El nuevo Apollo 13 The most successful failure - Master en Project Management

ANSWER SHEET

1. You must create a mental map, (using the terms in Annex X3 of the PMBOK, the PMCD and the material given by the teacher), the role, status, power, soft skills, personality and leadership style, of the following characters:

a. Gene Kranz

b. Jim Lovel

c. Fred Haise

d. Ken Mattingly

Please find the answer in the document LEN-HF Case Apollo-2 attached

2. Apollo 13 crew: Quote key moments of the movie where the five stages of development through which teams must progress can be seen clearly: Training, Facing Challenges, Stabilization, Performance and Dissolution. (These can happen more than once)

The list of the key moment of the five stages are:

Stage 1: Training

The team in charge of the mission were trained with enough time to achieve the goal and that training was extended until hours before to launch including a training for the 2nd Team (Support Team), which prevented from the first moment a crisis if someone of the 1st Team (Responsibles to go the Moon) couldn’t be available to complete the task.

The main advantages of a good training are:

• Good understanding of how the technology works

• Any doubt can be solve without risk

• Enough time to develop learning curve (the training is done before of the mission, not during the mission)

• Training was practical, simulating real situation

Stage 2: Facing Challenges

The most important challenges that the Team in charge of the mission had, are:

• Medical issues for the main Pilot (who belongs to the 1st Team)

• Low pressure was detected in the Oxygen Tank

• Explosion of the Oxygen Tank

• Manufacturing defects on the Oxygen Tank (before of the mission)

• Spacecraft damaged without enough impulse to continue with the mission

• Change from Odyssey to Aquarius backup (this last one should be used just in the moon)

• Power of Odyssey and Aquarius was insufficient to come back to the hearth

• Freezing conditions

• One member of the team got a kidney infection

• Water and food rationing (that were about freeze)

• Issues with the filter

• Probability that the thermal shield does not support the fall to the earth

Stage 3: Stabilization

From my point of view more than all the technical procedures that they did to stabilize the situation, the first thing that allowed to the team achieve the safe return to home of the crew was the positive attitude that the whole team had, mainly because as the Head of Mission said “failure is not an option” I think that it was a clear message to all the team, he maintain always the peace, took decisions and focused to all the team in the important tasks and strengthen team work.

For the Crew, was very important to support each other, this allow to believe in them self and never give up.

Stage 4: Performance

First of all I have to recall that, this mission had to the best team in Nasa (including support Team), I have not doubts about it, every person who participated in this mission was incredible efficient, with enough capabilities and knowledge of their part in the mission, motivated people, they were sure that they could to come back to Moom Men safety to home, they were “The best of the best” expert in their field and in their responsibilities in the mission.

Motivation and perseverance was the big difference between success and failure.

Stage 5: Disolution

The most important activities that the team completed to “Dissolution” phase were:

• Segregation of duties: they segregate the work in different teams, so in that way, they were tackling and solving different problems at the same time

• Brainstorming meetings: It allows to have a transversal point of view of the issues and made best decisions

• Excellent Communication channels and skills: The team had a very good communication instead Moon Men didn’t have enough power to relate to Houston during all the time.

• Creativity: The whole team had to improvise and find the useful to everything that the Crew had in the spacecraft, for example to fix a filter and convert it from circle filter to square filter using tubs and plastic bags.

• Solving Problems Skills: they were competent people who gave the instruction in the best way.

3. What is it that the doctor loses as events unfold?

The Doctor was the only one person who was not aligned with the vision of the team, he didn’t understand the effort, the positive attitude and the emotional impact that the Crew had at that moment, he took a bad position trying to force to the Crew to do things regarding health that, were not managed in the correct way, so the Crew made the decision to remove from their bodies all the medical devices to avoid more stress from the Doctor.

The Doctor’s bad attitude induced that action and nobody helped to get the control again, because he couldn’t priories and manage the situation.

4. Quote situations of conflict in the movie. Who were the participants therein and which of the five general conflict resolution techniques were used to resolve them?

Situation #1

Situation of conflict: Health issues detected by the Doctor at the beginning of the movie that avoid to the 1st pilot to execute the mission; for this, the Head of the Mission take out this pilot and requested a change in the Crew, if this action is not performed, the mission is cancelled.

Participants: Head of Mission, Commander of Apollo 13 and 1st Pilot

Conflict Resolution technique used: Force/Direct

Situation #2

Situation of conflict: Manufacturing defects in oxygen tank provoked freezing conditions in the spacecraft and they had to ration water consumption

Participants: Crew Apollo 13, mainly Fred Haise, who got a kidney infection during the mission

Conflict Resolution technique used: Smooth/Accommodate

Situation #3

Situation of conflict: Lack of power in the spacescraft required to save power where they could and focus it where they must. They couldn’t use all the systems, they had to priories the most important systems to achieve have enough power to return home.

Participants: Crew Apollo 13 and Support Team

Conflict Resolution technique used: Compromise/Reconcile.

Situation #4

Situation of conflict: Removal from their bodies the medical devices during the crisis to avoid more stress generated by the Doctor, who requested somethings in the wrong moment

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