United States Gemini Program
Quarterly Review
of
The Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph 

(GNIRS)

 

 Held

 May 1, 2002

at

Tucson, Arizona

Distribution

AURA President
NOAO Director
Gemini Associate Director for Instrumentation
US Project Scientist (acting)
Engineering and Technical Services Manager
Instrument Team Manager

 

USGP Report of the Quarterly Review for GNIRS

 

May, 2002

1. Meeting Background

 

A USGP Quarterly Review (QR) of GNIRS was held on May 1, 2002. The meeting was attended by Dan Weedman (NSF), Jeremy Mould (Director, NOAO), Taft Armandroff (US Project Scientist, acting) and Mark Trueblood (Work Package Manager) from the USGP, Mark Hunten (Gemini observer), Larry Daggert (NOAO Engineering and Technical Services Manager) and members of the GNIRS team including Neil Gaughan (GNIRS Project Manager), Jay Elias (Instrument Scientist), Dan Eklund (GNIRS Project Assistant), Gary Muller (GNIRS Mechanical Engineer), and Melissa Bowersock (GNIRS Administrative Assistant). Bernadette Rodgers (Gemini GNIRS Instrument Scientist) attended by videocon.

 

The goal of the QR’s is to evaluate each instrument project's overall status with respect to the entire project lifetime and to review and assess recent progress in a number of different areas on a periodic basis, with emphasis on management and high-level concerns. Specifically, the USGP uses a formal mechanism to determine whether a project is on track with respect to budget and schedule, and to identify potential problems before they significantly impact progress.

 

2. Major Findings

 

Fabrication is now complete in all areas (optics, mechanical, electronic, and software) except for rework (including optical rework; see below) and the shipping container, which is not yet scheduled for fabrication. The problem in designing and fabricating the radiation shields reported in the previous two QR reports is now solved, but the schedule was slipped at the previous QR as a result of underestimating this effort. The project is now in the integration phase, in which parts are cleaned and assembled into subassemblies that are then tested at the subassembly level. After passing warm and cold subassembly tests, they are integrated into the optical bench.

 

At the May 02 QR, the Project Manager was candid in revealing both successes (the completion of fabrication mentioned above) and setbacks. The latter included the following during this quarter:

• discovery that one of the short red camera lenses was made of BaF₂ instead of CaF₂ as required by the optical design; a new lens was ordered and will be available in mid-June
• discovery that two of the three gratings were made incorrectly; these were sent back to Spectronics, which agreed to remake them by the end of May
• mechanism testing took longer than anticipated, and was not planned in detail at the beginning of the project; more detailed planning resulted in adding 45 days to the project, slipping the schedule for completion of the Pre-Ship A/T to November 29
• the slit-slide assembly, a large, major subassembly, failed its third cold test and requires some rework
• a delay in delivery of the Gemini-furnished flexure test rig from March to mid-June (with installation and checkout requiring a month beyond that) has caused the project to shuffle its testing; if a flexure problem is discovered later, rather than earlier, it will leave less time to address it.

It is normal that documentation problems, such as the BaF₂/CaF₂ issue in the short red camera (a fabrication drawing was incorrect), and inspection problems, such as the gratings being made on the wrong substrate, would be discovered at this stage. But discovering these problems at this late stage is both time-consuming and costly, and NOAO can not afford to waste either time or capital dollars. The GNIRS team is to be commended for making changes in its processes that have reduced the amount of machine shop parts rework in this instrument from a typical value of 10-15% to a few percent, but these problems in the optics highlight the fact that additional process improvements are needed. USGP recommends the adoption of the culture of continuous process improvement with the goal of serving our customers better through better control of our processes and procedures.

