Critical Chain in a. David Nolting

Transcription

1 Critical Chain in a Flight Test Program David Nolting noltingd@yadtel.net

2 OVERVIEW General information on test program Flight Test requirements Combined Test Team Composition Building a template Mission Pod Work Program Lessons Learned

3 FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM Follow on Flight Test Multi aircraft initial testing program complete One aircraft T 1 Problems or changes to production aircraft Flight Control Software Avionics boxes Tests initiated with a Test Request

4 Flight Test Requirements Safe Accurate/Valid Data Timely

5 Safety Built into the Process Aircraft modification and instrumentation Engineering paper with a QA check in process and work complete Aircraft maintenance Published Tech Orders and Engineering paper with QA check Test Plan Safety review by Test Team and Flight Test Wing Flight Cards Test Pilot review

6 Accurate Test Data Calibrated transducers scheduled intervals Truth source Before and after configuration comparisons Test Pilot/aircrew comments and observations

7 Timely Schedule and manage each Test Request Due dates Production schedules Design analysis for new systems Resolve current operational problems AFFTC was committed to CCPM to improve on time completions Our Test Team was one of the first to implement

8 Test Team Composition Composite Test Team Both company and Air Force people in most roles Both common and different goals and objectives Seller vs Buyer Neither wrong or right just different

9 Team Matrix Role Company Air Force Managers X X Lead Test Pilots X X Technical Engineers X X Flight Test Engineers X X Operational Engineers X Instrumentation Engineers/Techs X Aircraft mod/maintenance Techs/Mechs AF Mx

10 Building the template Each Test Request was unique Flight control software revision Structural investigation Find the common elements required for every flight test Start with the desired results Test Report and data package Build right to left Based on necessity not sequence Build safety and technical reviews into the template

11 Building the template network Meetings to specify test and instrumentation requirements Eng Paper Eng Paper A/C Mod A/C Inst Flight test Test report & data Test Plan Tech & Safety Review Flight Cards

12 Template network AF Test Team Commander posted template on wall of his office Defined the process from Test Request to final report Test Request (TR) meeting of all stakeholders for each new TR Stakeholders agreed on desired result of the TR Template was modified to meet requirements of each TR Resources and time estimates added to each task in the network Ask for time estimates with safety removed average or touch time Software used to identify Critical Chain and add buffers Test project managed using CCPM Daily updates of task time remaining

13 Mission Pod Work Program For complex projects areas of the network became individual projects Work program for modification and instrumentation Mission pods to be added to outside aft fuselage Verification of design structural loads Measure vibrations caused by airflow around pods metal fatigue Not a test of the pods functionality Modify A/C by adding dummy mission pods Instrument A/C with 65 new transducers Strain gages and accelerometers About ¾ of a mile of new instrumentation wiring

14 Work Program Complexity Engineering paper defining location, install procedures, wiring, wire routing and data system requirements for each transducer Engineering paper defining structural mods needed to attach the dummy pods Procedures for getting data both with and without pods Work on the A/C following the steps in the above engineering paper Complexity of adding strain gages in the field Multiple steps Chemicals used are environmentally controlled

15 Planning Procedures Start with good definition of WP content Meeting of all stakeholders Include test modifications and instrumentation Include AF maintenance work planned during WP Final task in WP is fueling and preflight inspection ready to fly Approximately 200 tasks in the network Planned time with project buffer was 7 ½ weeks Managed using buffer management procedures

16 Work Program Results History Large work programs always 1 to 1 ½ weeks late to schedule Procedures used Estimate the time to do the work then double it Add a week of safety Still late to schedule Mission pod work program Finished on time on the day scheduled Overtime was only suggested once due to buffer going into the red Techs and Mechs liked the visibility available in the process

17 Lessons Learned Get stakeholder consensus on the goals of the project Always build your network from right to left Necessity not sequence Importance of instilling Relay Runner work ethic Don t make your network too detailed Management tool not a scheduling tool Check the Multi Project capability of candidate software