Managing Quality in Aviation Projects

Abstract

From aircraft manufacturing, product customization, aircraft maintenance, and aircraft launch and recovery, project management is threaded through all aspects of aviation. Given the supreme importance of quality to every aircraft manufacturer, airline, and passenger, it would be expected that quality management, within the context of project management, would be a construct that is clearly defined. The aim of this mixed-methods research seeks to understand how quality is managed and assured in aviation projects, whether the current quality management framework is applicable to the aviation industry, and how quality should ultimately be managed in aviation projects. The results suggest that aviation project management could benefit by adopting a new lens for managing project quality and avoiding a surface-level adoption of quality tools designed primarily for the mass production context.

Keywords:

• Project Management Quality Management
• Aviation Quality Management
• Aviation Projects

EMJ Focus Areas:

• Project Quality Management
• Program and Project Management
• System Requirements

Additional information

Notes on contributors

James W. Marion

James W. Marion is an associate professor and department chair at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide. Dr. Marion spent 22 years in industry working for companies such as NEC and Panasonic. Dr. Marion is a graduate of the Panasonic Senior Executive Development Program in Osaka, Japan. He also contributed to the development of Domain 5 in the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge. He received a PhD from Capella University and is a certified project management professional (PMP).

Tracey M. Richardson

Tracey M. Richardson is an associate professor and assistant dean in the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide. Dr. Richardson spent over 20 years in the United States Air Force working in aircraft maintenance, including sortie production/operations and backshop industrial manufacturing. She is a director of the Project Management Institute’s Global Accreditation Center (PMI-GAC). Tracey has a Doctorate of Organizational Leadership is a certified Project Management Professional and a Risk Management Professional (RMP).

Vittal Anantatmula

Vittal Anantatmula is a professor at Western Carolina University. Dr. Anantatmula was a recipient of Australia’s Endeavour Executive Fellow and is a Global guest professor at Keio University, Japan. He is a director of the Project Management Institute’s Global Accreditation Center (PMI-GAC). Dr. Anantatmula has authored more than 80 publications, 9 books, 9 book chapters and about 60 conference papers. He received a PhD from George Washington University. He is a certified project management professional (PMP).