Accelerating digital adoption in A&D manufacturing: A change management playbook

A: Organizations often struggle with change initiatives because they succumb to “perfection paralysis”. To avoid this trap, organizations should incorporate the principles of planning, check and act into the approach. Rather than waiting for perfect data or conditions, manufacturers should communicate that improvement initiatives never truly end but continually evolve. This mindset shift allows companies to build momentum with early wins. In manufacturing environments, standardized processes play a crucial role in holistic change. When selecting technology solutions to support change, organizations should seek configurable and flexible off-the-shelf solutions that can adapt to requirements over time. Most importantly, choosing the right technology partner who will support future challenges creates a foundation for holistic change across manufacturing lifecycles.

Q: What steps can organizations take to break down data silos and promote collaboration? 

A: There are the following practical approaches: 

• Strategically capital investing in technology that centralizes data repositories. 
• Fostering cross-team communication through regular meetings and educational opportunities that bring diverse perspectives together. 
• Encouraging cross-pollination between different teams as well as departments. 
• Focusing on data quality as it serves as a denominator that should be tied back to the business case, whether that’s gaining market share or making better decisions. 
• Establishing governance systems for quality control that position the organization as a steward of data quality. 
• Moving away from manual entry to reduce human errors, create accurate data points and promote digitization.  

Q: What are the key drivers behind digital adoption in A&D manufacturing? 

A: Catalysts for digital adoption: 

• Eliminating dependency on tribal knowledge: Organizations often rely on key individuals who hold critical operational knowledge. Digital adoptions help capture that knowledge in systems that others can learn from.  
• Competitive pressure: Manufacturers might lose their competitive advantage with economic or market uncertainties. Investing in technology and looking for ways to add value can help organizations recoup their disadvantages.  
• Enhanced customer service: Adopting technology enables faster response to customer needs and can accommodate customer requests without the requirement of manual status and approvals.  
• Quality and compliance requirements: Regulatory requirements, security concerns and compliance needs drive digital adoption. Moreover, digital tools may help minimize fines and penalties associated with compliance breaches and protect organizational health.  

Q: How to address resistance and foster employee buy-in during change management initiatives? 

A: Employee buy-in begins with early involvement in the change process. Rather than imposing new systems from above, organizations should acknowledge and incorporate existing employee innovations, respecting employee contributions. Manufacturers should also recognize that questions don’t equal resistance. Encouraging questions and dialogues create opportunities to understand employee concerns and address them. Also, connecting changes to employee values is crucial for motivation. Leaders should articulate how changes connect to what employees value personally. Leadership unity throughout the change process is essential. Strong team leaders who thoroughly understand both processes and technology created the foundation for successful change adoption.  

Q: What are the success factors that ensure change initiatives are carried out effectively, within budget and on schedule? 

A: These key elements ensure successful change implementation: 

• Structured methodology: Successful change initiatives begin with a structured, repeatable methodology that helps people understand what to expect throughout the process. This approach builds organizational change muscle over time. 
• Alignment with project activities: Rather than treating change management as a separate workstream, aligning change activities with project milestones creates cohesion.  
• Regular readiness assessments: By checking in with stakeholders before training or implementation, organizations can identify knowledge gaps, resistance points or resource constraints and adjust plans accordingly.  
• Clear project goals: Creating clear project goals provides direction for the initiative and creates a comprehensive framework for change management.  
• Measurement and communication: Measurement and communication should work in tandem throughout the change initiative to avoid misaligned behavior.  
• Clear prioritization: Maintaining discipline around scope and building a clear hierarchy of potentially conflicting goals guides decision-making when trade-offs become necessary.  

Q: How does one track progress and measure the success of change management? 

A: Several approaches to track progress: 

• Define clear key performance indicators (KPIs): Setting up meaningful metrics that show whether changes are delivering intended outcomes.  
• Establish governance systems: Creating a structured approach to communicating and sharing information across the organization.  
• Utilize visualization tools: Enabling the organization to connect initiatives and monitor progress towards achieving goals. 
• Conduct regular check-ins: Providing qualitative insights that metrics alone might miss.  
• Monitor system usage: Identifying training gaps or system design issues that might otherwise remain hidden. 

In an era where agility, innovation and compliance define success in A&D manufacturing, organizations must embrace change as a competitive advantage. With Baker Tilly’s decades of experience in enterprise transformation and digital strategy and Deltek’s industry-leading solutions like Costpoint tailored for project-based businesses, manufacturers are equipped to turn complexity into clarity.  

Want to dive deeper into these insights? Watch the full webinar recording to hear industry experts discuss strategies for managing change in complex manufacturing environments.