Flight management system (FMS): Top talent, efficient structures, and high-quality engineering solutions for US Navy
FMS expertise in guidance and on-time execution lift client returns
The Problem
Under contract with a customer involving the Flight Management Computer System for a US Navy aircraft, a world-leading systems supplier determined that it would not be able to assign sufficient in-house resources to meet program goals. The software development and testing of the aircraft’s FMS required a high level of expertise in the areas of guidance and navigation, including strong competence with stationary dynamic orbits. Having worked closely with Performance Software on previous projects, the supplier was familiar with the firm’s decade-plus track record of providing the highest-quality, full-lifecycle software solutions on over 150 programs covering 30 airframes in the ATS and BRGA markets. It therefore turned to Performance Software, comfortable in knowing that the depth and breadth of the group’s expertise at its disposal would allow it to meet this challenge.
The Solution
Recognizing that it needed to provide a team of exceptional talent with the ability to deliver against hard milestone deadlines, Performance Software quickly assessed its client’s needs in order to offer the best plan of action. The Firm-Fixed Price program (FFP) coming out of this exercise was designed to benefit the supplier’s existing structure through dedicated resources. Performance Software Project Managers played an ongoing role across two teams, one for development and one for testing, each with its own dedicated leader reporting into an overall program lead responsible for internal and external project management.
The efficiency of this structure combined with the proficiency of Performance Software’s talent resulted in a solution that was both highly effective and highly economical. Not only were all deliverables developed and tested on time, but Performance Software’s solution resulted in zero escapes, exceeding client expectations. This collectively produced a slate of cost savings for the supplier, which also earned an incentive fee from the project thanks to Performance Software’s high-quality engineering solutions in lateral navigation, guidance, and curve.
The Results
On-Time Execution: Performance Software’s ability to meet schedule milestones allowed the client to retain incentives from its customer and realize program savings of 10%.
Zero Defects: Firm exceeded expectations by providing a defect-free solution despite 3 anticipated defects. This resulted in program savings of 5%, or $15,000 per predicted defect.
Resource Savings: Program savings of 2% from reduced client oversight, 8% from performance 1.5x faster than the competition, and 4% from unnecessary training costs due to previous collaboration.
Customer Satisfaction: “I was very happy with PSW. I don’t think we would have hit our incentive fee without PSW’s help.” Client has since retained Performance Software for additional projects.
