By Matas Stumbrys, Head of Development, Sensus Aero
In the fast-paced world of aviation maintenance, keeping aircraft operational isn’t just a technical challenge - it’s a logistical and regulatory battle. MROs today face a perfect storm of obstacles: evolving Aircraft Maintenance Manuals (AMMs) and Maintenance Planning Documents (MPDs), supply chain disruptions, a shortage of skilled labor, constant regulatory demands, and the increasing complexity of customized workflows.
Add to this the unique challenges of newer aircraft with their sophisticated systems and older aircraft requiring tailored maintenance processes to meet airline-specific needs, and the pressure on MROs becomes immense. Outdated manual processes, legacy technologies, and organizational silos only exacerbate these issues, costing millions in lost productivity and resources.
It’s clear: the industry needs a better way forward.
Agile and Lean: A Powerful Combination for MROs
At Sensus Aero, we’ve witnessed firsthand how the combination of Agile methodologies and Lean principles transforms MRO software development and operations. Both Agile and Lean share foundational principles such as customer-centricity and continuous improvement. While Agile emphasizes adaptability, collaboration, and delivering value incrementally, Lean focuses on eliminating waste, maximizing customer value, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Together, these approaches align around the core principle of delivering value with efficiency and precision.
Here’s how Agile and Lean tackle the industry’s biggest challenges:
Breaking Down Silos and Standardizing Workflows:
Agile fosters collaboration across traditionally disconnected teams, while Lean emphasizes standardizing processes to reduce variability and waste. Together, these approaches ensure that software development aligns with real-world operational needs and eliminates inefficiencies caused by siloed operations.
Adapting to AMMs, MPDs, and Regulatory Changes:
Agile’s iterative and incremental approach ensures that software updates prioritize customer needs, enabling quick adaptation to changes in AMMs and MPDs while maintaining compliance and minimizing delays. Combined with Lean principles, workflows are optimized through Value Stream Mapping (VSM), identifying and removing inefficiencies to minimize resource waste and enhance customer value.
Modern MRO software further enhances this process by integrating with OEM databases to provide live updates. This ensures maintenance teams always have access to the latest data, boosting compliance and operational efficiency.
Creating Adaptable Software for Diverse Needs:
From General Aviation to Heavy Airframe Maintenance, MROs require tailored solutions that reflect their unique operational demands. Lean principles guide the creation of adaptable workflows that minimize unnecessary steps, while Agile ensures flexibility, enabling the software to evolve seamlessly with tailored customizations for diverse operational needs.
Replacing Manual Processes with Automation:
Agile-driven development empowers teams to focus on delivering value by leveraging automation for repetitive tasks like inventory tracking, task scheduling, and maintenance recordkeeping, reducing errors and improving efficiency. Lean principles enhance this by systematically identifying and eliminating waste, inconsistencies, and overburden, ensuring that automation maximizes efficiency while aligning with customer value.
Providing Real-Time Transparency and Risk Mitigation:
Agile methodologies offer continuous visibility into project progress, allowing MRO managers to identify bottlenecks early and adjust workflows proactively through tools like Sprint Boards in Scrum or Kanban Boards for continuous flow. These visual aids, combined with practices like regular sprint reviews, enable MRO managers to identify bottlenecks early, adapt workflows proactively, and ensure steady delivery of value.
Lean complements this by emphasizing flow efficiency and actionable metrics, ensuring workflows are streamlined, disruptions are minimized, and throughput is maximized through continuous feedback loops.
Future-Proofing with Scalability and Lean Flexibility:
Agile’s adaptability supports the evolution of systems, whether scaling operations to new regions or integrating predictive maintenance tools, ensuring responsiveness to changing demands.
The Power of Agile and Lean in Action
A recent project at Sensus Aero exemplifies how Agile and Lean methodologies are driving real-world impact. We partnered with FL Technics Lithuania, an MRO previously struggling with inefficiencies caused by siloed operations, outdated systems, and complex workflows. Through Agile and Lean principles, we are iteratively replacing legacy systems with a customized ERP solution, continuously delivering value while adapting to evolving needs.
Results to date:
- 20% reduction in downtime through Lean-optimized workflows.
- Automated processes that eliminate human errors, improve accuracy, and save hundreds of hours.
- Flexible, Lean-driven workflows tailored to their diverse and unique operational needs.
- Enhanced labor and material efficiency, optimizing utilization and reducing waste across operations.
As the project progresses, we are expanding and scaling the MRO management software to support FL Technic's new hangars in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific market. This ongoing transformation not only continues to optimize their existing operations but also equips them to manage future growth and regional expansion with confidence and adaptability.
A Call to Action for the Industry
The aviation industry can no longer rely on outdated systems and rigid processes. Agile and Lean methodologies provide MROs with the flexibility, collaboration, and efficiency needed to meet today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.
If your organization is ready to embrace Agile and Lean-driven solutions and unlock the full potential of your operations, let’s start the conversation. Together, we can break down silos, streamline processes, and build a future-ready MRO.
Head of Development, Sensus Aero
January 9, 2025
