“Sometimes I’m surprised that a plane takes off at all.“ Michael Ladi does not lack the understanding for aerodynamic laws, but rather for the absence of interconnected processes in the aviation sector. The P3 consultant, for example, has created the generic development process for a system and depicted it in a “design process guide”. The example proves useful: It is used by the customer as a model for other complex processes since.

Ladi and his colleagues are charged by manufacturers with the tuning of development steps and making the progress measurable, based on the maturity level and with regard to quality aspects from a customer-supplier point of view. In the long run customers demand a permanent process management, in which existing processes are analyzed, optimized and become accessible for all parties involved.

“Usually we start with a workshop, in which all participants roughly sketch the process.” The new approach is, that we do not ‘think’ of departments, but rather of thematic complexes: aerodynamics, kinematics, production, wings etc. Agreements in principle are made for deliverables at the end of each process period between the single development departments. Everyone should know what to deliver at a certain time and level of quality – quality gates are defined. By doing this the P3 consultants are able to identify weaknesses and can work on improvements with the customer’s engineers.

A final process guide consists of a detailed process matrix, which presents the main deliverables of the single topics, a process network plan with according documentation and a quality gate catalogue, including e.g. measurement criteria and a maturity level overview. Risks and disturbances due to unclear expectations, results and time estimations can be named and minimized early, maybe even averted. The process status is accessible at all times and new processes can be inserted without any problems.

The knowledge of processes is there basically, sums up project manager Ladi: “Otherwise no plane would have ever taken off! But this knowledge often is not interconnected, there is no overall process. This way every project is planned completely from scratch. The foundation is missing and trouble arises throughout the course of the project. We counter this fact with our consulting services and results like the “design process guide”.”