ABSTRACT

Changes made late in a project often attract higher costs than those introduced earlier, because sunk costs are then higher and late changes can cause greater disruption to work in progress, causing scrap and rework. Along with purchasing, change management is one of the subjects most neglected in project management literature and teaching. Yet, in aviation projects, it is vital for all post-project operations. The regulatory bodies and all aircraft manufacturers know from long experience that failure to manage changes during the design and development of aircraft and aviation equipment would have severe consequences later when the aircraft or associated aviation components are put into service. The effects of any change, whether customer-requested or not, may be felt far beyond the confines of the project area that is most obviously and directly affected. This could be true of the technical, timescale, or cost aspects.