A Method to Enhance the Value of Aeronautical Complex Systems

The value enhancement methodology represents a novel framework introduced to improve the design and development of complex engineering systems in the aeronautical sector. While existing approaches, as value-focused thinking, value-driven design, and early value oriented design exploration with knowledge maturity, offer significant potential, they also exhibit key limitations, including narrow applicability, static value metrics, and limited adaptability to early-phase uncertainty. This work seeks to integrate their strengths while addressing these critical shortcomings. To achieve this outcome, the value enhancement methodology is structured around four interconnected blocks: (i) problem identification; (ii) stakeholder typology; (iii) consolidation and hierarchy definition; and (iv) value quantification. The major novelty of the presented methodology lies in its flexibility, allowing and promoting iterative navigation through the design process and supporting application across diverse phases of product development. To demonstrate and validate its capabilities, the approach is applied to a real-world use case within Airbus UpNext OPTIMATE project, focusing specifically on stakeholder prioritization for a system supporting pilots through advanced flight automation. By employing influence and rejection-risk criteria, key stakeholders are systematically identified and validated through expert consultations and cross-stakeholder analysis, along with the support of data-driven considerations. Results demonstrate the importance of interpreting value not only through a technical point of view, but also through the lenses of stakeholder perception and business strategies. The study confirms value enhancement methodology potential to deliver a more holistic, responsive, and practically applicable method to early-stage aeronautical design, setting the foundation for broader adoption in the design of mechanical complex systems.