Uncertainties Management from the Hard and Soft approach, in projects of Brazilian Aerospace Sector

Over the past three decades, the discipline of project management has evolved in the sense of considering the differences between projects. The traditional management approach has given rise to a more flexible approach adapted to the project characteristics, considering its contingencies. The aerospace sector has recognized the importance of the contingency approach since the projects in this sector are complex, with different degrees of innovation and, therefore, varying levels of uncertainty. This article provides an empirical advance on uncertainty management in aerospace projects from the Hard and Soft approach. The research method used was the Case Study. Four cases from the Brazilian aerospace sector were analyzed, two from Embraer and two from INPE. For these cases, the Hard and Soft categorization system was applied at different stages of the life cycle, through different methods and to meet different purposes. The results show that the Hard and Soft approach is effective in identifying and managing project uncertainties.