1. Introduction & Purpose

This Program Management Plan describes how the CWP-700 Composite Wing Panel Production Program will be executed, monitored, and controlled. It is the integrating document across every specialized artifact in this suite — the Program Charter, Program Budget, Resource Plan, RAIDD Log, and Program Governance Model each cover one discipline in depth; this plan is what ties them together and states how they interact. Where a specialized document and this plan overlap, the specialized document is authoritative for its own domain (e.g., the Program Budget is authoritative for dollar figures, not this plan).

2. Program Overview

Acme Aerostructures, a Tier 1 supplier, is delivering composite trailing-edge wing panels to Meridian Aircraft Co. for the Meridian M7 narrowbody aircraft under an 18-month fixed-price production contract: Phase 1 (6 months, Qualification & First Article) and Phase 2 (12 months, Production Ramp & Steady-State). Full program scope, objectives, and business case are defined in the Program Charter.

3. Program Management Approach

This program follows a stage-gated approach appropriate to regulated aerospace production: each phase transition is governed by a formal gate (Critical Design Review, Tooling Qualification, First Article Inspection) rather than a purely iterative or agile cadence, since physical tooling and FAI cannot be revisited cheaply the way a software sprint can. Within phases, work is tracked against the Work Breakdown Structure, with weekly internal status reviews and monthly joint reviews with Meridian.

4. Scope Management

Scope is defined by Meridian's baselined engineering drawings and specifications, established at the Critical Design Review gate. Any change to form, fit, or function requires a Meridian-approved Engineering Change Notice (ECN) — see Section 14. In-scope and out-of-scope boundaries are defined in the Program Charter §3.

5. Schedule Management

The program schedule is maintained in the Work Breakdown Structure (79 line items across 2 phases). Key gates and their approval authority are defined in the Program Governance Model §8 (Stage Gates). Schedule status is reported weekly internally and monthly to Meridian via the Steering Deck.

6. Cost Management

The program's total budget is $5,200,000, corrected from an original $3,500,000 estimate once real two-shift production staffing needs became clear (see Section 9 and RAIDD Decision D-05). Full budget detail, the labor rate card, and the Program Management Reserve are maintained in the Program Budget. This is a fixed-unit-price contract with Meridian; internal cost tracking against that fixed price is how Acme manages its own margin, not a figure reported line-item to the customer.

7. Quality Management

Quality is managed under Acme's corporate AS9100 Quality Management System. Key quality gates and processes:

• First Article Inspection (FAI) — full dimensional/material verification of the first production unit, requiring Meridian source-inspection witness and acceptance (see First Article Inspection).
• Material Review Board (MRB) — cross-functional disposition of nonconformances (use-as-is, rework, scrap, return-to-supplier); see the Material Review Board log.
• Supplier PPAP qualification — every raw-material and tooling supplier is qualified before use; see Section 12.
• AS9100 QMS — corporate quality system documentation and internal audit function; see the AS9100 QMS page.

8. Configuration & Traceability Management

Every panel is marked with part number, serial number, and lot-traceable material batch code per Meridian's engineering specification, maintained from raw material receipt through delivery. This traceability backbone is what allows any nonconformance to be traced back to a specific unit and material lot — the same traceability the Material Review Board log depends on. Configuration changes to drawings, specs, or tooling follow the Engineering Change Management process in Section 14.

9. Resource Management

The program's delivery team stands at 25 people across two shifts, corrected from an original 14-person, single-shift estimate once real steady-state production needs became clear (RAIDD Decision D-05) — the original estimate had only 3 layup technicians on one shift, one NDT resource, and no dedicated Autoclave/Cure, Trim & Drill, Document Control, or EHS roles. Full roster, rates, and phase allocation are maintained in the Resource Plan; reporting lines are shown in the Organizational Chart.

10. Communications Management

Internal and customer-facing communication cadences, channels, and escalation contacts are defined in the Communications Plan. Standing forums (Program Status Review, Quality Review Board, Joint Program Review with Meridian) are summarized in the Program Governance Model §5.

11. Risk Management

All risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies, and decisions are tracked in a single RAIDD Log, scored 1–9 (Low/Medium/High × likelihood/impact). Escalation authority by risk score is defined in the Program Governance Model §10.

12. Supplier & Procurement Management

Raw-material and tooling suppliers are qualified via Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) prior to use, with quarterly performance reviews. The program's single-source composite prepreg material (RAIDD R-01) is the subject of an approved dual-sourcing initiative (RAIDD Decision D-03) to reduce lead-time risk. Supplier governance and decision authority are defined in the Program Governance Model §7.

13. Customer Stakeholder Engagement

Meridian Aircraft Co.'s Program Office holds real, contractual acceptance authority over First Article Inspection and major/structural MRB dispositions — not just an informed stakeholder role. Engagement cadence (monthly Joint Program Review, ad hoc source inspection coordination) is defined in the Program Governance Model §5 and §7.

14. Engineering Change Management

Any change affecting form, fit, or function requires a Meridian-approved Engineering Change Notice (ECN) against the baselined drawing or spec — this is a Tier 3 governance decision regardless of cost impact, since it touches the customer's own engineering baseline. Acme-internal process or tooling changes not affecting form/fit/function are governed at Tier 1/2 per the Program Governance Model §3 and don't require an ECN. Every change, at every tier, is logged in the Change Control Log.

15. Governance & Decision Authority

Full decision-rights tiering, escalation thresholds, and the Program Review Board roster are defined in the Program Governance Model — the authoritative reference this plan defers to rather than duplicating.

16. Lessons Learned & Continuous Improvement

Lessons from this program — including the NDT staffing miscalibration that drove RAIDD Decision D-05 — are captured in the Lessons Learned register as they occur, not only at closeout, so later phases (and future programs) can benefit from a mid-course correction rather than repeating it.

17. Assumptions, Constraints & Dependencies

• Meridian's engineering source data is final and baselined at contract start; no major spec changes assumed during Phase 1.
• Composite autoclave capacity at the Acme facility is sufficient for the planned Phase 2 production rate without additional capital investment.
• Raw-material suppliers will deliver PPAP submissions on the agreed schedule.
• The corrected 25-person team, once ramped, remains available at planned allocation through the full Phase 2 production ramp.

18. Baselines Summary

19. Approval

This Program Management Plan is approved for use across the CWP-700 Composite Wing Panel Production Program.