 

The Work Package Manager (WPM) now believes that it is unlikely that the instrument will be ready to be shipped from Tucson before April 2003, due to the following reasons (mostly based on project history):

 

• since the Project Restart, there has been a major unanticipated problem with the project every few months or so that set the project back (main bench design, bulkhead design, collimator design, radiation shields design, BaF₂ procurement, OIWFS delivery, mechanism testing); every time each major problem was solved, USGP was assured the rest of the project would proceed according to plan, yet it did not
• recent history at previous QR’s has shown that about two-thirds of the milestones for a particular QR have been achieved, with about one-third outstanding; using only a rough guide of leaving a month’s work to go every three months, between May 1 and the end of November, the WPM predicts there will be over two months’ additional work, pushing the Pre-Ship A/T into January if no major problems occur
• there is still considerable uncertainty in major risk areas, especially the slit/slide assembly and flexure; although the bench design is more robust than other Gemini instruments, which will go a long way towards meeting the rigorous Gemini flexure requirements, and the NOAO engineer performing the FEA appears to be better than most engineers at performing such analysis, until test results are in hand, there is substantial risk that additional time now not in the schedule will be required to address flexure based on experience with other Gemini instruments
• the collimator is designed to compensate for much of the residual flexure, but requires precise adjustment; although lab experiments are under way to calibrate the optical figure changes versus counterweight placement on the collimator lever arms, the WPM predicts that more iterations of counterweight placement than currently scheduled will be needed to bring the flexure within specification
• recent experience with the short red camera lens and the two gratings made incorrectly indicate that a few NOAO design/specification/inspection processes need improved “down-the-line” communication; given this, these same processes may have produced other, as yet undetected problems
• if the project slips past November 29, the Team will be less efficient during the holiday period towards the end of the calendar year, when vacations will reduce the total hours worked and some Key Personnel may be unavailable at critical times
• the current schedule shows four cool-down cycles; although the GNIRS team is performing a great deal of cold testing on individual mechanisms in the test dewar, the NIRI instrument amply demonstrated that this alone will not preclude the occurrence of other problems, and all other Gemini instruments have shown that four cold cycles is not enough to integrate and test an instrument of this size and complexity.

3. Project Summary

 

3.1 Project Overview and Key Accomplishments

 

The key accomplishments since the last QR have been:

 

·        Completed OIWFS bench integration

·        Completed fabrication of all mechanisms, some rework is in progress

·        Completed fabrication of all electronics cabinets; only a few cables remain

·        Completed fabrication of all software

·        Completed testing of all mechanisms except the focus assembly and the slit/slide assembly (the latter failed its third cold test; see below)

 

3.2 Project Status and Plans

The GNIRS project is on schedule according to the recently revised schedule. Note that this is the third time in as many QR’s that the schedule has been revised to accommodate schedule slips due to design and fabrication delays. Despite being on schedule now, the WPM believes the instrument will be delivered (passing the Pre-Ship A/T) about 5 months late (April 2003) for the reasons given in Section 2 above. If major problems with flexure are not detected until system integration is well under way (drawing a parallel with NIRI, T-ReCS, and other Gemini instruments), the integration and testing phase could be drawn out significantly longer than currently planned.

The following goals for this May 2002 QR that were met are (some of these are from previous QR’s):

·        Complete 3D design of all fixed assemblies. Everything but the shipping container has been designed, and this is not scheduled to be designed for a few months.

·        Complete 2D design of all fixed assemblies. Some cleanup on the thermal strapping that will be performed during system integration is needed, but the basic design is complete.

·        Complete fabrication of most dewar components (radiation shields and shells but not mounting trusses or cryo head hardware).

·        Complete 75% of mechanism and optical subassembly testing. All that remains is the focus mechanism and the slit/slide assembly. However, the latter has failed three cold tests.

The following goals from before the October 2001 QR that were not met are (goals have been combined for clarity):

·        Complete dewar to electronics thermal enclosure cabling fabrication. The design is complete, and fabrication is at a lower priority than other tasks. This is now considered to be an integration activity.

·        Plans for documentation. Although the Project Manager is now considering the overall documentation approach, the main focus of attention is on the instrument itself. No one in a senior position with advanced technical and writing skills is in overall command of the documentation situation. The USGP recommends that this important set of tasks not be overlooked, as they can consume valuable skilled resources near the end of the project when there is considerable pressure to release such resources to other projects prematurely. The USGP further recommends that NOAO consider placing a senior person not involved with instrument integration in charge of documentation, to ensure that steady progress is made on this important task independently of the progress of instrument integration.

