manage team tasks (post in public place)
• Lead weekly meetings when sub-system chief engineer is absent
• Track all sub-system risks
• Track all sub-system requirements

Sub-System Webmaster

• Post team meeting minutes
• Take attendance at sub-system and project meetings (post online)
• Keep sub-system website organized and up to date
• Report to project webmaster
• Update sub-system web page

Launch Responsibilities

Flight Planner

• Run predicts/define launch location
• File NOTAM with FAA
• FAA field contact
• Manage launch inventory

Launch Coordinator

• Coordinate launch efforts (located at launch site)
• Launch countdown
• Manage integration/launch checklist

Tracking Coordinator

• Coordinate tracking efforts
• Ground Station Manager
• Archive all flight data real time

Recovery Coordinator

• Coordinate recovery efforts (located with mobile tracking vehicle)
• Photograph/video the landing site

Communications Specialists

• One for each radio (1 at each location)
• Know how to work radio/computers