Quality issues rarely announce themselves as “quality issues.” They show up as late deliveries, tense supplier calls, last-minute inspections and teams scrambling to explain problems they didn’t see coming. For manufacturers supporting defense and government programs, those moments carry real consequences — for schedules, compliance and mission readiness.
That reality was already front and center when Deltek ProjectCon 2025 took place November 10 - 12, 2025 at the Gaylord Rockies in Denver, Colorado. As major defense initiatives like the Golden Dome missile defense program continued to advance, manufacturers across aerospace and defense (A&D) and government contracting (GovCon) were navigating rising expectations for speed, traceability, and flawless execution — often with systems that weren’t built to work together.
With its theme, Elevated by Design, Deltek ProjectCon focused on how organizations can move beyond disconnected processes and reactive firefighting toward more resilient, integrated operations. Within the TIP Technologies track, long-time partners Deltek and Baker Tilly led a session that resonated deeply with manufacturers in the room. Breaking the Quality Barrier: How Integration Transforms Operations delivered a straightforward but often overlooked truth: when quality systems live outside the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, teams are forced to manage risk after the fact — instead of preventing it.
That message has only gained momentum since. In January 2026, the White House issued an Executive Order prioritizing the warfighter in defense contracting, reinforcing what manufacturers were already grappling with: quality, integration, and real-time visibility are no longer operational nice-to-haves — they are essential to performance, accountability, and mission readiness.
Stopping Defects Before It’s Too Late
One of the most compelling parts of the session focused on receiving and in-process inspection. When these processes are tied into a fully integrated quality management system (QMS), organizations gain real-time visibility into what’s arriving, what’s acceptable, and what needs attention. That visibility creates immediate impact.
Per Baker Tilly, an A&D manufacturer improved their on-time inspection rate by 65% after integrating their inspection workflows. Another increased defect identification at receiving by 23%, which led to a 44% decrease in in-process defects.
These aren’t incremental improvements. They’re transformational shifts in how quality teams influence the rest of the organization.
"Integration provides cross-functional visibility, giving manufacturers the clarity they need to protect production, communicate clearly within the value chain and deliver with confidence."
Fixing Problems for Good — Not Just for Now
The session also dug into the heart of quality maturity: non-conformance and corrective action. Many organizations today operate in reactive mode, addressing issues as they appear but lacking the structure, visibility and data needed to prevent them from happening again. Integrated systems break that cycle.
According to Baker Tilly, one defense manufacturer reduced their non-conformance resolution time by 4.5 days thanks to automated workflows and real-time routing. Another organization achieved a 72% reduction in repeat corrective actions by improving supplier collaboration and centralizing documentation.
When non-conformances flow directly into corrective actions, when approvals move quickly and when teams across departments see the same information, root causes are addressed — not just patched.
Turning Supplier Communication into Supplier Partnership
Few areas benefit from integration as much as supplier management. In non-integrated environments, multiple people contact suppliers with different messages, performance data is scattered and risk is often assessed too late to be useful.
When Deltek TIP Technologies integrates with ERP systems, manufacturers gain one shared view of supplier performance, risk, approvals and communication. That shift creates stronger, more transparent relationships.
Baker Tilly highlighted how one A&D manufacturer saw a 6% reduction in defect rates after consolidating supplier quality management into an integrated platform. One government contractor improved both their Supplier Quality Scores and the accuracy of their Supplier Risk Scores by grounding conversations in shared, real-time data.
When suppliers see the same information you do, accountability becomes easier — and collaboration becomes natural.
"Supplier performance improves the moment you eliminate silos — transparency creates accountability, and accountability drives quality."
Building a Connected Quality Ecosystem
The session also emphasized that integration doesn’t stop at inspection or supplier management. Many manufacturers expand to TIPQA modules like audit management, document control, training, serialized test and inspection, risk management, FMEA, and gage and tool control. When these capabilities sit on a single foundation, organizations gain consistency across engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and quality.
This is what truly breaks the quality barrier: consistent processes, shared information, standardized documentation, and quality data that flows everywhere it needs to. And when all of that connects back to the ERP, manufacturers gain a single source of truth that strengthens compliance, collaboration, and decision-making across the enterprise.
Looking Ahead
Conversations like the one shared during this Deltek ProjectCon session don’t end with a single event. Deltek Elevate — the next evolution of our annual user conference — will bring together manufacturers, government contractors and partners to explore how integrated systems, modern quality practices and real-world insights are shaping the future of project-based business.
Join us at Deltek Elevate in Spring 2027 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee and sign up for updates.
In the meantime, if your quality processes feel disconnected from your ERP — or if you’re fighting recurring issues, supplier inconsistencies, or slow inspection cycles — it may be time to rethink how your systems support your teams.
Deltek works with manufacturers to modernize quality management, integrate operations and build connected quality ecosystems that support compliance, performance and competitiveness. Sessions like this one, delivered in collaboration with partners such as Baker Tilly, highlight what’s possible when quality and ERP systems operate as one.
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