Janet Mueller is responsible for launching the new Test Operations Center at Boeing for the 787 Dreamliner. To support the Flight Testing Network, she turned to the Complex Adaptive Systems group inside Boeing. Bob Wiebe, Dan Compton, Glenda Turner and Les Music are organizational analysts and cartographers. They introduced Janet to system dynamics and value network analysis. The group needed to integrate these two methods. The goal was an organizational approach to launch the new Test Operations Center.

Glenda Turner is a value network analyst for Boeing. She has already developed a track record of success with value network analysis and system dynamics. They are used internally for a variety of applications. Dennis and Janet gave their total support to using the value networks approach. They wanted to focus on roles and value exchanges. Nothing of this scale had ever been done at Boeing.

Janet and her colleagues dove into the design of the Test Operations Center. People began dropping by what they dubbed “the map room” to see what was going on. The maps and diagrams popping up all over the place got their attention. As more people saw the work unfold, the idea of using value network analysis to help reconfigure the entire test operations network began to spread everywhere.

The reconfiguration started with an understanding of the current structural issues. It uses system dynamics insights for guidance. Stakeholders defined the conditions that would assure successful outcomes. These people included diverse teams from key organizations. Over the next three months they mapped the world of test operations from their perspective. Gradually, a robust value network map of the entire organization emerged.

Now the real fun could begin. 

Boeing Value Network Flight Testing (II/III)