The following goals from the October 2001 QR that were not met are:

·        Complete mechanism and optical subassembly testing

·        Complete dewar to electronics thermal enclosure cabling fabrication; this has been redefined to be an integration activity, as electronics fabrication is now considered complete

·        Complete testing of the Components Controller software with the electronics; this is essentially complete, but won’t be considered complete until well into system integration

·        Complete and deliver manual outlines

The following goals for the April 2002 QR that were not met are:

·        Complete all goals from previous QR’s

·        Complete manual outlines

·        Start manual drafts

·        Complete mechanism cleaning, assembly, testing, etc. (there were several goals for the April QR that overlapped goals from previous QR’s that are given above)

 By the next review, nominally scheduled for August 2002, the Project Manager plans to: 

·        Complete flexure testing

·        Complete two cold test cycles

·        Complete manual outlines

·        Complete manual drafts and deliver them to Gemini for review

·        Deliver design documentation

·        Specify and design the shipping container

·        Have the shipping container either in fab or in procurement

In addition to these items, the USGP would add the following for the next QR:

·        Completing mechanism testing, both warm and cold

·        Receive, test, and install the replacement gratings

·        Receive, test, and install the short red camera CaF₂ lens

The project is 91% complete from the Restart Review to the completion of the Pre-Ship Acceptance Test, now scheduled for late November 2002.

3.3 Project Problems and Concerns

At the May 02 QR, the Project Manager listed the following problems and concerns:

·        No contingency left in the schedule

o       Mechanism testing and shield fabrication took longer than expected

·        Flexure rig installation schedule delay

o       Moderate risk of impacting integration schedule

·        Short Red Camera lens replacement

o       Lens will be received in June timeframe – integration at first opportunity

o       Low schedule risk but requires complete instrument disassembly

·        Collimator mirror may degrade instrument performance – since listing this as a concern, further study indicates this probably is not an issue

·        OIWFS prism

o       Due to late delivery by vendor, installation will be required by Gemini after delivery and acceptance of instrument

o       Requires complete instrument disassembly by Gemini

·        IFU

o       Delivery will be late – proceeding using mass model delivered by vendor

o       Low schedule risk – requires only partial instrument disassembly

As noted above, the WPM believes that, despite the current “on-schedule” status depicted by the latest MS Project schedule update on the recently revised schedule, the project is now 4-5 months behind schedule in a way that cannot be recovered, and that this will result in late delivery of the instrument by that amount. This conclusion is supported by the fact that “contingency” in the schedule is reduced to the fourth cold cycle, which for the dynamic, fluid activity that is system integration, is essentially no contingency, given the experience of other Gemini instruments. The USGP recommends that the Project Manager closely monitor the integration phase because it will require the constant attention, involvement, and vigilance of the Project Manager on a daily basis to keep it on track and moving forward at a reasonable pace. Early recognition of problems and willingness to take action will be critical to success during this phase of the project.

During the QR presentation, the Project Manager admitted several times that the current schedule essentially has no contingency remaining, except for a fourth cold cycle that the Instrument Scientist stated might not be needed but that experience with other Gemini instruments leads the WPM to believe will be needed (and possibly additional ones, as well). Therefore, continuing the advice proffered at the previous QR, the WPM recommends that the Project Manager review the schedule from the standpoint of what is most likely to occur based on the experience of other Gemini instrument teams, identify possible corrective actions to mitigate problems, and put into place contingency plans to minimize the impact of possible problems. The goal of such an exercise is to move problems from the category of being “unanticipated” to being “unscheduled, but manageable”.

3.4 Project Schedule

 

The summary-level project schedule is available on the GNIRS Web site (a copy is attached to this report). An analysis of the schedule performance of each major engineering discipline appears below. Now that the project has entered the System Integration phase, the Critical Path is occupied by a limited number of sequential tasks performed by a very limited number of people, increasing the need for the Project Manager’s close scrutiny and active involvement in problem identification and solution.

