Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A) Net Present Value (NPV) / MBA Resources

Introduction to Net Present Value (NPV) - What is Net Present Value (NPV) ? How it impacts financial decisions regarding project management?

NPV solution for Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A) case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A) case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Dorothy Leonard, Christopher Myers. The Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A) (referred as “Jpl Mars” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Leadership & Managing People. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Labor.

The net present value (NPV) of an investment proposal is the present value of the proposal’s net cash flows less the proposal’s initial cash outflow. If a project’s NPV is greater than or equal to zero, the project should be accepted.

NPV = Present Value of Future Cash Flows LESS Project’s Initial Investment

---

Case Description of Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A) Case Study

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)-formally part of the California Institute of Technology-is one of a number of federally funded research institutions within NASA, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. JPL has played a large role in many space and planetary explorations, and in particular in missions to the planet Mars. As a project-based organization, JPL has many opportunities to learn between successive missions, but there are also many challenges to the development and exchange of experience-based knowledge. The main case decision point focuses on one such challenge in particular: how to instill in junior engineers the practice-based experience of their seniors. Jennifer Trosper, project manager for the Mars 2020 mission, is trying to decide whether or not to seek funding for a hands-on training program building miniature, educational versions of a Mars surface vehicle. However, the cases address a number of other decisions, such as determining the balance between innovation and replication of prior solutions, given that Trosper has been charged with re-using engineering designs from prior projects, but for an expanded mission. The cases also explore generic knowledge-transfer issues faced by JPL's Chief Knowledge Officer, David Oberhettinger, such as the role of documentation, uses of formal "lessons learned," and how best to use the scarce time of the most valuable JPL engineers.

Case Authors : Dorothy Leonard, Christopher Myers

Topic : Leadership & Managing People

Related Areas : Labor

---

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A) Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10011718)	-10011718	-	-
Year 1	3463510	-6548208	3463510	0.9434	3267462
Year 2	3970955	-2577253	7434465	0.89	3534136
Year 3	3969974	1392721	11404439	0.8396	3333267
Year 4	3228251	4620972	14632690	0.7921	2557077
TOTAL			14632690		12691942

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2680224

In isolation the NPV number doesn't mean much but put in right context then it is one of the best method to evaluate project returns. In this article we will cover -

Different methods of capital budgeting

What is NPV & Formula of NPV,
How it is calculated,
How to use NPV number for project evaluation, and
Scenario Planning given risks and management priorities.

---

Capital Budgeting Approaches

Methods of Capital Budgeting

There are four types of capital budgeting techniques that are widely used in the corporate world –

1. Payback Period
2. Internal Rate of Return
3. Profitability Index
4. Net Present Value

Apart from the Payback period method which is an additive method, rest of the methods are based on Discounted Cash Flow technique. Even though cash flow can be calculated based on the nature of the project, for the simplicity of the article we are assuming that all the expected cash flows are realized at the end of the year.

Discounted Cash Flow approaches provide a more objective basis for evaluating and selecting investment projects. They take into consideration both –

1. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Jpl Mars have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.
2. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Jpl Mars shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.

---

Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A)

NPV = Net Cash In Flowt1 / (1+r)t1 + Net Cash In Flowt2 / (1+r)t2 + … Net Cash In Flowtn / (1+r)tn
Less Net Cash Out Flowt0 / (1+r)t0

Where t = time period, in this case year 1, year 2 and so on.
r = discount rate or return that could be earned using other safe proposition such as fixed deposit or treasury bond rate. Net Cash In Flow – What the firm will get each year.
Net Cash Out Flow – What the firm needs to invest initially in the project.

Step 1 – Understand the nature of the project and calculate cash flow for each year.
Step 2 – Discount those cash flow based on the discount rate.
Step 3 – Add all the discounted cash flow.
Step 4 – Selection of the project

Why Leadership & Managing People Managers need to know Financial Tools such as Net Present Value (NPV)?

In our daily workplace we often come across people and colleagues who are just focused on their core competency and targets they have to deliver. For example marketing managers at Jpl Mars often design programs whose objective is to drive brand awareness and customer reach. But how that 30 point increase in brand awareness or 10 point increase in customer touch points will result into shareholders’ value is not specified.

To overcome such scenarios managers at Jpl Mars needs to not only know the financial aspect of project management but also needs to have tools to integrate them into part of the project development and monitoring plan.

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 15%

After working through various assumptions we reached a conclusion that risk is far higher than 6%. In a reasonably stable industry with weak competition - 15% discount rate can be a good benchmark.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 15 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10011718)	-10011718	-	-
Year 1	3463510	-6548208	3463510	0.8696	3011748
Year 2	3970955	-2577253	7434465	0.7561	3002612
Year 3	3969974	1392721	11404439	0.6575	2610322
Year 4	3228251	4620972	14632690	0.5718	1845763
TOTAL					10470446

The Net NPV after 4 years is 458728

(10470446 - 10011718 )

---

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 20%

If the risk component is high in the industry then we should go for a higher hurdle rate / discount rate of 20%.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 20 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10011718)	-10011718	-	-
Year 1	3463510	-6548208	3463510	0.8333	2886258
Year 2	3970955	-2577253	7434465	0.6944	2757608
Year 3	3969974	1392721	11404439	0.5787	2297439
Year 4	3228251	4620972	14632690	0.4823	1556834
TOTAL					9498139

The Net NPV after 4 years is -513579

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9498139 - 10011718 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Jpl Mars to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%.

Acceptance Criteria of a Project based on NPV

Simplest Approach – If the investment project of Jpl Mars has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Jpl Mars can ACCEPT the project, otherwise they can reject the project. This means that project will deliver higher returns over the period of time than any alternate investment strategy.

In theory if the required rate of return or discount rate is chosen correctly by finance managers at Jpl Mars, then the stock price of the Jpl Mars should change by same amount of the NPV. In real world we know that share price also reflects various other factors that can be related to both macro and micro environment.

In the same vein – accepting the project with zero NPV should result in stagnant share price. Finance managers use discount rates as a measure of risk components in the project execution process.

Sensitivity Analysis

Project selection is often a far more complex decision than just choosing it based on the NPV number. Finance managers at Jpl Mars should conduct a sensitivity analysis to better understand not only the inherent risk of the projects but also how those risks can be either factored in or mitigated during the project execution. Sensitivity analysis helps in –

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What are the uncertainties surrounding the project Initial Cash Outlay (ICO’s). ICO’s often have several different components such as land, machinery, building, and other equipment.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

Some of the assumptions while using the Discounted Cash Flow Methods –

Projects are assumed to be Mutually Exclusive – This is seldom the came in modern day giant organizations where projects are often inter-related and rejecting a project solely based on NPV can result in sunk cost from a related project.

Independent projects have independent cash flows – As explained in the marketing project – though the project may look independent but in reality it is not as the brand awareness project can be closely associated with the spending on sales promotions and product specific advertising.

---

Negotiation Strategy of Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A)

References & Further Readings

Dorothy Leonard, Christopher Myers (2018), "Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A) Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.