How to Merge Two Airlines
Delta and Northwest announced their merger in April 2008. They immediately began planning for what turned out to be an 18-month sprint to integrate 1,200 systems across the two airlines — everything from customer loyalty programs to aircraft operations, all without interrupting service. Managers built this master guide to break down when these systems would need to start working together. Each note represents a project that could involve thousands of tasks. Click here to view related article www.nytimes.com
Lean Flight Initiative Exchange Programme 
August 2010 - Lean Project Planning at Rockwell Collins
A product’s life cycle costs are determined long before the first component is assembled or even prototyped. The earliest stages of product design—where crucial decisions are made concerning size, power, portability and more—can ultimately impact every facet of a product’s life cycle…making it a key area to direct the application of Lean principles.
To focus design teams on this crucial moment, Rockwell Collins developed the Lean Engineering Accelerated Planning (LEAP) methodology, which facilitates efficient and effective project planning in the inaugural stages of product design. Utilizing the core Lean principles—value, value stream, flow, pull, perfection, and respect for people—LEAP allows Rockwell Collins to maximize value from the customer’s perspective.
In a workshop setting, the LEAP team coaches and facilitates the execution team as they tailor the Rockwell Collins Technical Consistent Process (TCP)—a framework for engineering tasks and activities—to a specific project's customer and regulatory requirements.
The LEAP engagement establishes identification, sequencing and alignment of project milestones, while gaining key stakeholder commitment to the project schedule, and identifying actions, risks, and opportunities. Identified action items are captured and frequently solved real-time during the workshop. A key aspect of the planning sessions often includes negotiations among stakeholders/functional organizations to cooperatively meet critical deliverables.
The workshop, which requires participation of key stakeholders to ensure engagement, accomplishes an impressive amount of the initial planning necessary for project execution, including:
- Review of key customer requirements
- Documentation of tasks and activities for each functional stakeholder team
- Alignment of tasks, negotiation of dependencies, and identification of timelines
- Verification that outlined tasks are required
- Draft of a proposed project schedule
- Assignment of responsibility for all tasks and activities
A common challenge to the LEAP process begins before the engagement actually begins: enlisting the participation of critical team members whose busy schedules seem to all but preclude lengthy planning sessions. Once in the room, however, participants quickly come to appreciate how the planning will help them individually and as part of the project team. In fact, one participant told a facilitator, “It would have taken me six months to collect this kind of information, and the information might not have been consistently correct.”
LEAP participants leave with a greater appreciation for stakeholders’ challenges, both up and down the value stream. The workshops also serve an important interpersonal purpose: helping team members—many of whom might not have worked together before—to build relationships, begin to understand others’ interests, qualifications and ideas, and develop a foundation of good communication that will serve the team in the months and years to come.
At the conclusion of every workshop, a comprehensive survey is sent to all participants, including the project leadership. Survey results have indicated this kick-off methodology is an important key to successful project planning. LEAP provides a flexible and consistent project planning approach focused on customer value and aligned with Lean principles.
Authors – Tod Santel & Deborah Secor, Rockwell Collins, Inc.
June 2010 - Sharing Lean Experience
Visitors representing BAE Systems and the Royal Air Force recently travelled to Shannon Aerospace from the UK for a one day visit with the SAL Lean Team. The main purpose of the visit was to share experiences and knowledge related to Lean implementation in order to share Lean techniques and learnings. The visitors were particularly interested to see the MRO’s Pulse Line in action. Following a site tour, the group discussed challenges facing their respective organisations together with SAL’s Matt Shelton and Tom Caffrey. The companies will continue to keep in touch and to share lessons in continuous improvement as they continue their Lean journeys.
