Kubra Terzioglu
A rocket launch traced against the night sky
Projects

Space and defense projects, run to ECSS standards and PMI PMBOK practice

A selection of projects where I held responsibility as project risk manager, associate project manager, configuration manager or Scrum Master.

Kubra Terzioglu at a satellite exhibit
14 years on satellite and defense projects, involved from the early design phase through to launch and in-orbit commissioning. Project risk manager on TÜRKSAT 6A and İMECE. Associate project manager, risk manager and configuration manager on the national ground station project. Configuration manager on the IQBAL payload project. Scrum Master for 2.5 years on the MİYEG image-processing subproject. Associate project manager and risk manager on the Ballistics Identification project.

In depth

Risk management on TÜRKSAT 6A

Risk was surfaced, quantified and closed ahead of milestone reviews, not discovered at them.

On TÜRKSAT 6A I served as Project Risk Manager and Associate Project Manager, working to ECSS standards, PMI PMBOK practice and ISO 31000. I owned the risk process from the risk management plan through to close-out.

Read the full case

The problem

A satellite project of this size carries many live risks at once, across platform, payload and ground segment, over a multi-year schedule. Without a single quantified view, risks surface one at a time at milestone reviews, as schedule slips and unplanned budget draws.

What I did

  • Maintained the project risk register across the full lifecycle: continuous identification, assessment, response planning, owner assignment, and tracking of mitigation actions and trends.
  • Scored every risk on a five by five probability and impact matrix, with impact rated separately on quality, budget and schedule, combined into a weighted impact and multiplied by probability.
  • Ran quantitative analysis on top of the matrix: expected monetary value and an estimated schedule impact for each open risk, tracked over time so trends were visible, not just point-in-time snapshots.
  • Held periodic risk reviews across the engineering disciplines, re-scoring risks as the evidence changed.
  • Integrated risk status into the milestone reviews and management reporting, so mitigation and reserve position were on the table at every decision point.
  • Escalated the highest-rated risk formally and repeatedly through the project's governance channel, with a concrete alternative mechanism proposed rather than a warning raised.

The result

  • Risks were closed ahead of the milestone reviews at which they would otherwise have become schedule or cost impacts.
  • Every risk on the register was worked to closure by the end of the project.
  • Quantitative analysis gave management a defensible basis for reserve and schedule decisions throughout.
  • TÜRKSAT 6A launched in 2024 and has operated without issue since.

Through to close-out

The same cadence held from the early design phase to commissioning. Exposures were re-scored as the evidence changed, mitigations were closed ahead of the reviews that depended on them, and every risk on the register was closed before the project ended. The satellite launched and has operated without issue since.

Framework: ISO 31000 and ECSS. A five by five probability and impact matrix with a weighted three-axis impact model across quality, budget and schedule, expected monetary value, and an estimated schedule impact per risk.

TÜRKSAT 6A Project

TÜRKSAT 6A Project

10-year lifecycle

Turkey's first indigenous and national communications satellite

Project Risk Manager, Associate Project Manager

The goal of the project was to develop a satellite platform for geostationary orbit within the country and to build the infrastructure to support it. The work was run to ECSS standards and PMI PMBOK practice.

  • Led project risk management across the full 10-year lifecycle, from design through launch and commissioning.
  • Led the Risk Management work package as work package leader, while also serving as Associate Project Manager.
  • Moved Risk Assessment Meetings from every 2 months to monthly, then to every 15 to 20 days as the project matured, chairing them with customers and stakeholders.
  • Prepared the monthly Project Progress Report for the customer and stakeholders, and gave input to at least 3 to 4 management reports a month, including reports for the TÜBİTAK Presidency.
  • Built and maintained the Project Risk Management Plan to ECSS standards and ISO 31000.
  • Ran the Project Risk Register: continuous identification, assessment, monitoring and mitigation.
  • Facilitated periodic risk reviews with the multidisciplinary engineering teams and stakeholders.
  • Ran qualitative and quantitative risk analyses to support project decisions.
  • Tracked risk response actions and risk trends, and reported risk status to senior management.
  • Supported project reviews, audits and milestone reviews with risk assessments and recommendations.
İMECE Project

İMECE Project

2-year lifecycle

Turkey's first submeter-resolution earth observation satellite

Project Risk Manager

The project built the infrastructure needed to develop satellite subsystems for earth observation satellites within the country. It followed ECSS standards and PMI PMBOK practice.

