A Behind the Scenes Look at the BT related ATM Summit Activities

The annual ATM Summit and AGM is a very special date in the CANSO calendar. This year was particularly special - for a number of reasons.

It marked the “end” of Imagine 2010, an important strategic milestone in the history of the Association. And it was to build the bridge to Waypoint 2013 – CANSO's next strategic milestone. I don’t want to repeat what you will be able to read in the official reports of the ATM Activities and AGM agreements, what I would like to share with you what went on “behind the scenes” of the BT related ATM Summit activities:

Fitness Check
The team did an unbelievable job. Barely a year ago the BTWG and QMWG joined forces to develop a tool which would help ANSPs to assess their performance improvement journey by identifying their present situation and then determining where they wanted to by in 3-5 years. To give this exercise a positive touch, the term “Fitness Check” was borne. The tool was developed, coordinated with all of CANSOs WG Chairs, agreed by ExCom and submitted to AGM as CANSO’s 2nd Standard of Excellence. A survey with 30 responses from CANSO’s Full Members provided us with a pretty good trend analysis. All that was left now was to find an attractive way to present the tool and discuss the results with the participating CEOs. And that was quite the challenge.

The team juggled ideas for weeks, from red-cross tents to fitness centers; it should be “infotaining” – not boring – tailored to the needs of CEOs – be convincing and demonstrate expertise BUT without being BORING - show the overall result and stil provide opportunity to discuss individual results – proof that the tool works and deserves to be a CANSO Standard of Excellence – that and even more. Klaus Golinski had turned his office into a “ATC Summit Market Stall” and we had onsite teleconferences discussing the concept. Colleagues who have not been involved at all were asked for their opinion… all that was taken into consideration to make sure that we would live up to the QM principle: if you do it – do it right from the beginning. Give your best – never “just your second best”.

And give the participants of the ATM Summit the feeling that you value their presence... I am sure that all participants agree that the Doctor, played by the former Chair of the QMWG, Klaus Golinski, and the Fitness Coaches – featuring Dr. Giles Pateman, Andrea Sack and Kjerstin Disen (Chair and Vice Chairs of QMWG) did a brilliant job.

The concept was fun – and the content was a testimony of expertise at work. The CANSO Fitness Check is an example how an Imagine 2010 output is at the same time one of the pillars that build the bridge to Waypoint 2013. The Fitness Check is a CANSO tool which can be tailored to serve many purposes: assess the transformation from AIS–AIM, assess regional transformation, assess operational performance, assess e.g.  the strategic fit of FAB Partners, etc. The Fitness Check will be updated by the QMWG on a regular and an annual survey will be undertaken in March in order to present the membership with a “temperature check” at each ATM Summit.

AIM Theatre
AIM is often referred to as a “crucial enabler to ATM of the Future”. But what does this exactly mean? What kind of information needs to be presented to Board Members to convince them that it is money well spent if their approve investments in the transition from AIS to AIM. To help answer these questions, the AIM Workgroup held an ‘AIM theatre’ to show how things could work better in the future, if the “right” decisions are taken today, and if all the requirements laid out in the ICAO AIM Road Map are met.

Workgroup Members Pierre Hermann, Jan Phillip Lauer, Roland Baumann and Augustin Lampert, supported by Sandy Stedman and Werner Kurz of Jeppesen, staged a Press Conference in the year 2017, featuring Aviation Value Chain stakeholder representatives that benefit from AIM: Airlines, Airports, ANSPs, States, Commercial Data Providers.

The Press Conference was the result of weeks of preparation, approximately seven teleconferences and cross-regional cooperation. But it was worth it. The concept was successful – it was a show with lots of substance or as one CEO put it: “a fantastic way of presenting crucial transformation processes in our industry – tailored to the needs of CEOs.”

The Press Conference will be further developed and similar “shows” will be offered at our regional Conferences in Curacao at the end of November 2010 and Abu Dhabi in January 2011.