BAE Systems is a global leader in defense and aerospace engineering, with major operations in South Africa alongside its presence in more than 40 other countries. From building advanced fighter jets and naval ships to delivering radar and cybersecurity systems, the company manages large-scale projects that span years and involve thousands of specialized professionals.
In its South African engineering programs, the challenge of managing resources was particularly demanding. These projects required precise alignment of engineers, subcontractors, simulators, and secure facilities, all while adhering to strict national security protocols.
To ensure absolute control over sensitive data, BAE Systems chose a self-hosted version of eResource Scheduler. This approach allowed them to maintain complete data privacy while gaining the advantages of a modern resource scheduling software. By combining secure deployment with scheduling precision, eRS became a critical enabler for managing both human and non-human resources across BAE’s South African operations.
For BAE Systems, building advanced defense and aerospace technology wasn’t just about engineering expertise, it was about managing people, facilities, and sensitive data with absolute precision. Behind every project sat a complex web of dependencies: engineers, subcontractors, testing labs, and secure facilities all needed to be scheduled without conflict. But their existing systems weren’t up to the task.
Spreadsheets and siloed tools created more problems than they solved. Teams often worked in isolation, leaving managers blind to who was available, which assets were booked, and where bottlenecks were forming. Collaboration suffered, especially across geographies where engineering units operated in different time zones. The lack of integrated team collaboration tools meant miscommunication was common and delays almost inevitable.
The obstacles were clear:
The stakes were simply too high for guesswork. A single scheduling error could cause costly downtime, jeopardize compliance, or delay mission-critical programs. What BAE Systems needed was not just visibility, but resource scheduling software that combined precision, scalability, and security, all under their own control.
For BAE Systems, the turning point came when schedules stopped being scattered across spreadsheets and started living in one secure system. With eResource Scheduler deployed on their own servers in South Africa, the company finally had the confidence that sensitive project data stayed behind their firewall, while still gaining the flexibility of a modern resource scheduling software.
The biggest shift was in how engineers and assets were paired. Instead of endless email threads asking who was free and when the test rigs could be booked, project managers could see everything in a single view. With eRS they could:
Scheduling stopped being a headache and started becoming a driver of progress.
But eRS didn’t just fix the calendar. It reshaped the way teams worked together. With integrated team collaboration tools, engineers in South Africa no longer operated in isolation from colleagues in other locations. Everyone shared the same live schedule, updates flowed without friction, and the risk of double-booking or miscommunication dropped sharply. The simple act of having one source of truth created smoother handovers across teams and time zones.
Leaders also gained a new level of clarity. With built-in reports, they could:
By blending scheduling precision with broader resource management software capabilities, eRS gave BAE Systems a secure, scalable platform that respected their need for data privacy while unlocking the efficiencies their engineering projects had long needed.
Once the day-to-day scheduling chaos was brought under control, the ripple effects spread across BAE Systems’ South African engineering programs. What began as a fix for clashing calendars quickly turned into a foundation for smoother projects and stronger outcomes.
One of the biggest wins was around downtime. By aligning engineers with the right facilities at the right moment, equipment stopped sitting idle and skilled people weren’t left waiting around for availability. That efficiency translated into more predictable timelines and fewer last-minute firefights.
Collaboration also reached a new level. With team collaboration tools integrated into eRS, project managers noticed that cross-functional handovers stopped slipping through the cracks. Teams no longer worked in silos. Instead, they could:
Beyond collaboration, leaders appreciated the transparency eRS created. With management reports just a click away, they finally had a reliable picture of utilization, project progress, and upcoming risks. This meant fewer surprises during audits and stronger evidence to back up decisions.
Perhaps most importantly, eRS proved it could adapt to the unique demands of engineering projects. It handled the blend of human and non-human resources, respected strict data privacy through its self-hosted deployment, and supported leadership with insights that had previously been buried in spreadsheets. In short, it evolved from a scheduling system into a full resource management software environment that gave BAE Systems the control it had been missing.
With eResource Scheduler in place, BAE Systems turned scheduling from a persistent pain point into a competitive advantage. The self-hosted setup meant project data remained fully under their control, satisfying strict security requirements while still giving teams the modern features they had long needed.
The tangible impact was clear across their South African operations:
Instead of constantly firefighting delays and resource conflicts, managers could finally focus on what mattered most—delivering complex engineering projects on time, securely, and with the level of accountability expected in defense. The transformation proved that scheduling, when handled right, could become one of the strongest enablers of success.
For BAE Systems, scheduling was never a back-office task. It was the thread holding together engineers, equipment, and critical facilities in projects where mistakes were too costly to ignore. Every missed handoff created delays, and every scheduling clash threatened compliance.
eResource Scheduler helped by mapping its core features directly to these pain points.
Every feature answered a problem directly. That is why eRS became more than just a resource scheduling software for BAE Systems—it became a secure, dependable foundation for delivering complex engineering projects with confidence.
By adopting eResource Scheduler in its South African operations, BAE Systems addressed some of its most pressing challenges in project delivery. The self-hosted version ensured complete data privacy while still giving managers the flexibility of a modern resource scheduling software.
The result was greater control over both human and non-human resources, better collaboration through shared visibility, and accurate insights via management reports. Each of these capabilities helped BAE Systems reduce conflicts, improve accountability, and meet the strict demands of defense and aerospace projects.
For engineering organizations facing similar pressures of security, complexity, and compliance, the BAE Systems experience highlights how eResource Scheduler can serve as a reliable platform for secure and efficient project delivery.
Disclaimer: This case study has been prepared by our product specialists based on our understanding of the client’s usage of eResource Scheduler. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, we do not claim that this case study reflects 100% of the client’s issues, actual processes, or results.
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