New JetBlue Livery
Rumor has it that the airline is about to unveil a new livery for its fleet to celebrate its 10th birthday. I can't believe the airline is 10 years old already! I'm sure I still have my copy of Airways Magazine lying around somewhere with their first A320 on the cover. How time flies!
Blog World Expo
The 30,000 mile quest continues, as I find my way to Sin City this Wednesday for 2009 Blog World Expo. Nothing directly aviation related there, but it's a great chance to see some of the emerging technologies that will help enhance Flightglobal's industry coverage online. After finding Apture last year, I'm a true believer.
From Vegas I'll be flying directly to Orlando for...
NBAA
Perhaps no one subject in the aerospace industry has generated more world wide discussion more than business aviation over the last year of the global recession. Starting on Saturday, I'll be in Orlando for the National Business Aviation Association conference. It will be packed full of BizAv events, interviews and plenty of news. A small band of rebels (AKA Flight journalists) will be covering the event top to bottom. It should make for an interesting opportunity to assess the state of US and global business aviation.
Kelly Johnson's 14 Rules
A veteran aerospace engineer suggested I post Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson's 14 Rules of aerospace project management. They were originally intended for SkunkWorks projects and were created in 1943 with the XP-80 program. They still hold true for aerospace today...even on the commercial side.
Rumor has it that the airline is about to unveil a new livery for its fleet to celebrate its 10th birthday. I can't believe the airline is 10 years old already! I'm sure I still have my copy of Airways Magazine lying around somewhere with their first A320 on the cover. How time flies!
Blog World Expo
The 30,000 mile quest continues, as I find my way to Sin City this Wednesday for 2009 Blog World Expo. Nothing directly aviation related there, but it's a great chance to see some of the emerging technologies that will help enhance Flightglobal's industry coverage online. After finding Apture last year, I'm a true believer.
From Vegas I'll be flying directly to Orlando for...
NBAA
Perhaps no one subject in the aerospace industry has generated more world wide discussion more than business aviation over the last year of the global recession. Starting on Saturday, I'll be in Orlando for the National Business Aviation Association conference. It will be packed full of BizAv events, interviews and plenty of news. A small band of rebels (AKA Flight journalists) will be covering the event top to bottom. It should make for an interesting opportunity to assess the state of US and global business aviation.
Kelly Johnson's 14 Rules
A veteran aerospace engineer suggested I post Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson's 14 Rules of aerospace project management. They were originally intended for SkunkWorks projects and were created in 1943 with the XP-80 program. They still hold true for aerospace today...even on the commercial side.
- The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. He should report to a division president or higher.
- Strong but small project offices must be provided both by the military and industry.
- The number of people having any connection with the project must be restricted in an almost vicious manner. Use a small number of good people (10% to 25% compared to the so-called normal systems).
- A very simple drawing and drawing release system with great flexibility for making changes must be provided.
- There must be a minimum number of reports required, but important work must be recorded thoroughly.
- There must be a monthly cost review covering not only what has been spent and committed but also projected costs to the conclusion of the program. Don't have the books 90 days late, and don't surprise the customer with sudden overruns.
- The contractor must be delegated and must assume more than normal responsibility to get good vendor bids for subcontract on the project. Commercial bid procedures are very often better than military ones.
- The inspection system as currently used by the Skunk Works, which has been approved by both the Air Force and Navy, meets the intent of existing military requirements and should be used on new projects. Push more basic inspection responsibility back to subcontractors and vendors. Don't duplicate so much inspection.
- The contractor must be delegated the authority to test his final product in flight. He can and must test it in the initial stages. If he doesn't, he rapidly loses his competency to design other vehicles.
- The specifications applying to the hardware must be agreed to well in advance of contracting. The Skunk Works practice of having a specification section stating clearly which important military specification items will not knowingly be complied with and reasons therefore is highly recommended.
- Funding a program must be timely so that the contractor doesn't have to keep running to the bank to support government projects.
- There must be mutual trust between the military project organization and the contractor with very close cooperation and liaison on a day-to-day basis. This cuts down misunderstanding and correspondence to an absolute minimum.
- Access by outsiders to the project and its personnel must be strictly controlled by appropriate security measures.
- Because only a few people will be used in engineering and most other areas, ways must be provided to reward good performance by pay not based on the number of personnel supervised.
on October 12, 2009 1:22 PM | Reply
And a last rule passed on through oral tradition…
15. Starve before doing business with the damned Navy. They don’t know what in hell they want and will drive you up a wall before they break either your heart or a more exposed part of your anatomy.
I could re-write this about "Outsourcing"!
on October 12, 2009 2:38 PM | Reply
Back in the day when I was young boy, my uncle told me he worked somewhere for Lockheed. Later when I was older and just before his death, he told me a tale of slide rulers, titanium, “wind tunnel testing” on Lake Washington. Yes, the engineers were allowed to shut the door on management at the SkunkWorks, roll up their sleeves and go to work on something the world had never experienced. I heard about how Mig 25’s would push engines out the back and explode before they could even try to close in on these aircraft. Sam missles would drop off before they could chase it down. This game changer could fly at mach 3+; fly at 80,000 feet and yes leaked fuel while at rest on the tarmac. A project headed by Kelly Johnson built the SR-71. With a hydroplane hull, retracting nacelles (cones) and titanium machining, success was achieved without a “how to” book to go by and it came out with an unrivaled aircraft. When my uncle retired after 30 years on the project, he was stationed at Beale AFB, and gave oversight to the last military SR-71’s flight, knowing nothing touched it.
The point here is that management should let the engineers get it done and stop experimenting with theories about how to leverage supply chain development or third party out sourcing of work force. “You own it and you own the mess”. The supply chain contributors are diversified enough to walk away from the project and asorb risk where Boeing could not. 3rd parties could leverage the use of new technologies by selling its ability to Boeings competitors. As Boeing wallows in its overly complex structure, its competitors can cherry pick the good ideas, and avoid Boeing mistakes. The strategy to spread the risk by outsourcing work to vendors is misguided. If one link of a multi-linked vendor program breaks, it becomes a multiplier for failure in the project. All savings from shared risk strategy is thrown out the window and future profitability is in danger.
Suppliers and out sourced technologies are unavoidable in today’s world. However, Boeing must, as the facilitator or proprietor of these types of programs, simplify from top to bottom, and get everyone on the same playbook. I know Boeing’s management center in Everett was an attempt to resolve the damage done by the earlier out sourcing strategies, and was given lessons learned through power point by its competitor, but success will come when Boeing takes ownership of project quality as it has done already in Charleston. Boeing tried to control the risk but risk is now controlling Boeing.
on October 12, 2009 3:14 PM | Reply
Jon,
I am not sure if you know who Dr. Jan Roskam is.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Roskam)
It would be really, really, interesting to get his take on the 787 and A350. Check out his book "Roskam's Airplane War Stories". Even if doesn't comment on the 787 and A350 in an offical capacity I think you would find him a pretty interesting interview.
on October 12, 2009 5:47 PM | Reply
Of course, the unsaid Rule 15 is "once your customer gives you this freedom, you'd damn well better come up with something good at the end of the day."