scope:

Purpose

a. This directive supports the implementation of the technical standards aspects of the parent directive NPD 7120.4, NASA Engineering and Program/Project Management Policy.

b. This directive establishes responsibilities, requirements, and processes for: (1) Selecting, tailoring, and using technical standards as program and project requirements, encouraging commonality and conformity in use across NASA programs and projects, and mandating use of specific technical standards when warranted. (2) Developing technical standards, complying with Federal requirements for participating in the development and revision of voluntary consensus standards, and designating NASA-endorsed technical standards.

Applicability

a. This directive is applicable to NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers, including Component Facilities and Technical and Service Support Centers. This language applies to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)), other contractors, recipients of grants, cooperative agreements, or other agreements only to the extent specified or referenced in the applicable contracts, grants, or agreements.

b. Technical standards and this directive are also applicable to programs and projects managed under NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements, NPR 7120.7, NASA Information Technology Program and Project Management Requirements, and NPR 7120.8, NASA Research and Technology Program and Project Management Requirements. c. In this directive, all mandatory actions (i.e., requirements) are denoted by statements containing the term "shall." The terms "may" denotes a discretionary privilege or permission, "can" denotes statements of possibility or capability, "should" denotes a good practice and is recommended, but not required, "will" denotes expected outcome, and "are/is" denotes descriptive material. d. In this directive, "standard or technical standard" is defined in Appendix A and refers to various means used to achieve and maintain the desired levels of compatibility, interchangeability, commonality, or conformity. e. In this directive, "NASA technical standards" are technical standards, specifications, and handbooks developed and approved by NASA Headquarters offices. f. This directive is limited to NASA technical standards sponsored by Headquarters offices and voluntary consensus standards used by NASA but does not apply to development of Center-specific and program- and project-specific technical standards. g. In this directive, all document citations are assumed to be the latest version unless otherwise noted.