 

3.5 Project Milestones, Cost, and Manpower Charts

 

A summary-level Microsoft Project schedule is attached as an appendix. This reporting category is not repeated for each work area below, since all work areas are represented in the project schedule and manpower charts. The manpower charts were presented in the handouts and will not be repeated in this report, except at a summary level.

 

3.6 Project Budget and Expenditures to Date

 

The estimated cost (from January 1999 forward) increased again (+$72k) from the January 02 QR value after increasing significantly (+$276k) from the October QR value. The estimated cost of the project from January 1999 forward is now just below $4.5 million.

 

The cost of the entire project is now estimated to be $6.82M, including the $2.4M spent between the project start in October, 1995 and December 31, 1998. As of the end of March 2002, the project had spent a total of $6,504,140 against a planned value of $6,298,672 yielding an overrun of $205,468. Overruns in labor reflect the need to retain engineering staff longer than anticipated to design the radiation shields and for other tasks. At previous QR’s, the Project Manager forecasted a substantial overrun in capital, the budget for which includes contract labor for drafting staff that had to be retained longer than expected due to delays in designing and drafting various assemblies over the life of the project. This forecast proved accurate, in part due to an accounting change that moved soft money NOAO labor into capital.

 

3.7 Organization

 

The project appears to be staffed with a sufficient number of competent staff. Due to delays in completing the design of the radiation shields, the Project Manager was forced to recall Ed Hileman to the project a second time until the active radiation shield was designed. Mr. Hileman is now engaged full time on another project, consulting from time to time on items such as the collimator.

4. Project Management

 

4.1 Project Management Overview and Key Accomplishments

 

The Project Manager continues to exert management control over the project. Since the previous QR, the Project Manager has been able to transition the project from being principally one of fabrication to the task of integration and testing.

 

4.2 Project Management Status and Plans

 

The project continues to be more or less effectively managed. The fact that the projected delivery date and Estimated Cost At Completion have increased substantially over that last two QR’s after not changing significantly for almost three years since the current Project Manager was assigned to the project reflects a series of problems that have eluded the normally careful scrutiny of the Project Manager.

 

The Project Manager listed a number of concerns, but did not list direct oversight of the integration effort as one of them. The USGP recommends that he become personally involved in monitoring the integration effort on a near-daily basis so that he understands the progress, the status, the setbacks, and the flow of effort at each moment of the integration effort. At this critical stage, although the Instrument Scientist must lead the technical aspects of the system integration, the Project Manager must be careful not to surrender management control of his project to anyone else.

 

4.3 Project Management Problems and Concerns

 

As mentioned previously, in hindsight, there were a number of “process” problems that manifested themselves during the past quarter. Among these were the fabrication of a camera lens of the wrong material, fabrication of two gratings on the wrong substrates, poor estimation of the amount of time to complete mechanism testing, and in particular, problems with the slit/slide assembly. Many of these appear to be problems in communication between engineers in the design/specification/inspection process for optics, either in translating optical designs using one tool (Zemax) into fabrication drawings using a different tool (initially, Mechanical Desktop and later, SolidWorks) or in inspecting optics, either at the fabricator’s facility or in incoming inspection at NOAO.

 

The USGP wishes to commend the Team for making great strides in process improvement, particularly for reducing the amount of rework from the area of 10-15% down to the low single digits, for introducing inventory management for the large number of parts being purchased and made, and for introducing an effective drawing control system capable of managing a large number of drawings. However, despite these obvious improvements, it is clear that to perform well on future Gemini instruments (and, indeed, on any instrument project NOAO undertakes), NOAO must make further process improvements. Modern quality control managers emphasize the need for continuous process improvement, never resting contentedly on one’s laurels. Quality is not the responsibility of a quality control officer that one hires, it is the responsibility of everyone on the instrument team. The Project Manager has the duty and responsibility to make this fact known to his Team.

As at the previous QR, the major issue now facing the Project Manager is keeping the system integration effort on track. This will require daily oversight, attention, involvement, and vigilance by the Project Manager to keep the system integration moving ahead at the pace needed to keep it on schedule.

