High Level planning/decision meeting: this week
Objective of the meeting:
 To set priorities for which steps of the Roadmap to take first, and to make a number
of high level directional decisions
 These decisions will enable the transition from the roadmap as presented in June
into a detailed plan covering the next 18 months
 This detailed planning will contain detailed objectives, milestones (time), key
deliverables and manpower requirements
Requested to be present:
 VP-FO: Eduardo Mendoza
 VP-HR: Maria Rubio
 Director FO: Richard Vernot
 Interim Director Flight Training: Martin Ochoa
 FO Business Manager: Nicolas Garcia
 Director Safety: Jorge Robles
 Standards: Juan Pablo Obando
 Fleet Management: Luis Riveros
Refresher: The Roadmap as presented in June:
Point 6 Of the methods slide below is focal for this meeting.
Methods to achieve overall objective:
1. Introduce a Process Based Organization: Flat and Instinctive
2. Strengthen Data Driven Operational Processes
3. Reduce Complexity and Coordination Waste
4. Create accountable and exemplary Leadership that cares for, and empowers
operational staff
5. Apply robust change management techniques
6. Implementation is key: Set Objectives, set Milestones and start the work
Copyright © 2017 Boeing. All rights reserved.
5
Target areas:
§ Flight Operations Organizational Structure and Processes
§ Operational Manuals: Use OEM provided solutions
§ Expand English as the main operational language
§ Re-organize Training + introduce EBT and Competency Based Training
§ Ensure Safety processes have maximum added value for Flight Operations
§ OTP
Copyright © 2017 Boeing. All rights reserved.
6
Specific Decisions + background information and considerations/suggestions:
Where do we start; Suggestions:
1. Organize the Flight Operations change management team.
We have to select team members.
There will be 3 or 4 Boeing representatives on this team: Project Manager, Deputy
Project Manager, Flight Training Specialist, and possibly a project management
specialist (also involved with the Fuel efficiency project and the Operational
assessment and OTP improvements).
The Avianca managers on the team will be assigned more or less full time to the
project, apart from minimum monthly flying obligations. It is to be expected that the
Avianca managers on the change management team will eventually be assigned key
roles in the new structure. I suggest younger managers are assigned: They adapt
easily, are fluent in English and should have a strong connection with their peers on
the line. We also need an Avianca specialist for Involving and Informing the key
stakeholders (operational Staff) of the “why” of decisions to be implemented.
Apart from Avianca managers, the team will require support staff. Excellent English
skills (in aviation English), strong IT skills, and familiar with Microsoft Project, and
Microsoft Visio.
Note: Avianca Colombia is a running airline. The day to day operational needs to be
protected. Hence a dedicated change management team relieved of current day to
day duties is recommended. Changeover moments have to be chosen carefully and
published extensively ahead of time. Incremental change is recommended.
2. Set priorities: Which of the target areas (above on the slide) will be started first.
Change the main operational language to English:
The main task will be to translate the “Manual de operaciones de vuelo” into English.
This task will require both knowledgeable manpower and a disciplined work ethic.
The aim should be to not only translate the manual, but to also critically review the
current content towards applicability and try to reduce the number of procedures.
The aim should be to complete 5 pages per day: Have the new manual “grow” by 5
pages per day. If the new manual will have 1000 pages, this process will take 200
working days, hence the better part of one year. That is why this project should be
started sooner rather than later. If contents (procedures) are changed, a dedicated
team of responsible managers (VP-FO and Director Standards) should review and
sign off on these changes (formal documented process). If contents and procedures
remain unchanged and the only change is from Spanish to English, no sign off is
required.
The recommended sequence is:
-assign the OM change team
-assign the “reviewers” and establish a formal acceptation process
-start writing/translating 5 pages per day
Flight Operations Organizational Structure and Processes:
The aim this August should be to formalize roles and responsibilities for each of the
Director and Management roles in the “Matrix”.
When the roles and responsibilities are clear, HR and FO should start a search for
people to take up the new roles.
-The Directors (green) that are in place now, should most likely stay
-The new Chief Pilots (green) are essential leadership positions. Very serious select
ion criteria should be applied for these positions.
-The Managers (orange) should be a mixture of current and new assignments. The
aim is to introduce younger” managers in these positions. Use diversity as a
strength: all backgrounds should be represented. Strong consideration should be
given to the introduction of female managers. The search on the
Airbus/Embraer/ATR fleets should include current managers from all the Avianca
Holding Airlines.
