Developing a totally new aircraft is challenging enough without making a landmark change in how it is done.

Boeing took on more than it could handle in one step. In hindsight, it would have been more effective to take multiple steps toward the end goal of creating a global supply chain. Almost as a proving ground, each new partner could have come on as a subcontractor and then been elevated to partner status. That time would have allowed Boeing to see first-hand how potential partners would manage the risks in design, material and parts demands, scheduling, and delivery of finished components. It goes without saying that contracts and commitments to the suppliers should have be written to allow Boeing a method of parting ways with the companies that could not keep up. They should have also written into the contracts that if a Tier One supplier needed to sub out any work to a Tier Two supplier, that Boeing would have to approve the Tier Two candidate. In a recent SEGR 2101 lecture we discussed Systems Integration. Boeing seemed to miss such lectures. They would have remembered to consider issues of people, culture, organization and process in addition to the usual technical issues and functional requirements in the conceptual design phase. Additionally, the schedule did not allow for Boeing and partners to test components before test flights of the planes. For example, had the schedule been less ambitious, the issue of connecting wings to fuselage would not have been discovered so late when the planes were in production. Ultimately causing a stoppage to provide engineers time to redesign. Unfortunately, this type of stoppage repeated itself many times in the nearly four year overrun. Overall, Boeing learned a lot about systems and design engineering while the whole world watched. We will all be better engineers for them taking that risk, as we learned too.

Root Cause Analysis

Process or step or variable or key input Design Phase Potential failure mode or defect Inadequate time & Resources -Poor Quality -Parts Shortage -Labor Shortage Delays in delivery of component or finished product Potential failure effects on customer Potential causes Current process controls Proposed Solutions

Manufactur ing Phase

-Design failure -Changes might be needed -Costly changes -Delay In Production -Rework -Damaged Reputation -Production delays -Customers Dissatisfaction -Increase operation cost

-Rushing Design -Need to save cost

Stop Production and redesign

Dedicate enough resources during design -Better design implementation -Better process integration -Reduce supply chain -More control over supply chain -Better system integration

-Lack process integration -Outsourcing -Strike by workers -Partners run businesses differently - Supply chain of this size is too large -Communication issues

Stop Production

Supply Chain

-Stop Production -Reroute components flow -Reorganization of project management