Managing aerospace and defence projects involves specific challenges: safety-critical systems, avionics software, traceability requirements, and rigorous validation and verification (V&V) processes. Whether you’re working on flight control systems, mission-critical onboard software, or ground support applications, hybrid project management helps reconcile iterative software development with the need for strict compliance and certification workflows.
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Understanding the Reality of Hybrid Projects in High-Stakes Sectors
In high-stakes industries such as aerospace, space and defence, project complexity is on the rise. Engineering teams face growing pressure to balance rapid innovation with safety, regulatory compliance, and digital sovereignty — all within global, heavily regulated ecosystems.
These hybrid projects are anything but linear. They involve the integration of software development, electronics, hardware, requirements engineering, and rigorous testing and validation cycles.
Staying in control of complex projects — without sacrificing agility or compliance
How can project leaders maintain control and visibility in such a demanding environment?
A hybrid project combines traditional project management practices — such as V-cycle development, formal documentation and milestone-based planning — with Agile approaches like iterative development, frequent reviews, and adaptive prioritisation.
This hybrid model is gaining traction in response to several growing challenges:
- The increasing number of stakeholders involved — including manufacturers, agencies, subcontractors, and European partners
- The central role of software in safety-critical embedded systems
- Rising regulatory and certification demands (DO-178C, ISO/IEC 15408, ECSS, and more)
- Tighter deadlines and the constant pressure to innovate
This type of hybrid setup is especially well-suited to safety-critical embedded systems, where:
- Multiple stakeholders are involved — including ministries, agencies, and subcontractors
- Software development cycles must remain flexible and adaptable
- Compliance with standards such as DO-178C, ISO/IEC 15408, and ECSS is non-negotiable
What Are the Most Common Challenges?
These are the questions that project managers and quality leaders in aerospace, space and defence sectors frequently ask:
- How can we combine Agile practices with strict traceability and compliance requirements?
- How do we align Agile workflows with formal documentation standards within the same project?
- Is there a tool that supports both V-model development and Agile methods?
- Which tools can manage requirements, defects, and testing in a unified system?
- How can we structure requirements, test plans, and quality processes in a single environment?
- Are there French or European solutions that are both sovereign and compliant with international standards?
- What hosting options ensure data security and digital sovereignty?
These questions highlight the need for a project approach that is both structured and adaptable.
Digital Sovereignty and Security: A Strategic Imperative for Project Management
Organisations in the defence and space sectors handle sensitive and confidential data. As such, the choice of technical solutions — and where they are hosted — is a critical strategic decision.
Hosting Options:
On-premise: Local deployment ensures full control over data, infrastructure, and access rights — ideal for classified or restricted environments.
Secure Cloud: Hosting certified under SecNumCloud or approved DR / R-EU frameworks, meeting strict national and European security and sovereignty standards.
🔐 For example:
Tuleap, in collaboration with Thales, is available on TrustNest R-Cloud — the first community cloud officially certified for Restricted Distribution (DR) and EU Restricted (R-EU) classifications by ANSSI. For other security levels, Tuleap also supports hosting on dedicated infrastructures or on SecNumCloud-certified sovereign providers like Outscale, the trusted cloud platform from Dassault Systèmes.
ALM Tools and Hybrid Project Management: What Are the Benefits?
An effective Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tool helps organisations manage hybrid projects by providing:
- End-to-end project structure, from initial requirements to final validation
- Centralised traceability across requirements, tasks, tests, and defects in a single platform
- Support for multiple methodologies — V-model, Agile, or hybrid workflows
- Full traceability, from specification through to validation
- Seamless collaboration across disciplines and distributed teams
- Simplified audits and compliance with standards like DO-178C, ISO/IEC 15288, ECSS, and more
💡Practical example:
In a DO-178C-certifiable project, a robust ALM platform centralises all requirements (Levels A, B, C), links them to automated test cases, tracks defects, and generates the documentation needed for audits — accelerating both validation and compliance reporting.
How Does Tuleap Address These Challenges?
Tuleap is a full-featured Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) platform designed to manage the entire software project lifecycle — from initial requirements to final delivery — with:
End-to-end traceability across requirements, defects, tasks, and tests
Methodological flexibility, supporting Agile, V-model, or hybrid project management
Requirements management aligned with standards such as DO-178C, ISO/IEC 15288, and ECSS
Sovereign hosting options, including on-premise and private cloud deployments tailored for sensitive and regulated organisations
Tuleap is already trusted by key players in the space, defence, and aerospace sectors to structure complex hybrid projects — without compromising on either rigour or agility.
Proven Track Record in High-Stakes Projects
Several major industry actors rely on hybrid project approaches powered by Tuleap: • CNES, SODERN, MaiaSpace, Héméria, Aldoria – managing high-compliance space and defence programs • DGA and the French Ministry of Armed Forces (MinArm) – driving secure and critical project delivery • Labelled “Used by the French Armed Forces”, Tuleap’s deployment is officially recognised for its compliance and security.
Comparatif : outil de gestion de projet classique vs ALM souverain comme Tuleap
| Feature | Traditional Project Management Tool | Sovereign ALM like Tuleap |
| Software lifecycle coverage | ⚠️ Partial: tasks, Gantt charts, milestones | ✅ Full: requirements, dev, testing, delivery, audits |
| Requirements traceability | ❌ Weak or manual | ✅ Automated and bidirectional |
| Compliance with industry standards | ⚠️ Not designed for critical software or certification | ✅ Built for standards like DO‑178C, ISO 12207, ISO/IEC 15408 |
| Hybrid project support | ❌ Poor agile integration or rigid workflows | ✅ Native support for Agile, V-model, and hybrid approaches |
| Sovereign and secure hosting | ⚠️ Mostly public cloud, not security-certified | ✅ On-premise, SecNumCloud, DR or EU-compliant cloud options |
| Cross-functional collaboration | ❌ Siloed by department | ✅ Smooth coordination between dev, QA, compliance, cybersecurity |