Project Management in Aerospace: Product Development for Safety-Critical Applications

The “Project Management in Aerospace” specialist group of GPM e.V. facilitates the exchange of experiences regarding the specific challenges of project management in the aerospace industry. To this end, it meets twice a year at one of the participating companies in the industry. The central challenge for companies is to ensure the safety of crew and passengers in order to prevent incidents such as those involving the Boeing 737 MAX in 2019[1]:

The aerospace industry is synonymous with technological excellence. Modern aircraft, satellites, and space systems combine mechanics, electronics, and software into highly integrated, complex systems that must function reliably under extreme conditions while meeting strictly defined safety requirements. Such safety-critical systems require a closely integrated interplay between systems engineering and project management.

That is why these systems are subject to strict regulatory requirements. Safety is not just one quality feature among many, but the central development goal. In this environment, project management is far more than simply meeting requirements within given deadlines and budgets. It requires a structured approach in a technological environment characterized by regulatory requirements, a high level of risk awareness, and interdisciplinary collaboration over many years.

Specific challenges include:

This gives rise to key requirements for project management in the aerospace industry across all phases of product development:

a plan-based approach divided into phases with clearly defined (interim) objectives and verification criteria

comprehensive risk management

stakeholder management with clearly defined involvement of various stakeholder groups

Handling of intercultural differences in international collaboration

Procedures for the development of (safety-critical) products

Ultimately, safety takes precedence over all other aspects and requirements. But when can a system, a subsystem, or a product be classified as safe? To address this, we will first provide an overview of possible technically induced causes of failure:

There are guidelines that must be followed in order to obtain certification for a safety-critical product. The DIN EN 61508 standard, “Functional Safety of Safety-Related Electrical, Electronic, and Programmable Electronic Systems,” provides the overarching framework for this. Specific regulations derived from this standard exist for various applications and industries, such as medicine, chemistry, railways, and others.

For the aviation industry, specific aviation standards such as DO-178 for software and DO-254 for electronic hardware apply. These standards define key requirements for the development processes of safety-critical aerospace systems. They contain concrete specifications for the development process, compliance with which is a prerequisite for the product’s certification upon completion of development:

This results in the following constraints regarding the development process:

clearly defined and verifiable requirements at the outset

division of the process into phases

detailed planning of the individual phases, including the respective (interim) results

early coordination of the process through the involvement of regulatory authorities

Risk management in aerospace projects

Large-scale technology projects in the aerospace sector are subject to significant uncertainties due to their long durations and high technical complexity. The use of new technologies, scarce resources, a lack of external support, unclear requirements, and many other problems are part of everyday project life. Problems of this kind often become apparent even before they occur, offering an opportunity to mitigate or even avoid them through appropriate measures. This requires systematic and, above all, transparent management.

The goal of risk management is to

identify potential unplanned events early on,

realistically assess their impact, and

limit potential damage through appropriate measures.

Risks that typically exist in projects in the context considered here can be categorized as follows, for example:

A prerequisite for successful risk management is clearly defined processes and procedures that are carried out at regular intervals—such as monthly—and whenever changes occur. The process is divided into the steps commonly known in project management (see, for example, [2]):

Identification of unplanned events that pose a risk to the project

Description of the identified risks and their potential impacts

Analysis and assessment of individual risks in terms of probability of occurrence as well as potential impacts on costs, schedules, and changes in service delivery

Strategy for individual risks classified as critical, aimed at mitigating the impact of a risk or even preventing it

Definition of measures to implement the strategy and estimation of the necessary expenses

Implementation of the defined measures and regular monitoring of progress and effectiveness

A risk register is recommended for a transparent and structured implementation of the described steps, in which the information developed above for the individual risks is compiled. This register forms the basis for risk management throughout the entire project duration and, if necessary, beyond. For reporting purposes, a risk matrix can be used, in which the individual risks are classified according to their probability of occurrence and the severity of potential impacts, thereby providing a transparent overview of the risk situation in the project.

Once the development phase is complete, the project team’s responsibility ends. However, a large portion of stakeholders’ expectations in later phases can only be met if these expectations are taken into account as much as possible during the development phase, which, in turn, remains the responsibility of the project team. For example, cost-effective repair of a device using available spare parts can only be achieved during development through appropriate design and the use of components that will remain available for as long as possible after development is complete.

Depending on their function and the technology used, aviation products are often subject to German, European, or international export restrictions. Under certain circumstances, restrictions can be reduced or avoided by using alternative technologies. Restrictions may arise for so-called dual-use products; these are products that are developed for civilian use but can also be used for military purposes without modification, such as a thermal imaging camera or a drone for filming.

The aerospace industry is a highly internationally oriented sector. Hardly any company offers its products exclusively on the domestic market. Products are usually only economically successful if they are designed for global use, from development and production through to service and maintenance.

As a result, project teams work with people from different cultural backgrounds, such as international customers, suppliers, partner companies, government agencies, and others. At the same time, many organizations themselves are multicultural, with professionals from different countries and diverse cultural backgrounds working together.

This diversity is a great strength, as it brings together different perspectives, experiences, and approaches to problem-solving. At the same time, however, it can also lead to conflicts and misunderstandings if those involved are not aware of cultural differences. Here are two examples:

Such differences are not inherently problematic—as long as they are recognized and consciously taken into account.

An important step in dealing with cultural differences is a fundamental awareness that not every misunderstanding stems from technical differences or a lack of knowledge. Often, different cultural influences are at the root of the issue. That is why it is helpful for project teams to take cultural aspects just as seriously as technical or organizational issues.

There are various ways to prepare for international collaboration and develop an understanding of other cultural backgrounds:

In international programs, intercultural competence and effective project communication play a key role in preventing misunderstandings, building trust, and successfully managing complex projects. This is particularly evident in the aerospace industry, where international cooperation and long-term partnerships converge: successful projects result not only from technical excellence, but also from mutual understanding among people, which enables them to collaborate in a spirit of trust. For more on models of cultural differences, see, for example, in [3][4].

Project management in the aerospace industry requires a combination of technical expertise, structured development processes, and consistent risk management. Only through a systematic approach can innovation, regulatory requirements, and long-term safety be successfully integrated.

Compliance with regulations—some of which are highly restrictive—is no guarantee of safety in aviation technical systems, but it enables an approach that Significantly increases safety and thus substantially reduces the risk of technical failure. The incident at Boeing described at the outset was the subject of intensive investigations [5] , which concluded that several involved departments had apparently failed to apply the guidelines with the necessary diligence and thus had not properly implemented a series of measures that were actually necessary, ultimately to avoid falling behind a competitor. As a result, this led, among other things, to Boeing being unable to deliver any aircraft of this type for over two years until new software had been developed and extensively tested., dass Boeing über zwei Jahre keine Flugzeuge dieses Typs ausliefern konnte, bis eine neue Software entwickelt und intensiv getestet war.