Managing the Fuzzy Front End
Within the Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul
D. Lemmen (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
R.M. Verburg – Mentor (TU Delft - Economics of Technology and Innovation)
M.B.O.T. Klenk – Mentor (TU Delft - Ethics & Philosophy of Technology)
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Abstract
Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) organisations are facing a lack of sustainable alternatives within MRO, which could aid a more sustainable operation geared to meet short-term climate regulations. Hence, they need to establish an idea evaluation process, allowing organisations to assess and prioritise generated ideas to assess which have the potential to contribute to the industry's decarbonisation.
This research aims to determine how innovative ideas can be assessed and selected to speed up the innovation process within aviation-MRO. In particular, the Front-end of Innovation (FEI) is researched as this phase is considered extremely important within the innovation process. The FEI is the first phase of innovation, ranging from idea generation to concept development.
This study utilised a mixed method approach to achieve the research objective, in which multiple methodologies are synthesised into one more extensive study. Firstly, extensive literature research was performed to determine the evaluation models applied within the existing literature. Next, industry-specific interviews were conducted to acquire standard practices within the aviation MRO. Thirdly, survey research was employed to tailor the idea evaluation model toward the aviation MRO industry. Finally, a case study was performed to determine whether the proposed case study could be applied within the organisational context.
The framework incorporates a stage-gate process, incorporating two evaluation moments named the initial screen and the preliminary evaluation. The first evaluation includes a checklist with five criteria, followed by an evaluation matrix incorporating fourteen criteria. Although the framework serves as the basis for the idea evaluation process, the case study revealed that there is no one-size-fits-all process. The organisation context impacts the evaluation criteria, meaning each organisation should individually assess which of the proposed criteria are deemed relevant within their organisation.
The framework proposed in this research provides a structure and tools to organise the idea evaluation process, which can aid organisations in enhancing the speed of the innovation process potentially. On this basis, the proposed framework can be utilised by aviation MRO organisations to accommodate the foundation of the idea evaluation process.