Innovation Process Example: Airbus Upgrade with BOLD 🌐 KBC
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A model airplane with technical drawings and purple component sketches symbolizes the innovation process—as exemplified by KBC.

Innovation | Aviation

Example of the Innovation Process at Airbus

As an example of an innovation process, the Airbus project demonstrates a structured approach to a time-sensitive aircraft upgrade. The existing project plan called for three years until potential delivery, while a major airline customer expected the upgrade significantly sooner. KBC, together with the BOLD KBC Center for Innovation, supported Airbus in fundamentally reexamining and redesigning its processes using the BOLD methodology. The analysis and revision of the core processes revealed opportunities to shorten the timeline by one year.

An Example of an Innovation Process in Numbers

Process Improvement
Year
s less than planned

The Customer

Airbus

Airbus is an international aircraft manufacturer. In the aircraft upgrade project discussed here, the project’s development was at risk. The strategic importance of an innovative approach to the development process was recognized, but could not be implemented internally. At the same time, the upgrade was to be completed in a shorter timeframe. 

Such projects involve numerous work steps, dependencies, and stakeholders. Project planning must take into account not only the progress of development but also the sequence of activities at various locations and how they interact. In a specific project, it is important to examine how the overall duration can be reduced without losing sight of the necessary steps and interfaces.

The Project

Example of an Innovation Process for an Aircraft Upgrade Using the BOLD Way Methodology

As part of the innovation process, KBC analyzed the project plan, including its work steps and dependencies. In a series of innovation workshops, the core processes were systematically scrutinized and redesigned. To this end, the team organized the existing workflow into a structured overview to highlight which activities took place in what order and where handoffs or wait times impacted the plan. 

Next, the BOLD Way methodology was applied. It calls for not merely improving existing processes step by step, but rather systematically breaking them down and reassembling them. In this process, activities may be eliminated, duplicated, or moved to a different point in the process. This allowed us to assess whether individual steps were actually necessary, whether they could be organized differently, or whether they could be carried out at a more appropriate time. 

An important part of the analysis was the interaction of activities across different locations. The team asked whether certain tasks could be performed at a different point in the process and which dependencies would be eliminated as a result. This brought into focus not only individual tasks, but also their sequence, handoffs, and logistical connections. The workshops revealed several opportunities for radical improvements in the planning and execution of the upgrade.

Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, graying hair and square dark glasses looks calmly and confidently into the camera. He is wearing a dark navy blue suit over a light blue shirt without a tie, with one hand in his pants pocket.
Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, graying hair and square dark glasses looks calmly and confidently into the camera. He is wearing a dark navy blue suit over a light blue shirt without a tie, with one hand in his pants pocket.

Here's an example of the innovation process

An innovation process does not necessarily begin with a new technology. Often, a breakthrough approach emerges when a team consistently questions the usual sequence of steps. The BOLD methodology helps break down existing processes in a structured way and recombine them. This can reveal opportunities that would remain hidden if only individual steps were optimized in isolation. 

In the aircraft upgrade project, this focus was directed at the overall project logic. What activities were necessary? Where were there dependencies that could be restructured? And how could processes be better aligned across locations? These questions helped identify concrete starting points for faster implementation from a complex plan. 

John Dowling, Partner at KBC

The result

Get an aircraft upgrade a year sooner

The systematic overhaul of the core processes improved the process by more than 33 percent. The project schedule, originally planned for three years, was shortened by one year. As a result, the revised schedule called for two years—rather than the originally planned three—until potential delivery. The project was successfully completed. 

In this “example of an innovation process,” progress was achieved by having the team review the process as a whole and consistently rearrange established steps. The BOLD methodology provided a structured framework for this: activities could be eliminated, duplicated, or shifted. In this way, the focus was not only on the duration of individual tasks but also on how they interacted and the transitions between them. 

The results provided the manufacturer with a basis for planning the upgrade in a significantly shorter timeframe. At the same time, the revised schedule was presented to the airline client. The project reference states that the project was successfully completed. The available project information does not include specific figures on the cost savings achieved; therefore, no such figures are provided here.

Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, gray-streaked hair and distinctive dark brown rectangular glasses looks calmly and intently into the camera. He is wearing a dark blue suit with a matching jacket and pants over a light blue shirt without a tie; one hand is casually in his pants pocket, the other loosely at his side, and he maintains an upright and confident posture.
Portrait photo of John Dowling, a partner at Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC). A man with short, gray-streaked hair and distinctive dark brown rectangular glasses looks calmly and intently into the camera. He is wearing a dark blue suit with a matching jacket and pants over a light blue shirt without a tie; one hand is casually in his pants pocket, the other loosely at his side, and he maintains an upright and confident posture.
John Dowling
Partners

Facing a similar challenge? Talk to us

Whether you want to structure an innovation process, optimize processes, or accelerate complex development projects: In a brief discussion, we’ll determine which steps make sense and how KBC— an international boutique consulting firm based in Munich —can help you move forward. 

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