While the GAO report certainly was correct, that was then and this is now. Sources on both the civil and military side told me last week that the ExCom just doesn’t work, regardless of how fabulous or hardworking or insightful the PM might be now. Commerce doesn’t let NOAA act without clearing every decision at very high levels. The PM can’t act without clearance from NOAA. And so on and so forth. No one I spoke with held out hope that the ExCom could be fixed or rebuilt. And if that can’t be fixed the qualities of the PM matter much less than they should.

That said, the structure of ExCom may be less of the problem than inconstant oversight of a typically overeager first program manager. As a 2006 GAO report noted:

“The involvement of the NPOESS executive leadership committee was also inconsistent and indecisive—it wavered from frequent heavy involvement to occasional meetings with few resulting decisions. In the 32-month period from May 2003 through December 2005, the committee met formally six times. Despite mounting evidence of the seriousness of the
critical sensor problems, the committee did not effectively challenge the program manager’s optimistic assessments, and from May 2003 through December 2004, convened only twice to consider the program’s status.”

– “Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, Steps Remain in Incorporating Lessons Learned from Other Satellite Programs,” http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06–993

I find this hilarious.