Employing organizational modeling and simulation of the KC-135 depot's flight controls repair cell

Abstract

Today’s environment of increased operations tempo is stressing the KC- 135 Stratotanker fleet. With an 80-year life span expectancy, effectively maintaining these aircraft is challenging. This research modeled the KC- 135 programmed depot maintenance (PDM) flight controls repair cell to identify improvement opportunities within the repair process. Computational organizational modeling (COM) incorporates the human element along with organizational design theory. By employing COM to analyze the flight control repair cells, the authors examined design modifications applied to the baseline model and analyzed output variables, such as cycle time and project integration risk. The study concluded with presenting organizational design alternatives for decision makers to enhance the flight controls repair process.