Service Quality and the Operations of Air Traffic Controllers - Essay Example

Quality Assurance Executive Summary The primary objective of this paper is to advice National Air Traffic Services on the necessity of embedding quality features in its organisational culture. The paper will focus on the relation between service quality and the operations of air traffic controllers. The recent service failure has caused NATS to face widespread criticisms concerning the dependability of its services. The paper will highlight the principles of quality management that are relevant to the NATS at this time of recovering the institution’s image. The management will identify the relationship between proper strategy and the quality of service. Causes of shortfall in quality of air traffic control operations will also be identified to enable the management develop counteractive mechanisms to avoid future quality failures. The paper will recognise the role of quality improvement processes in ensuring NATS improves its service delivery. Strategies of managing and communicating quality improvements will be discussed in order to enable the management understand proper ways of creating awareness concerning quality improvements. Key words: air traffic control, NATS, quality, principles, operations 1. Introduction Service quality primarily compares the expectations of air traffic control operations with its actual performance. The quality of a service determines the extent to which a service is tailored to meet the needs of customers (Summers, 2009). Principles of quality management are relevant to air traffic control operations since they encourage various institutions to focus on service features that can meet customer specifications. The quality of air traffic control services is determined by the strategies that navigation institutions adopt in performing their services. NATS witnessed the biggest shortfall in its service quality on December 7, 2013 caused by a breakdown in IT systems. NATS can address quality service problems through quality management processes including quality improvement cycle, total quality management, business process re-engineering and benchmarking. It is critical for NATS and the industry of air traffic control to ensure proper management and communication of quality improvements to both employees and customers using the tools of quality management. NATS has the potential for achieving competitiveness in service quality if the management embeds quality in its organisational culture. 2. Background of the Problem NATS has witnessed widespread teething problems caused by catastrophic failures of its software management systems. Passengers experienced 130,000 minutes delay with approximately 1,300 flights facing a severe delay. Investigations revealed that there was a breakdown in the Information Technology systems that compromised above one million lines of software. This was caused by difficulties to switch from nighttime to daytime operations, which made it impossible to reconfigure voice communication systems that are organised into sectors to serve the demands of daytime UK airspace traffic. Further examination into NATS’s ten-year business plan barely emphasised on contingency planning. The institution was also found devoid of a proper quality management system. Critics argued that NATS lacked a balanced strategic approach to management of non-financial risks; the institution primarily emphasised corporate social responsibility, particularly safety and emissions reduction instead of prioritising the reliability of critical information management systems. NATS needs to adopt a quality culture based on effective mobilisation contingencies in the event of catastrophic failures. 3. Service Quality in Relation to Air Traffic Control Operations Air traffic control (ATC) service directs aircraft on the ground and through the controlled airspace. The ATC also provides advisory services to aircraft operating in non-controlled airspace (Goetsch & Davis, 2013). The fundamental role of air traffic control across the world constitutes preventing collisions by organizing and expediting the flow of traffic. Effective performance of these responsibilities is contingent upon the maintenance of quality services within the company and the overall industry (Newlands & Hooper, 2010). The events of December 7, 2013 occurred due to lack of proper strategies of quality service management. The failure of information management systems at National Air Traffic Service to operate evidenced poor mitigation strategies and non-conformance to dimensions of service quality. Delays and disruptions of the European flights that resulted require further analysis into their causes and implementation of counteractive strategies based on the aspects of service quality. McGlynn and NASA Glenn Research Center (2011) estimate that there are approximately 50,000 aircrafts operating in the skies each day. Air traffic controllers are assigned the responsibility of ensuring safe operations of both commercial and private aircraft. The role of aircraft controllers includes coordinating movements of thousands of aircraft, keeping them at safe distances from each other, directing them during taking off and landing from airports and directing them during periods of unfavourable weather conditions to ensure that traffic flows smoothly with minimal delays. A service is characterized by quality if the final result rhymes with the standards or expectation. Air traffic control operations need to have high service quality in order to meet customer needs while maintaining their economic competitiveness. Newlands and Hooper (2010) posit that improved service quality has the potential for increasing companies’ economic competitiveness. Achieving service quality requires the companies to understand and improve operational processes. Operators of air traffic control need to be equipped with knowledge and skills for rapid and systematic problem identification. Operators also need to establish valid and reliable service performance measures and strictly monitor any defects from standards. The companies should focus on maintaining quality of services in order to ensure customer satisfaction and achieve other performance outcomes. The effectiveness of air traffic control (ATS) operations becomes possible only if operators work within the dimensions of service quality (Garcia-Sabater, Marin-Garcia & Perello-Marin, 2012). Quality dimensions focus on the degree of excellence at the acceptable prices and control of variability at an acceptable cost. The dimensions of service quality relevant to air traffic control include reliability, assurance, empathy, consistency, and speed. 