A case study of requirements in the helicopter industry

Abstract

The helicopter industry has changed since the cold war era. Companies within this industry art! under increasing pressure to maximize the fit of their products with customer requirements while reducing time to market and life cycle costs. This thesis provides an overview of the present helicopter industry and the challenges it faces in the product development process. The thesis presents a generic product development model found within literature and specifically focuses on the first two phases of the process, conceptual and preliminary design. A case study is presented for a current product development, the Sikorsky S-92, and captures some of the challenges a helicopter company faces in the current market environment. The case study examines the requirement generation process and identifies several findings. This research seeks to identify best practices relating to establishing requirements and its impact on the design and development process.