NASA Policy Directive

NPD 2830.1 Effective Date: December 16, 2005 Expiration Date: December 16, 2010

Subject: NASA Enterprise Architecture

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Information Officer

1. POLICY

 a. This directive establishes the policy and responsibilities for NASA's Enterprise 
Architecture (EA). 

b. The NASA Enterprise Architecture (EA) guides the investment and management 
process to maximize the contribution of information technology (IT) to Agency 
success.  Effective NASA EA management shall ensure that IT expenditures are 
aligned with Center, Mission Directorate, and Agency goals while reducing 
unnecessary duplication of both material expenditures and efforts.  The NASA EA 
shall also provide a vision of the future state of new capabilities that will allow 
detailed planning to occur in conjunction with Agency and Federal Government 
level initiatives and mandates.

c. The NASA EA identifies the policies and procedures for planning, executing, and 
maintaining IT investments throughout the Agency.  The NASA EA presents a 
snapshot of the current state of the enterprise (both business and technical) and the 
plan for the future that includes associated improvements in business processes 
and supporting systems, data, and technologies.  The NASA EA is a composition 
architecture and set of reference models that map all IT initiatives and services to 
the strategic goals and objectives delineated in the Agency's strategic and 
performance plans.  The NASA EA is updated semiannually through submission of 
its component EA volumes.

d. The NASA EA is one of the strategies for ensuring that NASA complies with the 
eight major information systems criteria defined under the Clinger-Cohen Act:

(1) Supports core/priority enterprise mission functions.

(2) Manages IT investments.

(3) Simplifies or redesigns work processes to reduce costs and improve 
effectiveness. 

(4) Demonstrates a positive cost versus benefit analysis. 

(5) Ensures proposed IT systems are consistent with the Agency's EA. 

(6) Reduces risks. 

(7) Implements IT projects in successive phases. 

(8) Employs an IT acquisition strategy.

2. APPLICABILITY

This directive applies to NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers, including 
Component Facilities, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the extent specified in its 
contract, and NASA contractors to the extent specified in their respective contracts.  
The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and the Office of Procurement are 
preparing contract language to ensure all future contracts require conformance to 
the NASA EA.  All future NASA contractors will be required to comply with the NASA 
EA.

3. AUTHORITY

a.  40 U.S.C. ºº 11101 et seq., Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, also known as the 
Information Technology Management Reform Act, as amended.

b.  5 U.S.C. º 552a,  Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. 

c.  29 U.S.C. º 794(d), Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. 

d.  31 U.S.C. ºº 501 et seq., Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, as amended. 

e.  40 U.S.C. º 11331, Computer Security Act of 1987: Responsibilities for Federal 
Information Systems Standards, as amended. 

f.  31 U.S.C. ºº 1101 et seq., Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, as 
amended. 

g.  41 U.S.C. º 251, Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994, as amended. 

h.  44 U.S.C. ºº 101 et seq. and 44 U.S.C. ºº 3501 et seq., Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, as amended. 

i.  44 U.S.C. ºº 3601 et seq., E-Government Act of 2002: Management and 
Promotion of Electronic Government Services, as amended.

j.  44 U.S.C. º 3504, Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998, as amended. 

k.  40 U.S.C º 11311, Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 
2002: Responsibilities for Acquisitions of Information Technology, as amended.

4. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

a. President's Management Agenda, 2002.

b.  NASA Policy Directives and Requirements.

(1) NPD 2800.1A, August 18, 2004.

(2) NPR 2800.1, September 17, 2004.

(3) NPD 7120.4, Program/Project Management, December 1999.

(4) NPR 7120.5, NASA Program and Project Management Processes and 
Requirements, March 2005.

(5) NPR 7150.2, NASA Software Engineering Requirements.

(6) NPD 1000.3, The NASA Organization w/Change 14, August 2005.

5. RESPONSIBILITY

a. NASA, under the direction of the Agency's Chief Information Officer (CIO), shall  
develop and maintain the NASA EA that shall serve as the primary authoritative 
resource for IT planning and execution.

b. The NASA CIO, via an appointed Chief Enterprise Architect, shall disseminate 
and/or make available the contents of the NASA EA.  Personnel responsible for IT 
planning, development, and implementation shall periodically review the NASA EA 
to ensure that their IT projects are in compliance with the EA and that it supports the 
strategic goals of the Agency.

c. All IT initiatives and services shall comply with the approved NASA EA.  The 
Chief Enterprise Architect will institute criteria and processes to review adherence 
of NASA IT initiatives and services to the NASA EA.  The NASA CIO maintains 
oversight responsibility for all IT investments in the Agency, which are classified in 
three distinct categories:

(1) Office Automation and Infrastructure Technology (OAIT) - Core IT services 
provided across the NASA community (e.g., desktop computing, 
telecommunications).

(2) Multi-Program/Project - IT services used to support multiple projects within a 
given Mission Directorate (e.g., The NASA Columbia Supercomputing Facility, 
systems typically containing primarily Class F software as defined in NPR 7150.2).

(3) Program/Project-Unique - IT services to provide IT and data management 
services for a particular mission.  These are generally funded at the mission 
project level and are managed as a project work element.

d. The NASA CIO has delegated NASA EA reporting and review responsibilities as 
follows:

(1) Office Automation and Infrastructure Technology (OAIT) - The Office of the CIO 
assigned program managers are responsible for providing semiannual updates to 
the NASA EA and for conducting EA project reviews and service reviews.

(2) Multi-Program/Project - The Mission Directorate program managers and Mission 
Directorate CIO's are responsible for providing semiannual updates to the NASA 
EA and for determining if EA project reviews or annual service reviews are required 
in accordance with NASA Policy.

(3) Program/Project Unique - The Mission Directorate program managers and 
Mission Directorate CIOs are responsible for providing semiannual updates to the 
NASA EA and for determining if EA project reviews are required in accordance with 
NASA Policy.

e. The NASA CIO Board is the primary consumer of NASA EA information, and use 
of the NASA EA by the entire NASA IT community is highly encouraged to enable 
better capital planning, commonality, and reuse.

f. The day-to-day responsibility for the NASA EA shall be carried out by the NASA 
Chief Enterprise Architect or a designee who serves as the Chief Enterprise 
Architect.

g. An Architecture Core Team consisting of IT experts, business line experts, and 
technologists shall serve as NASA EA advisors to the Chief Enterprise Architect. 

6. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY

None.

7. MEASUREMENTS

These high-level measurements are intended as guides in data gathering to allow 
the Agency EA team to make assessments and develop courses of action for the 
dynamic NASA EA environment.

a. Currency of the As-Is section of the NASA EA (e.g., number of outdated entries, 
number of missing entries).

b. Accuracy of To-Be section (evaluated retrospectively).

c. Adherence to the NASA EA (e.g., count of systems, dollar value of consonant 
systems).

d. Deviations from NASA EA. (e.g., count, dollar value of nonadhering systems).

e. NASA EA awareness (e.g., via Web-based or other survey).

f. Cost to administer the NASA EA.

g. Cost savings from the NASA EA (e.g., via cost avoidance).

8. CANCELLATION

None.

/s/ Frederick D. Gregory
Acting Administrator

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