4.1 Reliability Reliability reflects the probability of a service not failing at any given time. Systems failure that was witnessed in NATS reflected lack of ability to provide reliable services to their clients. Air traffic control should ensure that the mean time between failures (MBTF) and failure rate per unit time are minimised if service quality forms the fundamental part of their strategy (Canavan, 2002). Aircraft companies always want to count on air traffic controllers; this is why they value reliability. Service providers need to ensure strict adherence to periodics on schedule and rapid response when breakdowns occur. Reliability also involves proper record keeping and performing the service at the exact time when it is designated. 4.2 Assurance Assurance constitutes knowledge and courtesy of companies and their ability to inspire trust and confidence among the customers. Assurance dimension actually refers to the company’s employees (Tont, 2012). This dimension questions the experience, knowledge and skills among the workers that are able to gain the trust and confidence of the customers. Air traffic controllers are required to be highly professional in the field of aviation and posses the competence for them to enhance the quality of their services. 4.3 Empathy The quality of a service is determined by how the company cares and gives individualised to their customers (Summers, 2009). Air traffic controllers are required to tailor their services to make users feel extra valued and special. Aircraft companies that get individualised and quality attention have high chances trusting the air traffic controllers providing services; this can make them to form beneficial relationships between them for business sustainability. 4.4 Consistency As a dimension of service quality, conformity implies the ability of air traffic control to maintain the accuracy and quality of their services. The companies that provide services with lapses of failure are characterised by inconsistency and low service quality (Tont, 2012). NATs failure on December 7, 2013 portrayed it as a company without proper quality features as far as its services are concerned. The dimension of consistency is relevant to air traffic control because it leads to savings in terms of time, labour and customer retention. 4.4 Speed Speed refers to the time that service providers take to respond to crises. Air traffic controllers need to recognise that there are thousands of aircraft in the skies every hour of the day. Failure of information systems, therefore, may cause disasters in terms of delays (Linville, 2012). For example, the speed at which NATS responded to repair information systems into normal operations was too long. Time wasted for passengers amounted to 130,000 minutes; this is a long time for air traffic controllers to respond to failure. Ensuring service quality requires response time to be minimised in order to avoid further ramifications associated with failure. 4.5 Communication Communication focuses on the ability to keep customers informed in the language they can understand and listening to them. The institution need to adjust its language in order to meet the communication requirements of various clients (Linville, 2012). This implies that air traffic controllers can increase the level of sophistication when communicating with people who understand the complex terms of the industry, but speaking simply and plainly for the novice. Communication for NATS is critical as a dimension quality since it promises the ability to explain causes of failure and assure clients that a problem is being handled and solutions will be arrived at in time. Proper communication enables passengers to restructure their travels in order to avoid time wastage especially by just staying at the airport waiting for a service they are not sure when it will be available. 4. Principles of Quality Management within Systems of Air Traffic Control 5.1 Customer Focus The principle of customer focus requires air traffic controllers to concentrate on customer needs and customer service. Institutions of air traffic control such as NATS should focus on understanding their customers and strive to meet their requirements (Linville, 2012). Quality management recommends exceeding customer expectations in order to retain and attract additional customers. The principle of customer focus is beneficial because it ensures customer loyalty to the business. Customer focus also leads to increased revenue due to the ability to identify new customer opportunities and ways of enhancing effectiveness of the processes that are directed towards customer satisfaction (Bogetoft, 2012). Air traffic control, therefore, should understand customer needs, strive to meet customer needs, and exceed customer expectations. 5.2 System Approach to Management Systems approach to quality management is necessary in identifying, understanding, and managing interrelated processes. Every function of air traffic control contributes to the institution’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving the overall objectives (Hutchings & Linville, 2012). The institutions of air traffic control should use multiple processes and manage them together as a system. Systems approaches to management enhance the institution’s potential for achieving greater efficiency. When properly implemented, the principle of system approach allows air traffic control operators to focus their efforts on the processes that are critical to business success in addition to aligning complementary processes for improving efficiency. System approach to management will foster a greater understanding of the interrelation of various business elements. 