Developments and benefits of agility:

Since its implementation, the teams have experienced changes and a clear improvement in the organization and progress of the project.

Firstly with the adoption of a culture of continuous improvement: CCS stakeholders have periodically reflected on how to make processes more efficient. This led to regular improvements and in the end more seamless value delivery.

Secondly, through better transparency throughout the project: the introduction of weekly events where teams share their progress as well as their potential risks and impediments has really helped to collectively make the right decisions at the earliest possible stage. PI planning events (two-day event with everyone) also helped to align people. Regular reviews of the actual work done during the iterations contributed to a better progress overview for all stakeholders (internal and external).

The SAFe framework provides important roles at Programme level: RTE (Release Train Engineer), PM (Product Management) and SA (System Architect). These roles highly polarised, help to clarify the organization and facilitate the work of all team members. The different people who assumed these roles gained in maturity thanks to the support of the Agile coach.

The CCS project implies strong cooperation between three geographically separate entities. Implementing regular events such as the ART Sync (Agile Release Train Synchronisation), where people communicate effectively, contributed to establish and maintain alignment between the different stakeholders, even in difficult times like the pandemic crisis.

Alongside this strong team collaboration throughout the Programme Increments (PI), the PI Planning events foster communication, alignment, engagement, and team building. These events contribute to create a strong collective dynamic and knowledge sharing (next steps, action plans…). The teams generally emerge more motivated and energised for the successful continuation of the project.

Finally, the collaborative development of a strong visual management, based on digital tools (such as Klaxoon), makes it possible to maintain activities despite the COVID crisis and ensure regular information sharing.

Areas of improvement:

“In a so complex program with different kind of expertise coming from 3 different countries, it was very important to gradually introduce the agile approach trying to design the theory of the agile principles and methods on the real day by day activity. The change in the organization of activities and the constitution of team and new roles implies a period of adaptation and the need to put in place new tools and process to support the agile approach. During the four years, there were several changes along with the program in order to improve based on the lessons learned, the result is a hybrid approach in which we found a balance between the agile roles, the theory and the program peculiarity.” Valentina Piccinelli, Release Train Engineer.     

After 4 years of implementing Agile approaches, the CCS teams, with the help of the Agile coach, analysed the elements that could still be improved, although it is a real success for the project.

The CCS project was originally structured on the basis of a fixed time, fixed resources, and fixed scope, all set at the beginning of a stage (within the Project Management Plan). This is not exactly the Agile approach for product management. Nevertheless, time and resources cannot be changed and the need to prioritise work (based on various criteria, one of which is the business value delivered) is part of the reality of software development and potential obstacles that arise along the way. If taken into account from the beginning, this Agile approach for product management could benefit all business owners in terms of predictability.

“The new methodology has changed our way of working, moving the focus of the whole team form the tasks to the objectives. Time boxing of the activities and the periodic planning have been the real added value to the project, allowing immediate identification and removal of any impediments, and facilitating teams integration and coordination. On the other hand, flexibility of Agile approach doesn’t always get along with contractual aspects and content constraints, so find a good balance between pure methodology and real needs is key for the successful implementation.” Laura De Stefani, Release Train Engineer.

Moreover, all CCS stakeholders (team members, programme level roles and business owners) would benefit from SAFe trainings to fully appreciate both the importance of values and principles that underpin the framework and a common understanding of roles, artefacts and practices that are implemented in the project. This overall alignment has been progressively addressed by the Agile coach but some grey areas may still remain.

In conclusion, thanks to this Agile approach, the CCS project succeeded in meeting its milestones and ensuring timely delivery to skyguide, its main customer. This was achieved through regular and close communication between the various stakeholders, and transparency on the overall progress of the project. This approach also enabled all activities to be maintained despite the two-year COVID crisis and the various confinements.

Finally, although there is always room for improvement, agility has proven to be extremely effective when it comes to assessing the satisfaction and morale of CCS members.

