Project Management in Aviation - An Overview..

Project management has been received highest priority by all the sectors of the industry because of the importance of delivering projects that meet predetermined objectives. It is now being regarded as a top of the class way of implementing changes in business, be it retail or construction. When does an organization undertake projects? Either to improve performance, seize opportunities or address key issues, and this path often requires “changes” - changes to processes, job roles and organizational structures, besides the types and uses of technologies. When addressing such changes within the organization, it is important to properly handle and orchestrate them. That is where change management and project management become intertwined in the current environment. The travel and hospitality industries are amongst the most vulnerable industries when it comes to global or local changes, in fact airlines live in a state of flux, and they need to have carefully designed schemes and contingency plans in place for any turn of events. In the 21st century, aviation faces unpredictable situations, be it globalization, changes in government policies, emerging technologies or surging changes in consumer needs. Thus, case for the fact that strategic management has become much more complex and cardinal.

The project success, especially in the aviation industry, depends significantly on how well the project planning and management is executed. There are different criteria in assessing the success of project management. Some argue that the success of a project depends on whether the project is completed on time and whether the project is over-budgeted. The ‘Holy Trinity’ of time, resources used and quality has always been used to assess the success of a project. However, this concept does not make provision for all the parties in a project. This leads us to the first most important matter of contention in aviation project management.

1. Spotlighting Key Stakeholders' Satisfaction

Balancing the requirements of all stakeholders and endeavoring to satisfy all the stakeholders should be the higher purpose of project management. Stakeholders in this connection, should not only include those personnel who directly participate in the project, but also include all the people, who are directly or indirectly influenced by the project. An example here may be the construction of an airport, the owner, local government, flight corporations, and authority of civil aviation are typically viewed as key stakeholders. At the cost of ignoring local farmers who may lose their land, residential areas near the airport may experience noise emissions from the construction and subsequent flight operations. In practice, managers should give precedence to stakeholders' satisfaction. Normally, a rank list of satisfaction of all stakeholders in the project is necessary for the project managers, especially one facing numerous stakeholders. Therefore, the success of the project also depends on the satisfaction of varied parties.

2. Nail down the Objectives and Scope in a Project

Now it's important to set the seal on the objectives, especially for those projects that are part of a large program. No one wants a project to go from now to eternity. Having a clear objective definition involves the technical feasibility, political factors, economic trend, and other factors. It is only with clear objectives acknowledged and endorsed by owners and top-level management, that the project could proceed smoothly. There is also need to define the scope of a project. As we know, most projects in aviation will be closely related to other operation partners. The project of collaborative Decision Making in the air traffic flow management will undoubtedly affect and be affected by flight operators. Nevertheless, the project manager should be clear that this project will only concern the air traffic control unit and this project should not exceed its defined scope.

3. Hop on to the Critical Path Method

An impactful yet straightforward technique for analyzing, planning, and scheduling large, complex projects by determining the shortest amount of time the project can be completed. CPM provides a means of determining which tasks or activities, of the many that comprise a project, are “critical” in their impact on the total project time, and the optimal course of action to take in scheduling the project in order to meet the established deadlines in a cost-effective manner. Prioritization needs to be given to those tasks on the critical path, which would take a considerable chunk of time. The juncture of completion of this path will ultimately determine the termination period of the entire project.

4. Handle the Hot Potato with Risk Management.

Safety is the main squeeze when it comes to flight operations. Therefore, risk management extends not only to overseeing the probability and mitigating the repercussions of risk but also to safety management. Irrespective, tempting fate in this area is like flirting with disaster because any incidents, resulting from risks, would cause grave harm to both - passengers in the air and inhabitants on the ground. Therefore, higher safety standards force higher provisions for risk management in aviation. Project managers need to incorporate the idea of SMS into their everyday project management ritual. SMS, short for Safety Management Systems takes a methodical approach to risk management by creating a comprehensive awareness and understanding of risks/hazards, establishing standard safety policies and procedures (i.e. bureaucratization of safety) in regards to mitigating exposure which can bring benefits, including a decrease in damage, standardization, transparency and containment. The underlying principle of SMS is to reduce the risk to an acceptable level, through continuous effort, it promotes accountability by persuading everyone in the system to contribute to safety improvement. With all hands on deck, the project can achieve a satisfactory level of safety.

Thus, implementing project management allows companies to deliver results on these “changes” more efficiently. Moreover, it enables organizations in the aviation industry to create competencies that build up the organization’s capacity to deal with competing changes at the same time. To wrap up, these changes should serve, and are initiated, to improve the state of affairs inside and well as external to the organization.