[9-HI™ Advanced Concepts] Development Projects
Development Projects are one of the 3 main Project Types within the 9-HI™ Platform. They commonly occur after executing an Innovation Exploration Project or a Selection Project, but they may be started independently.
Development Projects typically will be started once the development team has been selected either by management of a company or Government organization. The Development Team may be comprised of members Internal to the organization or may be supplemented with External Consultants. The purpose of a Development Project is to advance the Technology from a lower TRL to a higher TRL. Some Projects may have completion Targets at TRL 9 including launch or deployment, while other Projects may Target completion at a lower TRL. Typically businesses and enterprises are more interested in TRL 9 completion in order to convert the Technology to a new revenue stream. Basic research and applied research or other work in lower TRL Technologies is a fundamental necessity that is often conducted by Government, Academia and research focused businesses. All of these levels of technology maturity can be managed within 9-HI™. Data can be imported into Development Projects from Innovation Exploration and Selection Projects. There is flexibility to modify any of the imported information including Risks and Success Factors (SFs). Ensure that all Stakeholders are in agreement with any modifications. Development Projects allow the team to collaborate and stay informed of all critical Project objectives, plans and activities. Development Projects are initiated and managed to identify and track all Risks, Success Factors, Success Evidence and Development Plans that the team will execute.
A significant element of 9-HI™ Development Projects is the introduction of Short Term Success Factors (STSFs). STSFs are used to identify immediate activities that are needed in order to advance to the next higher TRL. STSFs are linked to and support already established Long Term Success Factors (LTSFs). In this manner the LTSFs represent Project Level objectives and requirements while STSFs represent TRL to TRL objectives and requirements. STSFs are scored just like LTSFs requiring Success Evidence in order to increase their scores.
Development Projects rely on the identification, interpretation and mapping of adequate Success Evidence. Various Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on the Development Team should collaborate and debate, if necessary, the appropriate Success Factor score improvement associated with any given item of Success Evidence. It is common to have oversight of these activities by independent SMEs or management. Keep in mind that a single item of Success Evidence, such as a test report or other study document, may be mapped to multiple STSFs, even STSFs that reside in multiple TRLs. Care should be taken when logging new Success Evidence into 9-HI™ to identify specific pages, data fields, sections, timestamps etc. within the Evidence item for convenient review and corroboration by any review or oversight Personnel.
When managing the overall Development Project it is common for the Project Manager to make adjustments to add, delete or modify STSFs based on actual activities and outcomes experienced within the development process. Any significant changes should be discussed with knowledgeable SMEs.