Goddard Research Engineering Management Exercise provides experience in R&D project decision making from a management rather than technological view. The participant directs a hypothetical project presented in the management simulation technique. He uses old or new methods without concern for rewards or penalties existing in real life

Denault, M. F.

Vaccaro, M. J.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

April 1967	 Brief 67-10092 
NASA TECH BRIEF 
NASA Tech Briefs are issued to summarize specific innovations derived from the U.S. space program, 
to encourage their commercial application. Copies are available to the public at 15 cents each 
from the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, Springfield, Virginia 22151. 
GREMEX—A New Management Training Concept 
The explosive growth of science and technology has 
created a seemingly overwhelming paradox: the ef-
fective management of vast manpower and dollar 
budgets allocated to programs whose goals are well 
defined, but whose achievement requires a course of 
action evolved from many alternatives. 
In today's space and defense project-oriented re-
search and development the problem is particularly 
acute, where scientific needs and technological devel- 
opment must be blended and matched against the 
harsh realities of available manpower, funds, and time 
schedules. 
In an effort to meet these shortcomings, manage-
ment simulation techniques are being employed to 
offer training in management problems. GREMEX 
(Goddard Research Engineering Management Exer-
cise) was developed to provide experience in R&D 
project decision making from a management rather 
than technological perspective. 
A hypothetical project, S-b!, The Orbiting Optical 
Observatory, is the setting for the GREMEX Exer-
cise. The game begins when a Project Development 
Plan (PDP) is given to the participant for study. This 
represents a situation in which the technical objec-
tives have already been established, development and 
testing activities have been defined, and their costs 
estimated. An optimum time to complete project de-
velopment also has been established. In addition, the 
probability of success of the testing program, i.e., 
project reliability, has been estimated. 
Built into the model are "inherent success probabili-
ties" in regard to reliability, to cost, and to time 
estimates of each of the development and test activi-
ties. As the exercise progresses, these are used to 
determine the actual time and cost consumed and
whether technical performance objectives were 
realized.. 
The player-participant in the exercise, who assumes 
the role of the project manager, influences perform-
ance, cost and time estimates, etc., by decisions he' is 
given the opportunity to make—or not, if he so 
chooses. For example, the participant will determine 
the type of contract, select the contractor, and award 
the contract quickly; with proper judgments applied, 
he will better his chances of achieving time, cost and 
performance objectives. 
Sets of decisions are made and put in the form of 
computer instructions. The computer readout then 
gives the status of the project on the basis of the 
decisions made and the other factors programmed into 
the game. Plays and reports represent one month time 
increments. 
The player thus has opportunities to test old meth-
ods and, if he wishes, to try some new approaches. 
This he can do without being concerned about the 
potential rewards or penalties that may weigh his 
decisions in real life. Real life in this context, is the 
management of multimillion dollar satellite and other 
space age projects exploring the universe or sending 
men to the moon. 
A description of this management simulation tech-
nique is contained in the report: "Goddard Research 
Engineering Management Exercise (GREMEX) ," 
October 1966. 
Note: 
Copies of this report are available from: 
Technology Utilization Officer 
Goddard Space Flight Center 
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 
Reference: B67-10092
(continued overleal) 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National	 Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 	 information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States 	 will be free from privately owned rights.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19670000092 2020-03-11T20:43:18+00:00Z
Patent status: 
No patent action is contemplated by NASA. 
Source: M. J. Vaccaro and M. F. Denault 
(GSFC-574) 
Brief 67-10092	 Category 01


GREMEX-A new management training concept

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