Configuration management in the aerospace industry: A review of industry practice

Purpose - Addresses the research question "how is the discipline of configuration management (CM) practised in the European Aerospace industry?" Design/methodology/approach - Uses a mixed method approach with a questionnaire survey followed by in-depth interviews. Findings - CM discipline relies on fragmented and diverse processes and its organisational role and contribution are undervalued. Remedying present piecemeal deployment of information technology holds out substantial opportunity for improvement. Research limitations/implications - This exploratory research focusses on a specific industry and relies mainly on descriptive statistics. Future research could examine other industries or carry out explanatory research on CM systems in aerospace. Practical implications - Substantial scope for business benefits exists if information technology and people are mobilised to improve CM. The need for effective CM systems in organisations will grow as social and environmental responsibilities increase. Originality/value - This exploratory study illuminates current practices in aerospace and establishes a datum for future research studies. The below par performance within aerospace indicates that achieving highly performing CM systems is not as simple as existing literature makes out. The increasing importance placed by society on risk means that achieving highly effective CM systems will become more important; both in aerospace and other risk-critical industries.