What are the challenges and best practices for managing long-duration projects in the aerospace and defense sectors, where technological and geopolitical changes are prevalent?
What are the challenges and best practices for managing long-duration projects in the aerospace and defense sectors, where technological and geopolitical changes are prevalent? Saving Changes...
You might enjoy reading the book Skunk Works by Kelly Johnson which describes the development process of some of the most famous US spy planes, including the huge additional burdens when the government is involved and projects become classified as secret. Some were started as internal projects and then sold to the government, while others were government initiated projects with the requisite regulatory oversight.
One issue involved is the level of bureaucracy required in many government projects. Procuring $10 worth of bolts that can be found at a local store can require a bidding process through the procurement department that takes weeks for bidding, purchase orders and shipping, and vastly more cost for the administrative paperwork to ensure someone didn't procure $9 in bolts and pocket the last $1 themselves. That makes it very difficult to manage cost and schedule and can require very creative solutions to what seem like simple problems. Saving Changes...
Supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical factors and cyber threats targeting sensitive data are significant challenges in the aerospace industry. These can be mitigated by implementing more robust risk management strategies: diversifying the supplier pool, keeping pace wih advances in cybersecurity technology and developing a security culture at all levels of the organization. Saving Changes...
