Favorite Parts Of Working In The Space Industry As A Project Manager
Joshua, a Project Manager at United Launch Alliance, loves the dynamic, innovative nature of the aerospace industry, particularly the space sector's rapid evolution driven by competitors like SpaceX and Blue Origin. This necessitates constant adaptation and the invention of new processes and methodologies—as Joshua describes it, "there's no manual, there's no school that'll teach you how to do any of it"—making each project a unique challenge.
Project Management, Innovation, Problem-Solving, Aerospace Engineering, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Joshua Adams
Project Manager
United Launch Alliance
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
MBA - University of North Alabama
Industrial, Supply Chain Management
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense, Manufacturing, Operations & Supply Chain
Operations and Project Management
Worked 20+ Hours in School, Veteran
Video Highlights
1. Working in the aerospace industry allows you to be involved with rockets and space exploration.
2. The industry is constantly evolving with innovation in technology and processes, requiring professionals to adapt and find creative solutions.
3. The work is challenging and requires professionals to develop new processes and methodologies because there is no established manual or school that can teach you everything you need to know.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your industry?
What I love most about my industry is rockets. Who doesn't love rockets? I get to see rockets every day, and we get to launch them.
I'd say aerospace and defense overall, specifically in the space sector, I really enjoy the change it's going through right now. With the rise of companies like SpaceX or Blue Origin, ULA has been put into a situation where we have to change very quickly, not just to survive, but to thrive.
ULA, for context, was historically the only rocket company for a long time. We still launched the same rockets that were built in the fifties – very reliable, a hundred percent success. But we had that old-style culture of not being willing to change.
So, what I really love about space right now is the incredible amount of innovation going on, not just technically, but on a process side as well. We're trying to challenge ideas and think about systems and situations differently in a way that helps us innovate to move forward.
What's cool about the space sector is that nothing really applies to it very well. For example, I built up a new warehouse as one of my first projects as a project manager. We were looking for a way to get a high-throughput warehouse, as we were trying to triple or quadruple our build rates. We needed new warehousing mechanisms and new processes.
We tried looking at warehouses like Amazon's or car manufacturing plants to get an idea of how they do warehousing, but it still doesn't apply because a rocket has 15,000 parts on it. So, a lot of situations like that prompt very innovative and new ideas, whether it's inventing a new production process, which we've done, or inventing a new methodology or process flow.
I love the innovation of it all. I love how there's no manual, no school that will teach you how to do any of it. It's just ad hoc – you figure it out.