It’s possible that you’ve heard of the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan to rollout brand-new software to 27 airports in the US. The new software is designed to reduce flight wait times and lower fuel consumption. The software calculates the exact time that aircraft should push back from the gate in order to incur the lowest possible waiting times so aircraft don’t idle before take-off. So far so good. But, is the FAA planning to bring this new software into effect soon? Well, no. Despite the initiative launching in 2021, it’s thought to be ten years before it can be implemented in all 27 airports. That’s right, a decade for a software update.
But we have good news if you’re looking to implement new software launches in your airport and don’t have ten years to spare. There is a way to rollout airport software quickly and effectively. In fact, it might even be possible in a day. Here’s how.
Expand your team to speed up your software roll out
It sounds simple enough, with more hands on deck then you can implement your aviation software rollout quickly. Of course, the key is the team you hire. You’ll want to bring in additional experts that can assist with the rollout. This could be highly experienced coders and software engineers or it could be an external team who are specifically qualified and specialised in airport software launches.
At AIRDAT, we offer bespoke services to help you to achieve your aims, this includes a project implementation team who are all highly specialised in airport systems and software. The team will work to understand how you and your team operate and then build a tailored plan to help your workforce become acclimated to the new software at record speed.
Test, test, test your software ahead of rollout
The more detailed and accurate your testing ahead of launch, the higher the likelihood of success. It’s likely that your software developers will carry out testing throughout the process but once it’s up and running, be sure to carry out your own manual & automated test scenarios from the end-user’s perspective to evaluate performance and usability.
Involve users ahead of software launch
It’s all well and good hiring an expert team of developers to implement your software launch, but the people who will truly see potential limitations and drawbacks to the software ahead of launch are the people who will be using it on a daily basis. Select a small group of trusted staff to trial the software before launch and listen to and act upon their feedback. You may even consider exploring A/B testing to fine tune any variables and eye tracking software to streamline the interface, and ensure usability for the staff.
Ensure all staff are up to speed to ensure your software roll out is error free
You can check your code time and again and you can carry out automated testing to spot bugs and errors, but if your staff aren’t completely comfortable with your new software then there’s likely to be bumps along the road.
Staff training will look different depending on the software updates that are implemented. You may require e-learning or in-classroom training or a mixture of both. In app guidance can also be developed so staff can continue learning the software independently. The most important thing is to make sure each staff member feels supported and encouraged with the changes they’re encountering. We offer support documentation for easy reference and our friendly team is always available via email, web chat and phone.
An easy-to-use training system such as AIRDAT Passport will allow senior facilitators to plan, manage and track training to ensure that all staff are getting the assistance they require. Meanwhile, VISA, our airside safety app helps staff complete training and refer to adjusted operating procedures from their mobile device.
If you’re looking to roll out software within your airport community and would like assistance ensuring that your team is fully trained and ready for launch, get in touch with a member of our team today.
