Empowering Mechanics and Technicians in Flight Support

Introduction

I’ve been a part of flight support for over 30 years. I chose a career in the Air Force and had the privilege of serving my country while living out my childhood dream of working in organizations that provided flight support in a variety of environments. In this article, I will explore how adopting the Theory of Constraints and Little's Law can optimize work in progress (WIP) within flight support, empowering mechanics and technicians to deliver exceptional results.

Aerospace flight support involves various teams working together to ensure the safety, efficiency, and on-time performance of aerospace platforms. Whether I was providing mission-ready air-refueling capability, combat airlift platforms for the National Command Authority, high-demand, low-density platforms to the warfighter, or in my current role of building and sustaining space systems, mechanics and technicians hold a critical position. Their expertise and dedication directly impact platform readiness, turnaround times, and overall operational success. Once the supported and supporting relationship is established, the organization must remain vigilant to remove barriers and constraints to keep operations efficient.

Theory of Constraints (TOC) in Flight Support

The Theory of Constraints, developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, is a powerful management philosophy that aims to identify and overcome bottlenecks to achieve optimal performance. When applied to flight support, TOC helps streamline processes and enhances overall efficiency when the mechanic or technician is the focus of the operation.

"By applying the Theory of Constraints and Little's Law, flight support teams can enhance their productivity, reduce delays and deliver exceptional maintenance services."

Identifying Constraints: The first step in applying TOC is to identify constraints within flight support. These constraints can be anything that hinders the smooth flow of operational tasks, such as a shortage of skilled mechanics, insufficient tools/equipment, or delays in the availability of spare parts or engineering support.

Exploiting Constraints: Once identified, the focus shifts to exploiting the constraints effectively. This involves maximizing the utilization of available resources, providing additional training to mechanics, or optimizing tooling to get the most out of the existing constraints.

Subordinating everything Else: This has been a key element of TOC management and one that I continue to champion. Simply put, I put the technician in the center of the organization.

Mechanics and technicians form the backbone of any flight support team. They are responsible for inspecting, troubleshooting, and sustaining platforms to ensure they meet strict safety and regulatory standards.

In-flight support, subordinating everything else means aligning all non-constraints to support the constraints. Other departments and processes should be adjusted to cater to the needs of the employees at the point of execution, removing any unnecessary obstacles that may hinder their efficiency. This re-alignment may be hard to accept as true subordination may mean sub-optimization of the non-constraints to optimize the constraint. Throughput only improves if it improves at the constraint. With the increasing complexity of modern platforms, the mechanic’s or technician’s role has become even more critical. It is very important that the end item and the technician, the primary needle mover, is the primary focus of the organization. This emphasis also includes ensuring that front-line, point-of-execution employees know the role that they play in the process. Depending on the circumstance, some employees may never see the final product or the system employed.

Once supporting and enabling elements are aligned, the technician becomes the ‘surgeon’ of the organization and is reassured that the parts, tools, quality control, and engineering support are readily available. The diagram below emphasizes the relationship between front-line employees and supporting or enabling functions.

Elevating Constraints:

The final step involves elevating the constraints, which means finding permanent solutions to overcome the identified limitations. This may include hiring more skilled technicians, investing in advanced maintenance equipment, or improving inventory management to reduce delays caused by spare part unavailability. Once the operations focus on supporting the front-line personnel and removing obstacles, the organization must then manage those resources accordingly by executing a disciplined process.  

Little's Law and Flight Support Work In Progress (WIP)

Little's Law is a fundamental concept used to understand the relationship between WIP, throughput rate, and flow time. In-flight support, controlling WIP is vital to prevent delays and maintain high-quality maintenance standards. The discipline of Little's Law is especially important when there is pressure to increase WIP based on the optics of the production process or other extraneous factors.

Little's Law Formula: WIP = Throughput Rate × Flow Time

Excessive WIP can lead to inefficiencies, increased lead times, and higher costs. Flight support teams must focus on reducing WIP by implementing efficient scheduling, streamlining processes, and optimizing resource allocation. Flow time refers to the time taken for a task to move through the system. By identifying bottlenecks and optimizing workflows, mechanics, and technicians can minimize flow time, allowing for faster turnarounds and more efficient platform sustainment. 

Conclusion

In the dynamic world of aviation, flight support is a vital function that heavily relies on the expertise and dedication of mechanics and technicians. By applying the Theory of Constraints and Little's Law, flight support teams can enhance their productivity, reduce delays and deliver exceptional maintenance services.

Emphasizing the importance of mechanics and technicians and empowering them through these management principles will significantly contribute to the success of flight support operations and ensure the safety and satisfaction of the customer. As the aerospace industry continues to evolve, continuous improvement and optimization of flight support processes remain paramount. Mechanics and technicians stand at the forefront of this journey toward excellence.