Information Technology Systems at Airports--A Primer (2012) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 6-28
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From page 6... ...
The associated communication challenges and suggested solutions are then discussed in more detail. 2.2 CEO–CIO Communication Setting clear goals, delegating authority with responsibility, and assigning accountability for actions are all appropriate activities between the CEO and CIO.
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The IT Communication Triangle -- Solving IT Issues 7 Figure 2-1. IT triangle of communication.
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2.2.1 Challenge: IT Systems Have a Short Life Span It is difficult for many disciplines and industries, including IT, to perfectly foresee advances and growth and to project all costs over the near and long term. IT's fast pace and expense can be a source of concern and frustration for airport CEOs and stakeholders.
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CEOs need IT master plans so they can understand what funding the IT department needs and what IT projects are critical to accomplishing the airport master plan. Here is a real-world story from an airport, obtained, as with all of these quotations throughout the primer, through an anonymous survey: We worked with a third-party consulting team to create an IT master plan.
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From page 10... ...
Therefore, IT master plans will usually become obsolete faster than the airport master plans from which they were derived. IT master planning should be done at least every 24 to 36 months.
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Liability for an airport whose network exposes credit card information from parking transactions is currently about $500,000. Liabilities and/or loss of revenue for delaying aircraft or shutting down piers may carry similar consequential costs that justify the skills offered by IT security professionals.
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From page 12... ...
Direct costs are those that are typically tracked in the financial system, while indirect costs are the hidden costs that exist but aren't easily associated with the system. These costs are frequently overlooked when planning and estimating IT systems.
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Complete planning of projects early in the lifecycle is essential. Experience shows that when teams collaborate that are well-versed in a particular type of project, they will identify external issues, indirect costs, and other items that will influence the final cost of the system.
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From page 14... ...
. • Strategic value (alignment with airport or IT master plans)
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2.3.1 Challenge: IT Terminology Confuses Non-IT People During the research for this primer, the communication issue that brought the strongest reaction was that technical experts, specifically CIOs and IT professionals, speak and write in a technical language that is not commonly understood by the CEO or stakeholders. Over 70% of The IT Communication Triangle -- Solving IT Issues 15 Table 2-4.
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From page 16... ...
Clearly, the use of specific technical language or jargon causes communication problems between the parties. Solution: Speak in Terms of User Needs and Benefits A good approach is to use a common language that conveys how the technology works in terms of how it benefits the stakeholder and helps improve his or her operation.
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From page 17... ...
Although doing this may seem obvious, for a variety of reasons, such as time constraints, schedule demands, and unintentional oversight, it often doesn't happen. Stakeholder-Led Projects Examples of stakeholder-led projects are terminal renovations, security upgrades, and new parking structures.
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The operational requirements of the IT department, including master planning, IT principles, and guidelines, should be pub18 Information Technology Systems at Airports–A Primer
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From page 19... ...
Unfortunately, increased security requirements can increase costs and hamper user access to needed information. Data security is a relatively new aspect of the IT industry.
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From page 20... ...
Training on a new electrical system, for example, is generally confined to facilities and maintenance staff, whereas both the IT support staff and all users must be trained when a new email system or improved suite of desktop tools is added to users' computers. The training may not be as intense as for a new generator or facility management system, but it covers a much larger group with various levels of IT comfort and proficiency.
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From page 21... ...
• Use documented and structured review processes to manage projects. If the structured review process does not include an IT component, add it, and include the IT department as a regular participant in reviews and project management processes.
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Establish a means for these IT professionals to be mentored by experienced project managers within the airport organization. An adage says that the three most important rules of project management are to "communicate, communicate, and communicate." Proper project management techniques and practices, including regular reporting, achieve this goal, as demonstrated in the following story: The airport hired a consultant to evaluate the airport's existing IT system and to make recommendations for future expansion.
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From the example of the maintenance management system cited previously, the goals of the upgrade and some key performance metrics are provided in Table 2-6. Metrics can be measured reliably to gauge performance of the system or process.
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It's also important to ensure that stakeholders contribute to airport and IT master plans to be sure their needs and expectations for IT are addressed. The perspectives of the CEO and stakeholders are represented in Table 2-7.
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2.4.1 Challenge: Competition for Limited Capital Resources IT projects, like most other airport projects, must compete for limited funding. It is very difficult to compare the "apples" of renovating a building versus the "oranges" of implementing a new server architecture.
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From page 26... ...
As projects approach the funding stage, CEOs should ask stakeholders if they have been engaged in the development of the concept of operations and value proposition and if they believe that all of their staff training and operational impacts have been considered. 2.4.3 Challenge: IT Affects Stakeholder Budgets IT projects can often have operational impacts on stakeholder organizations and their budgets.
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From page 27... ...
This limits the IT department's ability to communicate effectively and can contribute to some of the other communication issues identified in this primer, including challenges that CEOs and stakeholders encounter when they are discussing IT. Solution: CIOs Need to Be Senior Executives Providing CIOs with a level of authority that gives them good access to the CEO and other members of the executive management team is a successful approach to bridging communication gaps.
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From page 28... ...
It recognizes that IT is essential to successfully operating the airport and takes into account the role IT plays in every aspect of the airport. The most direct means for granting access and authority is to promote the CIO to an executive position.
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