UAV project management and design phases

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have widely become necessities for the military sectors and still the civil sectors because of their multipurpose and high performance. This thesis concentrates on building a comprehensive strategy for managing UAV projects and enshrines the principles of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to boost creativity in solving design problems. A significant contribution of this thesis is the application and validation of TRIZ within the UAV industry, an area where it is typically used in the industrial and automotive sectors. Through 20 detailed examples, this work demonstrates how TRIZ principles can be utilized to solve design challenges in UAVs, thereby expanding the use of TRIZ beyond its traditional applications. This is about the size, range, weight, engines, and configuration that form the initial section of the paper. Taking this into consideration, it points to factors that set UAVs apart from manned aircraft and how such differences affect functionality and technology. This comprehension helps in studying the uses of UAVs for various kinds of operations such as routine missions, perilous operations, secluded operations, research activities, and sensitive operations that affect the environment. It is also important to outline that the thesis considers the advantages the organizations have from the usage of UAVs, with an emphasis on the aspects connected with cost-saving and performance increase. Thus, all the stages and elements of UAV project management are revealed in detail, illustrating the consideration of preliminary and current concepts and final project acceptance and review of a production key. Shows the sizes and definitions of the critical phases, including System Requirements Review (SRR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), and Critical Design Review (CDR). Methods like Earned Value Management and Critical Path Analysis are applied to coordinate with each sub-process for sufficiently accurate management of the requirements, optimizing developmental phases, and improving project management efficiency. The study covers typical issues in the context of UAV programs and offers information regarding the existing crucial issues related to resource management, new technologies, human factors, and possible regulation. Another key contribution of this thesis is the development of a new methodology for risk management specifically tailored for UAV projects. This methodology introduces a systematic process to calculate risk scores and formulate action plans to mitigate risks. By applying this method, practical examples in the thesis show how it significantly reduces setbacks, saves time, and enhances overall project efficiency, particularly when compared to traditional risk management approaches. Risk management is also an important factor with a clear plan described for operational risks of the UAV operations and the environment. Some factual cases of UAV occurrences are described from which practical conclusions can be drawn and rules and regulations aimed at reducing the risks and increasing the safety and dependability of UAV operations can be developed. By applying the principles of TRIZ, the thesis put forward a methodical framework for stimulating innovations in the area of UAV design and usage. One of the paper's key successes is that it examines different approaches to resolving multi-faceted engineering difficulties, where contradiction analysis and inventive principles are applied to enhance the function and performance of UAVs. Additionally, this thesis makes a substantial contribution to requirement management for UAV systems. While existing literature identifies certain important parameters (such as cruise speed and control stations), this research identifies and expands on additional critical parameters, including payload, UAV configuration, ground control stations, and data links, that must be considered for a comprehensive requirements management framework for UAVs. In addition to theoretical implications, this research provides project managers with practical tools to improve outputs and advance technology in the context of UAVs. In the future, the thesis underlines the importance of the dynamic nature and improvement of the approaches to managing UAV project processes. This work supports the practice of organizational culture change that follows the approach of TRIZ, as well as such measures in managing risks that will advance the development of UAVs further. The aim is to keep the UAV systems as updated as possible in terms of available technologies for them to be useful in military uses as well as in civilian usage. Given this, the thesis presents a suitable management model for overseeing UAV projects, which applies the TRIZ techniques for appropriate challenges' identification and, then, analysis of the UAV projects using the conventional project management approaches to de-risk the projects and encourage innovations. This is because its goal is to make a major contribution to extending understanding and expertise about UAVs; in other words, improving innovation and use of UAV systems across as many industries as possible throughout the world.