  • Managed project risk activities across the 2-year lifecycle.
  • Developed and implemented an ECSS-compliant risk management system that reduced overall risk exposure by 2%.
  • Prepared and maintained the Project Risk Management Plan to ECSS standards and ISO 31000.
  • Kept the Project Risk Register current: identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring.
  • Held regular risk reviews with the project teams and key stakeholders.
  • Ran qualitative and quantitative risk analyses to support planning and decisions.
  • Reported project risk status to senior management and monitored risk response actions.
  • Supported project reviews, technical milestones and audits with risk assessments.
MİYEG Project

MİYEG Project

4-year lifecycle

National Ground Station Development Project

Associate Project Manager, Risk Manager, Configuration Manager

Domestic development of the ground station control software and hardware, the reflector antenna and communication systems, the satellite command and control software, and the image-processing software that turns raw satellite imagery into usable data. The scope also included a GPS receiver for Low Earth Orbit satellites. The project was run to ECSS standards and PMI PMBOK practice.

  • Supported the Project Manager in planning, execution, monitoring and control across the 4-year lifecycle.
  • Prepared and maintained project management plans and documentation to ECSS standards.
  • Owned the Project Risk Management Plan and Risk Register under ISO 31000 and ECSS.
  • Handled configuration identification, baselines and change control for project artifacts.
  • Coordinated schedules, milestones, deliverables and the multidisciplinary engineering teams.
  • Ran project review meetings, tracked action items and prepared status reports for management.
  • Supported change management, stakeholder communication and project governance.
IQBAL Payload Development Project

IQBAL Payload Development Project

2022 to Jan 2025

Configuration management for a satellite payload

Project Configuration Manager

Configuration management across the payload development lifecycle, run to ECSS standards and PMI PMBOK practice.

  • Ran configuration management from 2022 to January 2025.
  • Managed customer requirements in Aras PLM and audited configuration item lists against the project schedule.
  • Prepared and maintained the Configuration Management Plan to ECSS standards.
  • Managed configuration identification, baselines, change control, status accounting and audits.
  • Controlled Engineering Change Requests and kept documentation, software and hardware baselines traceable.
  • Worked with the multidisciplinary engineering teams to keep configuration integrity across the lifecycle.
  • Supported project reviews, verification activities and documentation management for quality and engineering compliance.
Image Processing Project

Image Processing Project

2.5 years

Defense-sector image-processing subproject of the MİYEG Project

Scrum Master

The defense-sector image-processing subproject of MİYEG, turning raw satellite imagery into usable data, delivered by a cross-functional team using Scrum, with data collection, validation, processing pipelines and reporting as the main deliverables.

  • Facilitated sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews and retrospectives for the delivery team.
  • Kept the backlog refined with the Product Owner: clear stories, acceptance criteria, priorities.
  • Removed impediments and managed dependencies between the business, data and engineering members.
  • Protected the team's focus during the sprint and coached the team on Scrum practice.
  • Tracked sprint progress and made status, risks and blockers visible to stakeholders.
  • Coordinated User Acceptance Testing, deployment planning and production releases with the team.
Ballistics Identification Project

Ballistics Identification Project

2013 to 2025

Ballistic markings identification system

Associate Project Manager, Risk Manager

A ballistic markings identification system delivered with Scrum, run to ECSS standards and PMI PMBOK practice.

  • Ran a fixed Scrum cadence: sprint planning and retrospectives every 2 weeks, sprint reviews every week.
  • Improved team collaboration and resource allocation through frequent meetings and transparent communication.
  • Set up project lifecycle and configuration management processes.
  • Managed project risks as Risk Manager and supported quality activities.