5.3 Quality Policy NATS provides air traffic control services at fifteen of the United Kingdom’s largets airports (Linville, 2012). NATS predicts to handle more than 2 million flights and 220 million passesngers during the year 2014. A quality policy is vital in the institution and the overall air traffic control in order to achieve a high degree of professionalism and technical excellence. The quality management policy should be designed to support NATS Directories in managing the organisation and supporting the application of a systematic safety management system to all operational activities (Goetsch & Davis, 2013). The industry should have a formal approach founded on documented safety policies, principles and procedures (Bogetoft, 2012). Among the contents of quality policy that air traffic control institutions should adopt include risk assessment procedures, safety assurance, safety monitoring, and safety control. 5.4 Principle of Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement constitutes an ongoing process aimed at improving the quality of services and processes over time (Summers, 2009). Air traffic control can either adopt incremental improvement over time or breakthrough incremental achieved all at once. In the continuous improvement process, delivery processes are constantly evaluated and improved in terms of efficiency, flexibility and effectiveness. Edwards Deming, one of the quality gurus, argued that continuous quality improvement constitutes a system provides feedback from the process and allows for customer evaluation based on organisational goals. Air traffic controllers should make a permanent commitment for continually improving their overall performance since it makes organisations more efficient and effective (McGlynn & NASA Glenn Research Center, 2011). Continuous improvement leads to several benefits to the institutions. First, it leads to increased ability to embrace new opportunities since the institutions have developed the required capacities to venture into opportunities. Second, continual improvement leads to organisational flexibility and improved performance (Bogetoft, 2012); this is achieved through learning new ways of doing things and putting them into practice. Institutions can adapt to new market situations and thrive particularly during recessive economics periods. 5. Relationship between quality and Strategy Shen and Chou (2010) posit that in the development of an operations strategy, market demand is related to process capability. Demand refers to the amount of service that the customers desire and can be able to pay for at a particular time and price. Process capability is the ability of the available resources to produce a service that is demanded by customers. As service ideas emerge, a general production approach and sales plan becomes necessary. At NATS, executives are required to develop and communicate an expectation of quality to guide the organisation. The strategy defines the desired quality for each product or service in addition to setting quality standards for all activities that support the fundamental business goals. According to Summers (2009), proper strategies focus on all departments and functions of the organisation including accounting, finance, engineering, administration and distribution. Strategy and service quality are closely related in the sense that both must exist for the institutions and organisations to achieve their strategic goals; proper strategy guarantees service quality. Strategy for quality service focuses on considering quality first in all businesses thinking and actions (William & Olivia, 2012). NATS’s ability to focus on quality is a strategy that is critical for quality service provision. The institution should make quality customer-oriented as opposed to producer-oriented. In air traffic control, customers are the passengers who use the services of air traffic controllers; therefore, the concerned institutions ought to make quality to be an aspect centred on the passengers, and not on the institutions that use the services. The PDCA concept is critical in ensuring quality services in air traffic control; PDCA is an acronym for Plan, Do, Check and Action. The PDCA cycle provides air traffic controllers with a guideline they should follow to monitor the progress their service provision endeavours. 6. Causes of Failure in Quality of Air Control Operations One of the causes of shortfalls in quality of air control operations is operator errors. These errors are caused by operator variations and inconsistencies, which leads to increased quality problems that are frequently cited by orthodox management (Hutchings & Linville, 2012). Operator errors reflect general ignorance of quality management among the strategic officials. The underlying causes of operator errors in the air traffic control include poor aspects involving instructions, goals, training and supervision. Administrators of air traffic control operators should encourage, support, and eliminate fear among the staff; the administration can also mingle among control professionals and actively involves themselves in the work. Poor process specifications can negatively affect the quality of a service. Air traffic controllers need clear instructions from their administrations concerning their functions at all stages. Information is a vital element among the institutions of air traffic control. Poor process specifications are caused by use of broad specification limits and tolerances instead of focusing on target values for process parameters (Linville, 2012). These institutions may also infrequently use reliability and mean time between failures (MTBF) as a specification for quality. Air traffic controllers should use evolutionary rather than evolutionary approaches to process design. Administrators of these institutions should also utilise multiple environmental overstress tests as one of the most powerful tools in reducing process variations in reliability (Hutchings & Linville, 2012). Safeguarding the critical information systems should be done through field-testing of equipment and facilities to minimise chances of failures during operations. 