The Challenge
What needed to change.
A development program building hypersonic missile mission computers was falling behind schedule. Weak program controls and an undisciplined product development process were at the root:
- Excessive engineering change orders (ECOs) destabilizing the design baseline
- Unclear schedule ownership across engineering, test, and supply chain
- Recurring test failures late in the development cycle
- Risk to critical test windows and strained customer trust
The Fulcrum Approach
How we solved it.
Fulcrum implemented a disciplined program and product development management framework to regain control of schedule and product maturity.
- Established a Program War Room where engineering, test, supply chain, and program leadership met daily for program-level decisions
- Introduced formal configuration control by freezing non-critical ECOs and stabilizing the product baseline
- Strengthened program governance by embedding earned value management into the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)
- Instituted daily stand-ups for product development and test teams, tightening ownership of near-term deliverables
- Applied risk buffers and reserve planning for long-lead procurement items to protect the critical path
- Embedded metrics-driven program reviews into weekly customer touchpoints for transparent visibility into program health
Impact Delivered
Results that matter.
Outcome
Reduced engineering churn, stabilized development cycle
Outcome
Recovered schedule momentum against the IMS
Outcome
Improved program governance and customer confidence
Outcome
Program positioned to meet critical hypersonic test milestones
Disciplined program management and product development controls stabilized the program, positioning it to meet critical hypersonic test milestones.