Ever wondered how products are developed? Do you work in product development and find it hard to see the big picture? Are you a manager tasked with running projects efficiently? Are you interested in developing software systems to use in product development?

When we create something – anything at all – the creation process conforms to a pattern. This pattern is simple and understandable. This is the secret to running development projects efficiently and this is what we will explain in this book.

The book is in two parts. Part 1 (this book) uncovers the simplicity. Part 2 (a separate book) explains how this knowledge can be used to streamline any development process.

This book assumes no previous knowledge. We will start with the big picture and go deeper until we have completed our understanding.

By the end of the book, you will understand the overall development process, you will see how each element fits together, and you will have the knowledge to streamline any development. We will explain how to apply the knowledge in part 2.

From the Author
I learned these things by working in aircraft development, hence the title. Though the knowledge is applicable to everything we create.

Picture the scene: all the people with their incredible skills to design and make different parts of an aircraft, and they are all connected in some magical way so that a complete aircraft comes together and flies.

How does that happen? Because the structure that connects everything conforms to an underlying pattern, or behavioural model. The model never changes, it was the same model when the Boeing 747 jumbo jet was developed in the 1950s using paper-based processes, and when the Airbus A380 super jumbo jet was created in the 2000s.

This is knowledge which is definitely worth sharing.

I hope this will be the breakthrough understanding you were looking for. And I hope you enjoy it!