Program and Project Management Initiative (PPMI) Training (1988–1992)

APPEL Knowledge Services traces its roots to 1988 with the launch of the Program and Project Management Initiative (PPMI), established in response to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. PPMI aimed to strengthen NASA’s workforce through formal training, on-the-job learning, lessons learned, forward-looking studies on management skills, and updated program and project management practices. 

The need was reinforced with the release of the Hubble Space Telescope Optical Systems Failure Report in November 1990, which noted that project management issues, in part, led to inadequate monitoring and review.  

Competency Management and the Birth of APPEL (1993–2000) 

As NASA entered the “Faster, Better, Cheaper” era in the early 1990s, the agency overhauled project management to emphasize speed, innovation, safety, and cost-efficiency. This led to a competency-based development approach focused on aligning skills with career stages. Curriculum, certification, benchmarking, and tools gained new importance. PPMI formally became APPEL in 1998, just as workforce reductions—26 percent overall and 50 percent at headquarters—made knowledge transfer and accelerated learning critical. 

During this era, the Mars Climate Orbiter Mishap Investigation Board Report emphasized there was evidence of inadequate communication between key groups on that project, including the development and operations teams and the project management and technical teams. 

Human Capital and the New NASA (2001–2012) 

In the early 2000s, project management at NASA expanded beyond mission success to include business strategy, commercialization, and customer satisfaction. These growing demands reflected rapid organizational change and global shifts in the business landscape. As responsibilities broadened, so did the need for targeted workforce development. 

In 2007, the report Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration, emphasized NASA’s need for a highly trained workforce with hands-on experience in program/project management and systems engineering. 

NASA’s Knowledge Imperative: Evolution of APPEL and the Chief Knowledge Office (2012–2017) 

From 2012 onward, APPEL continued to support NASA’s technical workforce through its integrated curriculum and knowledge-sharing activities. That same year, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel recommended the creation of a centralized knowledge function. NASA responded by appointing its first agency-wide Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO), drawing on the foundation laid by APPEL and other knowledge initiatives. Over time, APPEL and the CKO emerged as distinct but closely aligned efforts, promoting individual, team, and organizational learning. 

APPEL Knowledge Services (2018–Present) 

In 2018, APPEL and the CKO joined forces to create APPEL Knowledge Services. The new organization unites the award-winning curriculum and career development tools from APPEL with the critical knowledge sharing and knowledge management capabilities of the CKO to establish a comprehensive, knowledge-dedicated resource for NASA. 

APPEL Knowledge Services supports NASA’s mission on multiple levels. It delivers critical learning through its wide range of courses. It offers vital career development opportunities through its interactive resources and hands-on development programs. And it fosters knowledge sharing through unique tools and initiatives that enable the agency’s technical workforce to gain access to essential knowledge when they need it. Altogether, APPEL Knowledge Services helps ensure NASA’s project management and engineering communities have the skills and knowledge needed to advance mission success.