The USGP once again reminds the Project Manager of the huge documentation task that lies ahead, and of the resources and time required to address this task. Although some personnel have been assigned to begin writing manuals, the enormity of the undertaking should not be underestimated. The USGP recommends that the Project Manager direct a fair portion of his energy and time to reviewing this task now and determining whether the plan now in place is adequate and fits well with the current schedule and staffing plan.

 

4.4 Project Management Schedule

 

The Project Manager usually delivers reports on schedule and meets his other schedule obligations. Project Management is a level of effort activity that is 89% complete.

 

4.5 Project Management Budget and  Expenditures to Date

 

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

 

4.6 Project Management Organization

 

The GNIRS Project Management organization consists of Neil Gaughan (Project Manager), Dan Eklund (assigned half time as Project Assistant), and Melissa Bowersock (Administrative Assistant to the Project Manager).

 

5. Systems Engineering

 

Systems engineering is complete. All further systems engineering work is in the area of optical alignment, subsystem integration, system integration, and testing.

 

6. Optics Design

 

The optics design is complete. All further optical work is in the area of procurement, installation, alignment, and integration.

 

7. Optics Fabrication

All optics fabrication is being performed by outside contractors. Previously, all GNIRS instrument optics were in hand and ready for installation. However, rework is required, as follows:

·        a lens in the short red camera was made of BaF₂ instead of CaF₂ as specified in the original design; the replacement lens is on order and expected in mid-June 2002

·        two gratings were made on the wrong substrates; replacements are expected at the end of May 2002

As a result of adding the Gemini telescope simulator optics for the NOAO flexure rig facility to the GNIRS optical fabrication work plan, optics procurement now stands at 90% complete.

8. Mechanical Design

 

8.1 Mechanical Design Overview and Key Accomplishments

 

The only remaining mechanical design activity is the shipping container. This is not on the Critical Path at this time.

 

8.2 Mechanical Design Status and Plans

Mechanical design and fabrication (which are reported together) are 94% complete overall with benches 96% complete, mechanisms 96%, and fixed assemblies 90%. All design and fabrication activity is complete except for the shipping container, and some minor items that are considered to be part of the integration activity, such as determining the length of cold straps.

8.3 Mechanical Design Problems and Concerns

 

None

 

8.4 Mechanical Design Schedule

 

Mechanical design is now back on schedule.

 

8.5 Mechanical Design Budget and  Expenditures to Date

 

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

 

8.6 Mechanical Design Organization

 

The GNIRS mechanical engineering group consists of Gary Muller, since Ed Hileman was released recently to another project. The mechanical design group consists of John Andrew (lead) and Dave Rosin. Eric Downey was released to another project since the last QR.

 

9. Mechanical Fabrication

 

9.1 Mechanical Fabrication Overview and Key Accomplishments

 

Fabrication is complete except for the shipping container, which is not yet scheduled for fabrication. A key accomplishment during this quarter was the delivery of the radiation shields.

 

9.2 Mechanical Fabrication Status and Plans

Fabrication status is not reported separately from design (see above). By the next QR, the shipping container should be either in fab or on order, and the only other fabrication will be some rework items identified during integration.

9.3 Mechanical Fabrication Problems and Concerns

 

None

 

9.4 Mechanical Fabrication Schedule

 

Mechanical fabrication is complete, except for the shipping container.

 

9.5 Mechanical Fabrication Budget and Expenditures to Date

 

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

 

9.6 Mechanical Fabrication Organization 

Mechanical parts fabrication is performed by a combination of outside machine shops and the NOAO instrument shop. NOAO instrument makers assemble and check out each subassembly. The NOAO instrument makers assigned to GNIRS are John Stein and Ron Harris. Randy Bennett and Lou Lederer have been assigned to other projects. 

10. Electronics Design

 

Electronics design is complete.

