FRENCH MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

The French Ministry of Defense, under the Minister of Defense is responsible for applying the defense policy set by the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in France.

The French Ministry of Defense, under the Minister of Defense is responsible for applying the defense policy set by the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces. The organization and missions of national defense in France have undergone a profound transformation in recent years, particularly given the unpredictability of the international environment - a source of risks and potential threats.

Since when do you use Visual Planning?

We have been using Visual Planning since 2011.

How did you find out about Visual Planning?

Visual Planning was discovered through the project ELOGE of the Ministry of Defense.

Which scheduling tool were you using before Visual Planning?

Before using Visual Planning, we used white boards, and Excel Spreadsheets for scheduling.

For which reasons did you decide to use Visual Planning?

We needed to better manage our personnel, as well as production levels in aircraft maintenance - including maintenance for the “Rafale" aircraft.

Which deployment model did you choose for Visual Planning?

Visual Planning has been installed on our own servers. It was the best way, for us, to operate since our clients were settled in various geographic areas.

How long did it take for the initial roll out of your Visual Planning planners?

It took about three months for the initial roll out.

How would you describe your main use of Visual Planning?

We use Visual Planning for the scheduling of aircraft maintenance sites, taking into account the aircraft resources and staff.

What do you think of the quality of services provided?

We strongly believe that the quality of the services provided is great.

How long did it take for you to get used to Visual Planning?

Getting familiar with Visual Planning has been extremely quick for some users, as we did an upgrade from an older Visual Planning version. Other groups of new users also adopted the system quite fast.

What kind of gains/ savings that Visual Planning have you experienced so far?

We experienced a substantial gain in performance regarding the unit management. It was due to the clearer visibility of the production sites load, as well as the availability of human resources and equipment.

What would you recommend for new customers who would like to install Visual Planning?

Before the installation a "process" approach can prove to be useful, in order to match all the production and employee management methods; especially in the framework of "multi-sites use" for production centers organized differently.

Major Janik Le Guen, GESTA Project Manager 
French Ministry of Defense / SIMMAD