Evolution of the Shipyard Project Management Model: Hybrid Agile Solutions for a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) Environment

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to explain the key differences between the two primary project management approaches, waterfall and agile, and to promote the latter as an empowering element of the US Navy maintenance model. To this end, the paper starts with definitions of the two approaches, discusses their pros and cons, demonstrates how the Department of Defense (DoD) and Navy missions imply the value of one approach over the other, then propose hybrid solutions that can be implemented today. A case study is provided as a measure of the effectiveness of the proposed solution. As the Navy searches for ways to meet the National Defense Strategy overarching guidance to sustain "The Navy the Nation Needs," it may be beneficial to transform the project management model that delivers mission readiness at naval maintenance facilities. Industrial waterfall project management is based upon having firm clarity on requirements prior to planning, and then suppressing change during execution. This model is an appropriate fit for notional hull/mechanical/electrical (HME) class maintenance plan work in a peacetime environment. In the past decade, the pace of technological advances and the pace of the threats/counter threats have outpaced the class maintenance plan planning cycle. In the empirical world of information technology, industry has transitioned to various LEAN project management models including AGILE, KANBAN, SCRUM and XP, often referred to as agile project management. One of the key principles of agile is the value of embracing change over following a plan. In contrast to waterfall management, the schedule and cost of the project are held constant while the scope is allowed to change based on customer value. Currently in Navy depot maintenance, the pace of modernization planning and implementation has a shorter cycle time, which results in churn at field level activities. As the fleets identify new threats and attempt to insert solutions through the program offices, the project teams, trained in waterfall methodology, push back and suppress changes. These counteracting activities are repeated across all activities with the issues often being elevated to the Fleet Maintenance Board of Directors (FMBOD) for adjudication. In most cases, the fleet priorities are maintained and the project team performs the necessary efforts to ensure the modernization does not delay the project. The cost incurred is both financial and emotional. One solution to this conflict is the implementation of a hybrid agile model where the project embraces the change in specific categories while the fleet owns the risk and responsibility to match priorities to the fixed capacity. A recent example of a hybrid agile project management model used at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY) on the USS MISSISSIPPI is a window into how this hybrid model can break down the paradigm of "change is bad" and lead to an effective approach to delivering mission readiness to the fleet.