Written Assignment Unit 6
MBA Business Administration
University of the People
BUS 5116-Operations Management
Dr. Catrin Hechl
December 21, 2021
Case Study:
The case study deals with the failure that happened in the Mars Climate Orbiter that NASA
launched in 1999. The failure report was presented in two stages describing the various factors
that contribute to the failure and the subsequent actions taken. Some of the problems were
noticed earlier however, sufficient action wasn't taken which lead to mission failure. The
investigation board performed a detailed analysis of the situation for several months and
identified and categorized the errors.
Based on the first report one major problem, eight contributing factors were outlined by the
investigation team. Additional investigations have identified other issues that need consideration.
Most of the issues are related to the surveying system and how information was communicated
between different teams. The first major issue identified was the failure caused in translating the
English units into metric units that lead to navigation-related mission software. However, the
problems are broader than this and require deeper analysis.
NASA's transition to the "Faster, Better, Cheaper" paradigm has pushed managers to use a small
team that can deliver projects with the shortest time and smaller cost (Paté-Cornell, 2011).
However, this undermined the quality control and resulted in the failure we see in this case study.
Which quality approaches, methods and tools would you propose to mitigate each of the 8
contributing factors identified in the release?
The first contributing factor could have been avoided if proper training was given to the team.
Having experienced staff in the team to provide mentorship was necessary. The second factor
could be avoided by involving the operational navigation team early in the project. Additionally,
making sure a healthy flow of communication should be ensured at every stage of the project.
MBA Business Administration
University of the People
BUS 5116-Operations Management
Dr. Catrin Hechl
December 21, 2021
Case Study:
The case study deals with the failure that happened in the Mars Climate Orbiter that NASA
launched in 1999. The failure report was presented in two stages describing the various factors
that contribute to the failure and the subsequent actions taken. Some of the problems were
noticed earlier however, sufficient action wasn't taken which lead to mission failure. The
investigation board performed a detailed analysis of the situation for several months and
identified and categorized the errors.
Based on the first report one major problem, eight contributing factors were outlined by the
investigation team. Additional investigations have identified other issues that need consideration.
Most of the issues are related to the surveying system and how information was communicated
between different teams. The first major issue identified was the failure caused in translating the
English units into metric units that lead to navigation-related mission software. However, the
problems are broader than this and require deeper analysis.
NASA's transition to the "Faster, Better, Cheaper" paradigm has pushed managers to use a small
team that can deliver projects with the shortest time and smaller cost (Paté-Cornell, 2011).
However, this undermined the quality control and resulted in the failure we see in this case study.
Which quality approaches, methods and tools would you propose to mitigate each of the 8
contributing factors identified in the release?
The first contributing factor could have been avoided if proper training was given to the team.
Having experienced staff in the team to provide mentorship was necessary. The second factor
could be avoided by involving the operational navigation team early in the project. Additionally,
making sure a healthy flow of communication should be ensured at every stage of the project.
