“Today we use TrackWise to monitor virtually everything we do. TrackWise is really our sole means of documentation.”
NASA database and systems administrator:
NASA Doubles Efficiency with TrackWise
Business Challenge
NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IVV) facility, based in West Virginia, is responsible for verifying and validating all mission critical software used by NASA. This includes all applications used on and for the space shuttle, space probes, the space station, satellites and constellations. This work requires tremendous technical precision and meticulous performance-data tracking, all of which must adhere to strict ISO 9000 quality management standards.
In addition to these many operational challenges, NASA IVV also faces many facilities management issues with regard to supporting this important work. This includes areas such as IT help desk, personnel/HR, procurement, project management, training and more. To maintain its peak level of performance and drive much needed efficiencies across the board, NASA knew it needed a comprehensive tracking system to help monitor and streamline its many complex procedures.
Solution
NASA selected Sparta’s TrackWise Enterprise Quality Management software to help it manage its complex processes and IVV facility. “Today we use TrackWise to monitor virtually everything we do,” said Gregory Cottrell, NASA database and systems administrator. “TrackWise is really our sole means of documentation. We primarily use it to track and document all processes and non-conformances across all of our systems. TrackWise allows us to assign specific actions to specific individuals and then very closely track all progress.” Operating in such a rigorously regulated and high-profile environment, NASA essentially documents everything it does. This includes identifying any non-conformance issues across all of its operations and subsequently taking corrective or preventative action.
Some other critical areas in which NASA utilizes TrackWise to improve performance:
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Space exploration - validation of software used for the shuttle, satellites, space station or constellations
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Facility management - personnel processing, staff training; procurement of office supplies, hardware, software and all contractor support; serve configuration and desktop management; funds requested for new projects or to buy new equipment and so on
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Research and development - communication between developers and scientists that are working on bringing a new concept from idea to prototype stage
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Compliance - documenting and tracking all policies and procedures according to ISO 9000 quality management standards
Success
“TrackWise has been really great for us,” said Stephanie Ferguson, NASA deputy foundation lead. “It’s one tool that successfully addresses all of the different needs and challenges we face, and it’s easy to administer and maintain.”
Cottrell added, “We have definitely doubled our efficiency without a doubt using TrackWise. We used to rely on paper to document all of our operational and facilities-based processes, and paper takes time and gets lost. With TrackWise we can very easily tell who performed an action on a specific activity and when. It has forced us to be accountable across the board.”
“If we didn’t have TrackWise, we would need several different programs to accomplish the same thing including repositories, databases, paper-based systems and more,” Ferguson stated. “In the end, TrackWise is the ultimate quality management tracking system.”