 

11. Electronics Fabrication

 

11.1 Electronics Fabrication Overview and Key Accomplishments

 

Electronics fabrication is complete, except for dewar wiring and external cables that are considered to be part of system integration. The dewar warm-up controller was fabricated during this quarter.

 

11.2 Electronics Fabrication Status and Plans

The overall electronics effort for design and fabrication stands at 76% complete. The only remaining electronics fabrication work is:

·        fabricating the Thermal Enclosure to Dewar cables

·        harnessing the cold mechanisms as they become available

·        harnessing the cold benches as they become available

·        harnessing the Bulkhead Assembly

·        supporting software testing

By the next QR, fabrication and harnessing will be complete, and software testing will have begun using the integrated electronics and wired dewar. The activities listed above are now considered to be part of system integration.

11.3 Electronics Fabrication Problems and Concerns

 

None.

 

11.4 Electronics Fabrication Schedule

 

Electronics fabrication is on schedule.

 

11.5 Electronics Fabrication Budget and Expenditures to Date

 

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

 

11.6 Electronics Fabrication Organization

 

The GNIRS electrical engineer is Jerry Penegor, assisted by electronics technician Ron George.

 

12. Software Design

 

The software design is complete.

 

13. Software Fabrication

 

13.1 Software Fabrication Overview and Key Accomplishments

 

Software fabrication is complete.

 

13.2 Software Fabrication Status and Plans

 

Overall, the software is 90% complete and is about one month behind schedule according to the GNIRS Project Summary Schedule. The schedule includes system integration, and since delays in mechanism testing have delayed system integration, this has affected the software testing schedule. All coding is complete.

 

13.3 Software Fabrication Problems and Concerns

None

13.4 Software Fabrication Schedule

 

Although software testing is slightly behind schedule, this is not on the Critical Path at the moment, and it appears that overall, software will not be the pacing item on this project leading to the Pre-ship Acceptance Test. All of the remaining work is software testing. This includes testing of the OCS and DHS interfaces using the tools supplied by Gemini.

 

13.5 Software Fabrication Budget and Expenditures to Date

 

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

 

13.6 Software Fabrication Organization

 

The GNIRS software engineer is Peter Ruckle.

 

14. Subsystem Integration

 

14.1 Subsystem Integration Overview and Key Accomplishments

Mechanism testing was only recently planned out in detail, and an additional 45 days was found to be required to complete the testing. All mechanisms have been tested and passed their cold tests on the first attempt except for the focus assembly and the slit/slide assembly, the latter having failed three cold tests as of the QR. After the QR, the focus mechanism was tested and passed its cold test on the first attempt, but the slit/slide assembly failed another cold test, leading to the formation of a formal investigation team to determine the cause of the failures. It should be noted that the resolution and repeatability requirements on the slit/slide assembly require very high motor gear reduction to achieve fine motion corresponding to a single motor step, and the mechanism positioning time requirement demands very high motor step rates, placing extremely high duty cycle/speed combinations on the components in the motor gearbox and slit/slide not found in the other GNIRS mechanisms. 

14.2 Subsystem Integration Status and Plans

 

Alignment and integration overall (including subsystem and system integration) are 39% complete, with mechanism integration, including mechanism testing, being 43% complete.

 

Electronics and software checkout have proceeded as far as possible until more hardware is available for testing.

 

The Team plans to have all subsystem integration completed by the next QR.

 

14.3 Subsystem Integration Problems and Concerns

Previous problems in cleaning all the parts and in mechanism assembly now appear to have been resolved. The major obstacle is to resolve the problem in the slit/slide assembly, a large and complex mechanism. Once this is solved and all mechanism testing is complete, bench integration can proceed, and the instrument can be readied for its cold test.

14.4 Subsystem Integration Schedule

See above. Alignment and integration were due to begin in late April according to the schedule presented at the previous QR, but due to several delays, these activities are now late, and have been rescheduled. The schedule presented at the QR shows the bench to have all mechanisms attached and wired with cold shields attached by May 15, but this was predicated on having solved the slit/slide mechanism problem in a few days. As of mid-May, this effort is on-going, so the schedule presented at the QR is slipping.

