The Challenge
A global aerospace propulsion leader was losing hundreds of thousands of pounds to duplicated effort and ‘hidden’ shopfloor ideas trapped in localised Excel and PowerPoint silos
Client Case Study | Knowledge Flow
Unlocking £1.97M in Aerospace Benefits via Agile-Lean Governance
Our client is a leader in global aerospace, providing high-value propulsion solutions for commercial aircraft.
In high-precision aerospace manufacturing, optimisation is a continuous mandate. While high-value cost-saving ideas naturally emerged from the technical teams, the client lacked a standardised mechanism to govern or progress them. Sub-teams operated in structural insolation, capturing and claiming their own local initiatives to meet sub-team savings pressure. Without a single, governed view of the innovation funnel, the business was completely blind to cross-facility cross-over, leaving massive cost-reduction opportunities stalled at the gate.
The Challenge
The primary barrier was an operational culture that localised data and siloed ownership, actively obscuring the path to value.
Relying on disconnected Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint decks made the true status of improvement metrics completely impossible to track or audit globally.
Because teams lacked a shared view, massive waste occurred. In one striking instance uncovered during our diagnostic, two entirely separate facility teams spent months independently trying to solve the exact same high-value turbine blade problem at the exact same time.
Organisational constraints meant any new operational framework had to achieve total digital transparency without disrupting existing frontline boundaries.
Chief MetrologistAll of the [P4 team] were experts in their field, and ... really brought home the possibilities of bringing Lean and IT together to make a coherent story. Great work.
The Symptoms
Priority Pinball
A chaotic state where work items are constantly deflected and redirected rather than moving smoothly through the value stream.
Waiting Waste
Poor flow leading directly to significant queues, long waiting times and much higher cost of delays.
Granular Guesswork
That the current, item-by-item (granular) capacity evaluation is inaccurate and based on assumption rather than data.
The Strategy
Standard Lean tools are excellent for identifying waste, but they cannot force stuck ideas to move. Project4 introduced a scalable operating model that combined classic Lean diagnostic power with high-velocity Agile execution.
We facilitated digital "Finding Flow" workshops using the TIMPWOOD model to coach remote focus groups to expose process waste. We immediately surfaced and structured immediate targets, including a £225,000 Coupa procurement streamlining initiative and a £140,000 unnecessary calibration inventory reduction.
Instead of trying to chase every local issue, we applied the Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) economic framework. This provided a single, objective rulebook for stakeholders to agree on which projects yielded the highest impact for the lowest relative effort.
We mapped out a transparent digital funnel using Businessmap and connected it directly to automated PowerBI performance dashboards. The team abandoned heavy waterfall documentation and moved into two-week execution sprints to rapidly clear blockers.
The Results
The pathfinder project completely validated the model, doubling the client's initial £1m two-year savings target:
Significant Savings
£391.65k in annual savings realised within the 16-week engagement window, delivering an immediate 10:1 ROI on our project footprint.
Visibility & Focus
£1.97M projected five-year pipeline formally categorised, scoped, and prioritised inside the governed Businessmap funnel.
100% Client Satisfaction
The project achieved a flawless Net Promoter Score of 100 from the client’s leadership and delivery stakeholders.
Operational Milestones Unblocked
Captured critical quick wins, including a £26,651 calibration efficiency optimisation using Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) data analytics .
Administrative Costs Reduced
Simplified the core ordering process inside Coupa for targeted set equipment, eliminating systemic administration overheads to unlock a £255,000 efficiency benefit.
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46
NPS®
Achieved Net Promoter Score of 46
Conclusion
True operational excellence doesn't just build a database of ideas; it builds an engine that converts ideas into profitability. By replacing localised spreadsheets with a scalable, transparent sprint cadence, this aerospace leader successfully turned internal turbulence into a highly predictable route to value.
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