Product life cycle is key to end project chaos
Managing aircraft programs is a complex process that should not be underestimated.

Managing aircraft programs is a complex process that should not be underestimated. This is one of the clearest messages to have emerged in recent years and is evidenced when one considers  the 787 supplier issues, A380 wiring problems and A400M delays. It costs the industry vast sums of time and money.

However, a mini-revolution aimed at eliminating or alleviating these types of problems has been under way quietly. It started with the concept of product life-cycle management (PLM), where prime companies can have total visibility of their programs, but is moving toward a “virtual universe” where the system–from conceptual design to end-of-life–is validated by the real world, and can run in isolation to simulate the real world.