It is recommended to apply the new structure first to the Avianca 787 fleet. This is a
relatively small isolated fleet with staff in Bogota only. We can use the 787 fleet
restructuring as a “prototype” for the larger fleets that will be more complex to
restructure. Lessons learned can be applied. The 787 fleet can be reshaped in 2018.
Then the A330 Fleet early 2019, and the A320 Fleet (including all member airlines in
second half 2019).
Roles and responsibilities are closely tied in with processes. Process review and
overhaul is a major part of the restructuring, but it is recommended that the “new”
structure take on the project of process review and overhaul.
The recommended sequence is:
-Determine Roles and responsibilities for the Matrix positions
-Select names to the Matrix positions
-Restructure the Fleet Organization
-Review and reshape processes
Decision with regards to the Flight Operational Manuals:
There are three options:
1. Maintain the current manual structure (table of contents) of the current “Manual
de operaciones de vuelo” and simply translate to English and review/adjust the
procedures to currently known best practice.
2. Introduce the EASA Manual Structure for the operational Manuals:
OM-A replaces the current “Manual de operaciones de vuelo”. So the content
and the structure of the manual will be changes/translated.
OM-B = Original Manufacturer Aircraft Manuals
OM-C = Route Manual
OM-D = Training Manual
OM-E = Cabin safety and procedures manual
3. Introduce the FAA Manual Structure for the operational manuals
The Avianca Holding currently has airlines governed by many different regulators.
South America is FAA based, and Colombia will likely follow. Central America is EASA
based with a manual structure as in 2 above.
The ultimate Aim is to have 1 common operations manual for all Avianca branded
airlines. For this it is suggested to have a “common core” manual with additions that
satisfy all regulators. Different color or font can be used to indicate these additions.
The most modern and current best practice manual structure is the EASA structure.
That structure also has the most supporting template material. Option 1 above is not
ideal for application among all Avianca branded airlines. Option 3 is valid but has less
information available and is slightly dated in methodology. The current “best
practice” example airlines in the world have EASA based manual structures.
Decision to be made: one of the above three options.
Note: Whatever the outcome of the decision, as the manuals will be in English, a
Spanish Translation will have to be kept for the Colombian AeroCivil (and possibly
other Regulators). Note that the utmost care should be taken to keep this Spanish
manual isolated from the operational staff. The internally used manuals should be
English only. Do not allow the staff to use Spanish versions.
Re-organize Flight Training and Introduce EBT and CBT:
This is more or less a stand-alone project. There has been a leadership vacuum in
Training and the department needs new talent and structure. It is a project that
deserves immediate attention and support by Boeing. However, the Boeing project
manager and deputy manager will have their hands full with the other target areas,
hence the suggestion for a dedicated Boeing Flight Training specialist. We are
currently looking within our organization to find and appoint the right person for this
position. In the meantime, new instructors should be trained and appointed, the
new (interim?) Director Training should ensure day to day training and checking
processes. Once the Training department has a permanent Director and has a new
structure and extra staff, EBT and CBT should be introduced.
Priorities:
-ensure day to day training/checking under the new (Interim?) Director Training
-train and appoint new instructors
-recruit a future permanent Director Training
-select, train and appoint future fleet training managers
-integrate new fleet training managers into new fleet structure
-contract an external EBT/CBT specialist to set up this training philosophy within
Avianca
Ensure Safety Processes have maximum added value for Flight Operations.
Again, this is essentially a stand-alone project albeit it a project with high priority.
This work will be started immediately in August and run alongside the other target
areas.
Robert Larson will be assigned to work with Jorge Robles to expedite the below
agenda:
-Formalize SAG two-weekly meeting format
-Formalize SRB monthly meeting format
-Discuss IRO de-identified format monthly publication to pilots
-Discuss extra staff addition for IRO review
OTP:
There is a current OTP improvement project run by Avianca and Avianca has
approached Boeing Business Consultancy to provide a proposal. Once this proposal
is signed/accepted the Boeing Business Consultants will complete an assessment and
gap analysis. Then recommendations will be provided along with onsite help to
implement these and coordinate cross departmental cooperation.
The new Flight Operations organizational structure should be better positioned to
improve OTP. The new “Chief Pilot” will share responsibility for his (her) fleet’s OTP.