Analyzing the Boeing 777 Link the Flow Process for Value Stream Flow Reduction Against the Lean Aerospace Initiative's Enterprise Level Roadmap

ANALYZING THE BOEING 777 LINK THE FLOW PROCESS FOR VALUE STREAM FLOW REDUCTION AGAINST THE LEAN AEROSPACE INITIATIVE’S ENTERPRISE LEVEL ROADMAP by Julie Lynn Wilhelmi B.S. Aerospace Engineering, United States Naval Academy, 1996 Submitted to the Sloan School of Management and the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT and MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2001

© 2001 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.

Signature of Author May 8, 2001 Sloan School of Management Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics Certified by Professor Steve Graves, Thesis Advisor Sloan School of Management Certified by Professor Debbie Nightingale, Thesis Advisor Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics Engineering Systems Division Accepted by Margaret Andrews, Director of Master’s Program Sloan School of Management Accepted by Wallace E. Vander Velde, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Chairman, Departmental Committee on Graduate Students

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ANALYZING THE BOEING 777 LINK THE FLOW PROCESS FOR VALUE STREAM FLOW REDUCTION AGAINST THE LEAN AEROSPACE INITIATIVE’S ENTERPRISE LEVEL ROADMAP by Julie Lynn Wilhelmi Submitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and the Department of Aerospace Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees of Master of Science in Management and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering ABSTRACT This thesis is the result of research conducted at The Boeing Company working specifically with 777 operations at Everett, WA. As the component supply business units (like the Interiors Responsibility Center/IRC) and final assembly production line (like the 777) implement lean practices within Boeing, various standard practices develop that locally optimize the system for the...