7. Quality Processes that NATS can use to Improve Service Quality NATS has the potential to improve the quality of its services and avoid similar system failures in the future. The tools and processes of quality that the company can adopt for this purpose include quality improvement cycle, total quality management, business process re-engineering and benchmarking. 8.1 Quality Improvement Cycle A quality improvement cycle constitutes a planned sequence of systematic and documented activities aimed at improving the process. The quality of service delivery can be achieved through either improving the process itself or improving the outcomes of the process (Goetsch & Davis, 2013). The quality improvement cycle is based on a four-step cycle of Plan, Do, Check, Act. The plan stage involves selecting or identifying the need to improve quality. During this, NATS should define the current processes and identify opportunities for service improvement. The institution can also use this stage to plan proper ways of monitoring progress and the effectiveness of change. The Plan stage will also involve specification of goals and objectives concerning the institution’s improvement requirements in terms of reduced chances of information systems failure. The Do stage will involve implementing the new improvement strategies and practices. The institution will be required to document the activities performed during the implementation process (Garcia-Sabater, Marin-Garcia & Perello-Marin, 2012). The Check stage involves monitoring the progress and effectiveness of the change according to the standard plan. Recording observations and results is necessary because it provides a basis of comparison with the original data and project goals, measures and objectives. The institutions implementing service quality can use the Act stage to revise and plan how to use the information acquired during the quality improvement implementation process. NATS can use this stage to identify areas that need further improvement. 8.2 Total Quality Management Total quality management seeks to integrate all organizational functions to maintain focus on meeting customer needs and achieving organizational goals (Goetsch & Davis, 2013). Total Quality management focuses on functions of marketing, finance, engineering, production, and customer service. Total quality management views organizations as a collection of processes and maintains that corporations must strive to continuously improve these processes by incorporating the knowledge and experiences of workers. Total quality management will enable NATS to focus on improving the effectiveness and flexibility of its services as whole. NATS, thus, will combine both system and product aspects and direct the energies of the organisation towards ensuring delight among the service users. NATS can achieve great improvement if the management reviews the company introspect to commitment, strategies, teamwork, problems and results, and development in relation to quality implementation. Airports interact with a wide range of customers; therefore, it is crucial to institute proper processes that can ensure a positive customer experience (William & Olivia, 2012). NATS should put in place strategies to ensure a learning culture that can equip workers with knowledge, skills and experience necessary for enhancing the quality of services. NTS can improve the institutional effectiveness in airports by progressively changing its attitudes, practices and structures. The institution can ensure that the stakeholders gain critical skills needed to promote a quality culture throughout the organisation in addition to understanding the benefits of providing a sustainable quality and cost profile to aircraft countries. 8.3 Business Process Re-engineering Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) constitutes the fundamental rethinking and radical redesigning of business process to make dramatic improvements in measures of performance (Shen & Chou, 2010). The measures of performance relevant to NATS include response speed, cost, service, and quality. Re-engineering in NATS will focus on rethinking work with an objective of eliminating unnecessary activities in service provision process. This process will also involve finding better and effective ways of organizing their critical information systems to avoid failures. Bogetoft (2012) argues that the primary concern of Business Process Re-engineering constitutes critical analysis and radical redesigning of existing business processes to achieve breakthrough improvements across all measures of performance. The principles if BPR implementation concentrates on organizing functions around outcomes, not tables (Bogetoft, 2012). NATS requires one person organizing and performing all activities in a coordinated way. This will help to avoid variations from standards that occur when there is lack of coordination. BPR will make it possible for NATS to achieve intensive specialization and division of labour. Specialisation and division of labour are critical since they ensure realization of economies of scale for economic production processes. Organizations implementing BPR treat decentralized resources as if they were centralized (Newlands & Hooper, 2010). NATS will achieve centralization of decentralized information systems by using proper databases, computer networks, standard processing systems and other telecommunication facilities. NATS, thus, will maximize on the advantages of economies of scale and coordinated efforts while maintaining the benefits of flexibility and improved customer service. 