Case Study
Civil Aviation Authority
Project
Consulting - Information Strategy
Background
In 2000, CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) restructured its business, breaking up its purely functional departments (for example audit) and reassembling them as customer oriented business units (for example airlines).
Problem
At the time of the restructure the business maintained extensive documentation covering official policy and procedure. But this was structured around each of the functional areas. Under the new structure each customer unit needed access to information about multiple functions.
Ensuring compliance with aviation regulations is one of CAA’s main focuses. Without a coordinated approach to developing, distributing and maintaining critical information, CAA faced the very real risk that over time practice in each customer unit would vary, compromising CAA’s integrity.
Employees were also experiencing a small number of classic documentation woes – not all the information was complete or up to date and it could be hard to find the right policy or procedure.
Solution
Wordsworth helped CAA resolve both these issues simultaneously by developing a comprehensive information strategy and design.
Wordsworth identified information that is common to more than one group, and information that is particular to single groups, and proposed a fundamental structure based on the information’s purpose – e.g. management, quality, administration etc. Layered over the top of this centrally controlled repository are multiple views, one for each customer unit, that provide access only to the information relevant to that team.
Wordsworth then assisted CAA in their choice of an intranet management tool and handed the document development over to CAA’s Professional Standards Team. Wordsworth continues to provide quality assurance on an ongoing basis.
Benefits
As a result of this coherent information strategy, CAA guarantees that all units will act consistently as well as ensuring that the resource is easy to maintain and develop.