Pictured (standing L-R) are: Matt Shelton, Lean Team Member, SAL; Kevin Marsden Head of Aircraft Maintenance, BAE Systems; Brian Gill, Business Improvement & Engineering Director, BAE Systems; Tom Caffrey, Head of Quality, Training, Safety & Lean, SAL; Jonathan Rowbotham, Continuous Improvement Team Supervisor; (seated (L-R): Claire McCaffrey, Project Engineer Business Improvement, BAE Systems & Tony Osterberg, Continuous Improvement Facilitator, Royal Air Force.
January/February 2010 - Shannon Aerospace: Awards Event
Shannon Aerospace recently celebrated the accomplishments of a number of members of staff, by holding a special ‘Awards Event’. Firmly committed to staff training and development, the event was held to celebrate the successful completion of key training courses held at the Shannon facility over the course of 2009.
Included in the presentation programme were awards for Practical Problem Solving (PPS) Practitioners who recently completed their Toyota 8-Step PPS Practitioner Training, which was delivered by the University of Kentucky; Managers who had successfully completed the Lean Foundation Course, including project implementation; and Trainees who had successfully completed their level 5 FETAC Lean Course, which was delivered in association with the Irish Centre for Business Excellence.
Crucially, each of these courses will work to support the company’s Lean business model and will directly influence Shannon Aerospace’s ability to achieve core business targets and goals. In particular, Practical Problem Solving is fundamental to the company’s Lean Vision and having eleven Practitioners now in place means that a proven, methodical approach to solving problems can be passed on to each and every employee. Members of the Executive Team at Shannon also participated in this training, which was facilitated by Tony Chamblin and Crit Fischer who have over 40 years combined experience of using this problem solving technique at Toyota.
Speaking at the event, Martin Kaiser, Chief Executive, Shannon Aerospace, commented; “2009 was a busy year from the point of view of developing the skills of many of our employees, and it is exciting to be at an event which recognises these achievements. We know that this investment of time and energy will have a long-term, positive effect, as the skills acquired will become embedded in our processes and our approach to doing business. 2010 will be an equally busy year from a training and development point of view and I look forward to contributing to many such events in the future.” He continued; “I would like to particularly thank the University of Kentucky for their continued encouragement & support and our own in-house Lean Team, who co-ordinated this event.”
Presenting the awards along with Martin Kaiser were respected Lean expert Ken Kreafle, General Manager of Production Engineering at Toyota Motors & currently in Residence at the University of Kentucky and Dermot O’Neill from the Irish Centre for Business Excellence. Over forty Shannon Aerospace employees received awards on the day.
Pictured at the event are Ken Kreafle of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Company with Martin Kaiser, Chief Executive, Shannon Aerospace
2009 - Shannon Aerospace
See the Problem – Solve the Problem
Eleven members of staff are currently participating in Practical Problem Solving Practitioner training. Based on the Toyota Problem Solving Process, this is the first time these skills have been taught outside of the Toyota organisation. During the most recent training session, participants worked both individually and within teams in order to examine a number of problems currently being experienced at Shannon Aerospace using the ‘Toyota 8-step Problem Solving Process’. Participants learned the process involved and put it to immediate, practical use by solving and eliminating each of the problems under scrutiny.The Executive Team at Shannon Aerospace has also been participating in the training, which is being run in conjunction with the Irish Centre for Business Excellence and facilitated by Tony Chamblin and Crit Fisher of the Lean Systems Group within the University of Kentucky. These gentlemen have over 40 years combined experience of using this problem solving technique over the course of their careers at Toyota.
The investment of such a significant amount of time and effort on the part of the Executive Team is crucial to the success of the project as they, along with each of the eleven practitioners, will facilitate and support the deployment of the problem solving techniques throughout the company. Proven to give a competitive advantage, the company-wide use of this problem solving approach will substantially contribute to the delivery of our ‘True Lean Vision’, which is ‘Everyone in Shannon Aerospace continuously improving the work that they do’. Applicable to every type of problem experienced at all levels, this practical training is further advancing Shannon Aerospace’s Lean journey. The training, which totals fifteen days in all, commenced in August and will be completed by December.
