The Nimrod Review - Official Documents

The Nimrod Review
10A.135
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Witness K [BAE Systems] was asked in interview about this entry in his notebook. He explained these were
his personal thoughts at the time and said:
“Witness K [BAE Systems]: I think the notes are pretty conclusive, aren’t they? They say
what I was thinking at the time.”
10A.136 When asked why he wrote this note, he explained that the statement in the Weekly News simply “didn’t
compute”. He said “I don’t see how somebody could make that statement, knowing where we were up to.”
The answer to the question posed at the end of his manuscript note, “How did Gp Capt Baber come to the
conclusion that we were on program to finish by July?” was obvious: George Baber had been reassured by
Chris Lowe.
24 May 2004: delays causing further tensions at BAE Systems’ Design Review meetings
10A.137 An internal BAE Systems Design Review meeting took place a couple of days later on 24 May 2004. The
minutes show just how far behind BAE Systems was in the project. Some 104 hazards were “on the street”
but only eight had been returned, i.e. less than 10%. This was after nearly four months, with only two
months remaining. Witness K [BAE Systems] and Mech Systems had completed only four of the 20 functional
hazards and none of the 33 zonal hazards. A week had been lost in Mech Systems due to other projects.
Witness G [BAE Systems] and Structures had completed four out of 12 mitigations. There had still not been
any input from Electrical Systems in relation to its 34 hazards because of resource problems. It was decided
that Eric Prince would arrange electrical cover from Woodford and that Mech Systems would be given further
resources. The archives were described as containing “holes in the mitigation audit”.
10A.138 Witness K [BAE Systems]’s notes of the meeting show the considerable tensions present at this time. Chris
Lowe insisted, in uncompromising terms, that the project had to be finished on time and took Mech Systems
to task for not getting on with the job. The notes record Chris Lowe saying “[Group Captain Baber] is ordering
the sandwiches for the [completion] meeting already”, the project was “high profile” and “cannot afford to
fail”. He said Witness K [BAE Systems] “cannot cope” and “needed more resources”. He told Witness K [BAE
Systems] that he needed “to get a move on” and he should send fewer e-mails and correspondence. Chris
Lowe denied in interview that he had said some of these things; but I am satisfied that the contemporaneous
manuscript note is an accurate record of what was said at the meeting. Witness K [BAE Systems]’s considerable
anger at being carpeted in this way by Chris Lowe is apparent from a colourful disparaging acronym he wrote
in his notes. As Witness K [BAE Systems] admitted in interview, he was “not happy” at his treatment at the
hands of Chris Lowe. This was a considerable understatement. There was clearly a major clash of personalities
between him and Chris Lowe. Witness K [BAE Systems] saw himself (with some justification) as going about
things in a careful and meticulous way. Chris Lowe, on the other hand, was senior to him and the dominant
character in the BAE Systems team, and did not take kindly to what he saw as Witness K [BAE Systems]’s
obstructive and finicky approach to the task. But rather than discussing a way forward, in particular on the
question of agreeing a model zonal Pro-Forma, Chris Lowe was inclined to “throw his toys out of the cot”
as one former BAE Systems’ employee put it. There was a lack of management grip at the time able to sort
out this impasse.
25 May 2004: man-hours spend over budget
10A.139 On 25 May 2004, Witness K [BAE Systems] sent Eric Prince a breakdown of his hours spent. These totalled 226
hours to date. He calculated that it would take another 418 hours to complete the remaining 19 Functional
Pro-Formas (at an average of 22 hours each). This would use up most of the 650 hours budgeted for Mech
Systems (226 + 418 = 644 hours). Accordingly, the vast majority of the time taken to complete the (33) Zonal
Pro-Formas would be outside the budget.