14.5 Subsystem Integration Budget and  Expenditures to Date

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

14.6 Subsystem Integration Organization

Bill Ditsler and Ken Don clean parts and reassemble mechanisms. Dick Joyce and Jay Elias perform mechanism testing, optical alignment, and integration.

15. System Integration

 

15.1 System Integration Overview and Key Accomplishments

 

System integration has slipped again, as a result of delays in mechanism testing.

15.2 System Integration Status and Plans

 

System integration will begin with opto-mechanical integration, starting with the benches in June.

 

15.3 System Integration Problems and Concerns

 

Other Gemini instruments have endured protracted integration periods that have delayed instrument delivery, despite mechanism cold testing and other precautions. Although the GNIRS team has endeavored to avoid the mistakes of other teams to date, and has scheduled several months for system integration, the compacted schedule and the elimination of schedule contingency have made it unlikely that the instrument will be delivered on schedule. It remains to be seen if the GNIRS team will fare better than others in terms of problems they encounter during the system integration and test and checkout phases of the project. A well-planned and coordinated approach to system integration is essential to maintaining control of the schedule.

 

15.4 System Integration Schedule

 

The recently-revised schedule shows system integration in process by the time of the next QR.

 

15.5 System Integration Budget and Expenditures to Date

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

15.6 System Integration Organization

Various engineers and technicians perform system integration, depending on the subsystem being integrated into the instrument. The primary personnel performing system integration are Jay Elias and Dick Joyce.

16. Test and Checkout

No test and checkout tasks were scheduled to begin before the Quarterly Review. The previous QR report contained a note indicating it was Gemini’s responsibility to deliver a flexure rig in time for NOAO to install it by the GNIRS need date of April, 2002. Due to the rescheduling of integration, the need date is now May. Recently, however, Gemini indicated that the flex rig will be delivered on a schedule that makes it available to the GNIRS team later than their current schedule shows it will be needed, causing them a hardship and possible need to rework their schedule. However, delays caused by problems with the slit/slide assembly may make the slip in the flex rig delivery schedule irrelevant.

17. Documentation and Training

 

17.1 Documentation and Training Overview and Key Accomplishments

There were no key accomplishments in documentation or training during the past quarter.

17.2 Documentation and Training Status and Plans

 

Documentation is on schedule according to the current schedule, but is seriously behind schedule as measured by meeting Work Scope payment milestones. 

17.3 Documentation and Training Problems and Concerns

Although work on manuals has begun, it has been the experience of USGP that other Gemini instrument teams have found it easier to let this important area lag while trying to finish the instrument. In particular, USGP notes the lack of a senior individual leading the documentation effort with the ability to command the team and to obtain the cooperation of its members to meet writing deadlines and to generate the materials needed to produce the manuals. The WPM predicts that this lack of leadership will make itself evident in the months to come as the documentation effort slips its milestones even further.

In addition, the Team must allow time to iterate with Gemini on the manual outlines and the draft manuals.

The Change Orders noted in the previous QR report were delivered to the USGP. 

17.4 Documentation and Training Schedule

The documentation task completion status is:

·        electronics -- 95% complete

·        test plans – 99%

·        manuals – 9%

·        as-built fabrication drawings – 0%.

Although the percent complete claimed for as-built fabrication drawings is 0%, the process for drawing update and release, and parts fabrication is to update the drawings first before parts are fabricated, instead of redlining drawings on the instrument makers desk. This should speed up the task of generating and delivering as-built fabrication drawings.

 

17.5 Documentation and Training Budget and Expenditures to Date

 

The GNIRS Statement of Work does not require this WBS element to be reported separately to the USGP.

 

17.6 Documentation and Training Organization

 

For electronics documentation, the responsible parties are the GNIRS electrical engineer, Jerry Penegor, assisted by electronics technician Ron George. Jay Elias is writing the Test Plans. Manual outlines are being prepared by Jay Elias, Peter Ruckle, and Al Davis.

 

18. Other Activities

 

No tasks for other activities were scheduled to begin before the Quarterly Review.

 

 

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