Jeff Hallman

Bio: Jeff Hallman has been with the Georgia Tech Research Institute for 35 years performing and managing research in technology insertion, technology maturation, operational software development and flight test support for electronic methodologies and technologies including advanced radar jammer systems, integrated electronic warfare systems (IEWS), EO/IR missile warning systems (MWS), and EW countermeasures. GTRI is an organization of 2600 researchers and support staff. Jeff Hallman has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, an MBA, and an M.A. in Science Education, and is working on his dissertation for a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership. He has secured successful outcomes as a GTRI Project Manager for 25 research programs. His was appointed GTRI’s first Project Management Office Director in early 2017 with the mandate of standing up a successful PMO in an organization that maintains a portfolio of 600 sponsored research programs. The PMO was also responsible for standing up and implementing a counterfeit electronic parts detection and avoidance policy for the research institute and the university.

Abstract: The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) Project Management Support Office (PMSO) was formed in January 2017 to facilitate consistent project and program management practices across the organization and to establish program management structures and policies needed to continue to be a vibrant organization and satisfy sponsor requirements. PMSO was immediately tasked with understanding the counterfeit electronic parts avoidance and detection landscape and implementing a policy that would satisfy the DoD requirements on sponsored projects while not unnecessarily disrupting current business processes.

PMSO worked with many stakeholders and sought policy advice from industry leaders including the CALCE/SMTA Symposium. The GTRI PMSO drafted and received approval for implementing the GTRI Counterfeit Electronic Parts Detection and Avoidance Policy. This new policy has recently been adopted by the entire GT university campus working nearly $1B yearly in research. The policy is required for the portfolio of DoD sponsored basic and applied research projects and programs and applicable for other non-DoD projects. Many lesson were learned during the ground-up policy enactment process including understanding applicable government requirements and the equally important process of fostering organizational acceptance and adoption.