GPS Wing Announces Successful Completion of the GPS III Integrated Baseline Review

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  • SMC Public Affairs
The Global Positioning Systems Wing successfully completed an integrated baseline review of the GPS IIIA program Oct. 31. The IBR was the first major event for the $1.4 billion GPS IIIA development and production contract.

The IBR team consisted of members of the GPS III Squadron and support contractors, the Space and Missile Systems Center Program Management Assistant Group, prime contractor Lockheed Martin (Newtown, Pa.) and major sub-contractors ITT (Clifton, N.J.) and General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems (Gilbert, Ariz.). The contract includes the development and production of the first two GPS IIIA satellites with the first launch scheduled in 2014. The IBR paves the way for the establishment of a solid integrated cost, schedule and technical program baseline for mission success.

The objective of the IBR was to ensure the Performance Measurement Baseline was executable; that program risks were identified and mitigation plans developed; and that management control processes provided effective and integrated cost, schedule and technical execution and control. To meet this objective, the team implemented a rigorous, three-phased IBR process.

In the first phase, the team analyzed the program's technical content and any changes since the May 2007 System Design Review. During the second phase, the team reviewed the schedule baseline focusing on the integrity, networking and critical path of the Integrated Master Schedule. In the final phase, the team analyzed the time-phasing of resources, vertical and horizontal schedule traceability, consistency between control account plans and work authorization documents, and traceability to its performance measurement baseline.

Throughout the process, the government and contractor team conducted joint reviews to understand and analyze the baseline, identify program risks, develop mitigation plans and identify corrective actions ensuring an executable PMB. "I'm extremely pleased with the successful outcome of the Integrated Baseline Review," said Col. Dave Madden, commander, GPS Wing.

"The exemplary teamwork, diligence, and sharp focus of the integrated team demonstrate the importance of this critical system and our fortitude in delivering improved capabilities to our users worldwide. The PMAG, SMC's program management experts, were an integral part of the overall process providing application oriented training, templates, analyses and assessments vital to IBR success," he said.

The IBR successfully validated that the GPS IIIA program has a solid technical baseline, a high confidence schedule, and that management control processes are in place to ensure mission success. "Other Acquisition Category I space programs will benefit from this comprehensive GPS III IBR," said Col. Mun Kwon, PMAG director.

GPS IIIA will introduce new capabilities to meet higher demands of both military and civilian users. It will provide improved positioning, navigation and timing services to warfighting and civil users by improving accuracy, availability, integrity and resistance to hostile jamming. 

The next major milestone for the GPS IIIA program is the Preliminary Design Review scheduled for the second quarter of 2009.