Posted on 06/01/2006 2:52:14 PM PDT by Yo-Yo
Airbus says A350 customer feedback came 'a bit late' and admits to two year delay on new design By Justin Wastnage in London
Airbus has taken a swipe at potential and existing customers for its A350 long-range twinjet for failing to supply timely feedback during the development effort, admitting that any newly-designed variant could not be ready until at least 2012.
In a hard-hitting interview with UK broadcaster BBC in its Hard Talk series, Airbus chief operating officer, Charles Champion, says the airframer "underestimated how much our customers wanted a competition between Airbus and Boeing with a new product from our side". He adds that "constructive criticism" that Airbus welcomes during the development phase of any new aircraft came "a bit late, maybe".
Champion, questioned by Sarah Montague on the programme, says that the re-design of the A350, initially based on the A330 airframe, is currently going through a discussion "loop" with "all stakeholders internally" such as partners and suppliers to see whether "an alternative, better A350 will do the job". These discussions are expected to be concluded "rather quickly," probably before the Farnborough air show in July, he adds.
Any new product would be ready "a couple of years later than today's A350", or around 2012, says Champion. The new A350 could have an improved wing design, offering a cruise speed around Mach 0.02-0.03 faster than the current M0.83-0.84 design, he says.
Blaming the customer for your screw-up is not good for your business.
Yeah, yeah.
They must have consulted with Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates on how to bring this product to market as efficiently as possible, and making the customers as happy as possible ;-)
Cheers!
Aerospace ping!
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Emirates Airlines is going to end up buying 60-70 787-10 models at the rate Airbus is going on the A350 design delays.
Nearest as I can tell, systems analysis/design is a postive feedback loop with the user intimately integrated in each and every step of the way.
That's what they taught me in school, but I've yet to discover a place that actually implements that. They all stand around looking at each other (similar to a herd of piranah in a tank that haven't been fed in a week), which one of us is weak. ONCE that's determined, in an instant the whole flock decends upon that hapless fish and it is vaporized better than the best Cuisinart is capable of on its highes setting with the most expensive blades.
That don't solve the problem though. After months, and maybe even years, and the expenditure of huge amounts of financial resources, the issue of how come the customer was not delivered what the requirements definition stipulated were to be the deliverables, still needs an answer.
Nope. Nobody did any of that. They used rapid prototyping from beginning to end. They chopped out entire phases of the systems development lifecycle. They committed to bottom line dollar amounts during the investigative phase. The big shots flew around the globe from meeting to meeting drinking champagne and nipping in truffle dipped, caviar coated strawberries.
And now they're stunned when the customer says: this isn't what I wanted, doesn't accomplish what I need, or is cheaper than doing things the old way. And everybody is stunned. Heads roll, and the big-shots get their perks.
That's all they care about is: this quarter, this half and this year. Anybody who actually has a grasp on how to do things right gets their face slammed into the ground right quick: we don't do it that way (its much quicker and cheaper to do it this way).
Listen, the guys at the top know this for absolute certainty (but are constrained to act on it): if the shortcut is the way to do things, it wouldn't be the shortcut now would it? Nope, that'd be the way taught (and that manner would be refined in practice).
*****They must have consulted with Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates on how to bring this product to market as efficiently as possible, and making the customers as happy as possible ;-)*****
You think their product will crash like Windows? Let's hope not! =P
Very Low Time Pilot here (50 hrs Beech Skipper, 1 hr. left seat B-25) when designing something of this size, does one start with a clean slate or look at existing stuff and ways to improve?
(D'oh make that 'right' seat B-25)
I admit I've had this problem, where the customers knew only very vaguely what they wanted and could never give any half-way decent specifics -- when they finally did. But this is rediculous. The airlines obviously know what they want because Boeing was easily able to supply it.
No it will crash like my Apple Ipod, which Apple can't find out why it keeps erasing all tunes on the Ipod. Worst waste of a product that I have ever purchased. What a ripoff.
Hey, according to a thread a couple of days ago Apple says those things are only supposed to last a year anyway. You should feel honored to buy a new several hundred dollar iPod every year from them. (do I really need the sarcasm tag?)
LOL, I remember that thread, AND I will not, no, not EVER buy another Apple product.
so might I suggest this little baby? It's flash, no moving parts, and mine is still going strong after 6 months. A friend of mine got one first, and has had his about a year now. Still kickin it!
the picture is about twice as large as the actual size.
http://www.samsung.com/Products/DigitalAudioPlayer/MP3Players/YP_F1ZWXAA.asp
the thing weighs about an ounce, is really small and fits well in your pocket, and has a heavy-duty clip that makes for very convenient placement (especially when jogging). i can fit about 210 songs on there, and the FM reception is surprisingly great. also, the voice recorder is pretty impressive, considering the size of the thing. and one of my favorite features is the fact that you can connect the device to the computer with a 1/8"-to-USB cord to load the songs and make your playlist, while it charges the unit. 3-in-1 jack. pretty cool.
sorry if i sound like a salesman, but i really love this mp3 player! and since you sounded so disgruntled with the iPod, i figured i'd throw this out there.
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