Aerospace Case Study

Background

The organisation was suffering from project overspend and penalty charges based on late delivery of its products.
Acknowledged technical excellence was not translating into good business performance.

The Challenges

• Changing the programme management practices of an organisation of thousands of development engineers.
• Defining phase gate review requirements in sufficient detail to become the de-facto source of experience for the organisation.
• Introducing Business Case and Supply Chain considerations when the technical challenges seem all important.
• Establishing a review process that would be seen as supportive rather than a "hostile inquisition".

Results

Our joint work produced a watershed in the way NPI projects were managed.
By focusing on the key questions that needed to be answered at each review, mistakes were avoided and rework was drastically reduced. The NPD personnel across two continents and five countries adopted the new process with enthusiasm.