Navigating the Road to Successfully Manage a Large-Scale Research and Development Project: The Exascale Computing Project (ECP) Experience

The road to successful management of a large research and development (R&D) project requires comprehensive and flexible capabilities to foster effective and timely communication, tracking, and decision-making. Best practices developed and employed by the Exascale Computing Project (ECP) afford a comprehensive example of management practices that benefit this type of a large-scale, physically dispersed R&D project. This article will summarize the ECP’s hybrid approach to project management, which incorporates principles of the Department of Energy (DOE) order for the management of large capital asset projects (DOE O 413.3b) and elements of industry-standard Agile practices, as well as the tools that promote extensive collaborative endeavors.