8.4 Benchmarking NATS can benchmark with other companies in the industry to improve its business performance. This can be achieved through learning from other companies the best ways of doing things in order to be the best in the class. NATS will benefit from benchmarking through a continuous systematic process of evaluating companies considered the best in the industry (McGlynn & NASA Glenn Research Center, 2011). Other companies engaged in air traffic control include Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), EURO CONTROL, and Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA). Comparisons will be based on methods of service quality that the industry leaders use in maintaining the quality of the products and minimizing possible failures of critical information systems. Benchmarking will also focus on procedures and methods of applying quality procedures among the leading companies in order to achieve efficiency and quality services. NATS, therefore, will be able to determine business and work processes that represent best practices and establish rational performance goals for effective service delivery. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is committed to ensuring the safety of air travel. FAA has received Glen A. Gilbert Memorial Awards since the year 1988; the institution received the awards in the years1988, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2002 and 2006. The Glen A. Gilbert Memorial Award is dedicated to the memory of Glen Gilbert. Gilbert is considered one of the fathers of air traffic control, who founded the US air traffic control and dedicated his professional career to its continuous improvement (Canavan, 2002). FAA has been awarded severally because it has maintained its responsibility for the safety and efficiency of air traffic, both within home countries and globally. NATS can emulate the strategies adopted by Federal Aviation Administration in ensuring quality service delivery. NATS should concentrate on the safe strategies of minimizing failures in critical information systems because the institution depends on accurate and timely information for execution of its functions. Eurocontrol plans and coordinates air traffic control for Europe. As the European Organisation for Safety of Air Navigation, Eurocontrol works with national authorities, air navigation, airports and military airspace users. The Eurocontrol has also received the Glen A. Gilbert Memorial Awards twice; these were in the years 1997 and 2004 (William & Olivia, 2012). Among the services provided by Eurocontrol include Central Flow Management Unit, Centralised Access to AIS Information and Eurocontrol Experiment Centre. Eurocontrol’s air traffic control sectors at MUAC can handle 55 or more flights per hour. NATS has a lot to learn from similar institutions in the industry; therefore, proper benchmarking is vital if NATS wants to achieve quality service standards of the industry. 8. Management and Communication of Quality Improvements to Employees and Consumers 9.1 Air Traffic Control Industry The sector should communicate its quality improvements to employees and consumer through publications, speeches, and events. Publications are prepared by the industry through overall agencies and distributed across the institutions for employees and consumers to read (Canavan, 2002). Air traffic control institutions communicate their quality improvement achievement and strategies through these newsletters, catalogues, memos and magazines to employees and consumers. During important institutional occasions, administrators get a chance of delivering speeches to the industry stakeholders; through these speeches, administrators maximises the opportunities of creating awareness concerning quality improvements in the industry. Similarly, events provide other chances of speeches and interactions through which the management makes employees and consumers aware of quality improvements in the industry. 9.2 National Air Traffic Service NATS can manage and communicate its quality improvements through establishing a vision for the employees. A vision will direct the institutional stakeholders and help them to maintain focus on quality improvements. NATS can also set quality standards from employees; standards are critical in quality management because it direct the energies towards ensuring quality service without lapses caused by systems failure (Linville, 2012). Building motivation within the company can also help employees continue working hard to ensure quality because they expect rewards from the administrators. The greatest role of the management in communicating and managing quality constitutes directing the corporate culture (Garcia-Sabater, Marin-Garcia & Perello-Marin, 2012). A corporate culture is based on the mission and vision statements of the organisations, and describes and governs the way the management, employees and consumers think, feel and act. The administration should ensure proper guidance of the corporate culture for people to realise quality improvements within NATS institution. 9. Conclusion Ensuring quality services is the only way through which air traffic control institutions can inspire customer trust and confidence. NATS should embed a quality culture in its management culture in order to ensure provisions of services based on the dimensions of service quality. Adoption proper strategies promises quality services if institutions maintain focus on the predetermined strategies. Quality tools and processes such as quality management cycle, total quality management, business process re-engineering and benchmarking constitute the critical essentials in adopting quality in the management culture. Proper management and communication of quality improvements provides review and monitoring procedures that encourage institutional stakeholders to maintain focus on quality. NATS and the entire air traffic control industry are exposed to catastrophic risks if they fail to embed quality management in their organisational cultures. References Bogetoft, P. 2012. 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