Let's Fix this Red Program.

摘要

For those not familiar with Norman Augustine's laws, they are a collection of 52 observations first published in 1983 by Augustine, former president and chief operating officer of Martin Marietta Corp. While the laws are humorous, they also offer interesting insights into the tough realities of defense acquisition. What did you do to deserve this. Didn't anyone tell you how messed up this program is. Why did you accept this assignment. If questions like these are the first things you hear from your new team on Day One of your new program manager (PM) job, chances are you might be managing a Red program. PMs work hard to keep their programs on track and executing, but many PMs will encounter the dreaded Red program. You may even inherit one as part of your new job assignment, like I did. This article will look at some of the dynamics of these programs and discuss some of my experiences and the lessons I learned during my career when trying to fix a troubled program.