Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:43:00 -0400 From: Nicole Radziwill Subject: Preview: CASA Management Plan On October 23, Joe McMullin, who has been the CASA Project Manager since 2003, will begin his new position as System Integration Lead with the AIV (Assembly, Integration & Verification) Group in Santiago, Chile. In this role, he will continue to use CASA applications for evaluating elements of the hardware/software systems during AIV. Although the search process for his successor was launched in early summer, one has not yet been identified. As a result, we do not expect that the position will be filled until at least January, despite a continued aggressive search. An interim management arrangement has been identified to ensure continuity of operations during the transition to a new leader. Day-to-day management and guidance will be provided by Brian Glendenning, who will also represent the project as needed within ALMA. He will track progress towards deliverables, facilitate internal meetings, and help resolve issues within the development process. Brian will immediately start attending meetings and working closely with Joe McMullin to ensure a smooth transition. Preparation of the quarterly work plan according to the Plan of Record process, which involves developing the group's list of deliverables and commitments, will be managed by the scientific steering group consisting of Steve Myers (CASA Project Scientist), Crystal Brogan (ALMA Offline subsystem scientist), Gustaaf van Moorsel (EVLA CASA subsystem scientist), and Ed Fomalont (Observatory-wide representative). They are responsible for evaluating and consolidating input from the scientific staff, resolving conflicting requests, and prioritizing tasks according to project needs. Nicole Radziwill and Brian Glendenning will also be involved in this process, will work closely with all parties to ease into this method, and will work with the new group leader to maintain stability in the management approach. Administrative functions, including anything related to the FY2008 budget for the group, travel, equipment procurements, and the PEP process, will be managed by Nicole Radziwill. User support systems for CASA will be managed by Gareth Hunt as he transitions to his new role within E2E Operations this fall. When a replacement for Joe McMullin is identified, he or she will immediately assume responsibility for the tasks covered in the interim period by Brian Glendenning. Quarterly work plans will continue to be driven by the scientific steering group, administrative functions will continue to be managed by Nicole Radziwill, and Gareth Hunt will continue to work with science operations to advance our user support capabilities. This will enable the new group leader to provide a concerted focus on development issues with the team. Joe has done an exemplary job leading the transition from AIPS++ to the CASA framework, particularly with the upcoming beta release, and he will be missed. We wish him the best in his new role with ALMA.