L’article 4 years of agility on the CCS project: what is the outcome? est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

Skyguide is coordinating the EXE#3 validation exercise, which will be held in October 2022 and will also involve Indra, DFS, NATS and Frequentis: the partners will implement control positions in Switzerland and Germany, fed with flight plan data by DSNA, through the Coflight Cloud Services (CCS) solution. By providing flight plan services based on a remote virtualised Coflight (whose servers are located at DSNA), CCS will thus play the role of ADSP (ATM Data Service Provider).

This two-day workshop has provided great opportunities to share expectations, objectives and constraints, refine tight planning and coordinate actions of the teams.

Time was shared between management and coordination sessions, technical workshops for dataset adaptation and demonstration of CCS technical supervision. An integration session for the Skysoft real-time simulator and a demonstration of technical supervision took place in the DSNA Innovations Hub, in the CCS room inaugurated last November. The partners appreciated the accessibility, connectivity and comfort of this workspace.

Live interactions and informal discussions have been key to raising and mitigating risks linked to operational and technical significance of EXE3, including ATCOs training and setup of delegation process.

Due to the pandemic, if was the first time that the teams had an opportunity to meet in person since the project started in 2020, so the atmosphere was very constructive and friendly, and these two days were unanimously appreciated, with the promise to meet again soon!

L’article CCS participates in the Virtual Centre project in the framework of the SESAR programme est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

• The collection and storage of massive data
• The increase in computing power
• The development of increasingly complex and resource-consuming algorithms and system architectures

AI is now present in many fields and is integrated into our daily activities (smartphones, conversational assistants, etc.). The aeronautical domain is also deeply involved to integrate and benefits from this new technology.

The significant and continuous growth of air traffic prior to the pandemic has led to a strong exploration of the use of AI in the aeronautical field, especially air traffic management. AI should be able to support ATM actors in the challenges related to the increasing complexity of air traffic (e.g. traffic density, new entrants) but also to meet the challenges of reducing CO2 emissions. This new technology nevertheless raises essential questions such as legal, safety and security issues. The decrease of traffic caused by COVID-19 should allow aviation stakeholders to take advantage of the coming years to overcome these real obstacles.

Use of AI in aviation

Today, many automated assistance tools are already deployed to help air traffic controllers (ATCOs). SESAR research projects are also looking at new applications and the automation of certain tasks to facilitate the daily life of ATCOs.

AI could play a key role in the following areas:

• Demand prediction: By adding AI, algorithms based on actual flight plan and trajectory data to current computational methods, it would be possible to improve the accuracy and predictability of traffic demand. This makes the process of demand and capacity balancing (DCB) more efficient.
• Optimal sectorisation: AI can provide significant support in dynamic airspace management. Indeed, the learning of AI in this domain can allow to handle a large amount of data and complexity, beyond human capabilities. In order to provide an optimal dynamic configuration of sectors by taking into account the evolution of traffic in the different areas, and improve airspace design by suggesting redefined sector boundaries better reflecting the evolution of traffic.
• Optimisation of flight plans: AI algorithms, by integrating the numerous flight plans, traffic data, weather, etc., will be able to propose optimal trajectories for aircraft and contribute in particular to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• 4D Trajectory: by integrating take-off information and airport activities (delays, connections), AI contribute to give a better prediction of the “date to flight” but also to support the decision-making on specific operations, such as the go-around.
•  Remote Towers: AI applied to pattern recognition can be used to recognise holding points, stands, parking positions or alert the controller to particular situations.

The use of AI can be an essential enabler to increase the safety and efficiency of services provided by ANSPs, through a variety of different tools and systems. The use of AI in air traffic management can bring significant benefits, including:

• Improving safety by managing abnormal traffic,
• Improving capacity by supporting decision making
• Understanding flow changes,
• Addressing environmental issues by optimising flight plans and trajectories.

How is Coflight exploring the use of AI?

Convinced of the advantages of AI, the Coflight teams are also exploring the use of AI to improve their system. The idea is to offer an innovative system that will facilitate the daily life of controllers.

For this, three thematics are currently under study:

• Trajectory improvement: to integrate AI algorithms to enhance the Coflight trajectory prediction. Airspace users will be able to plan greener flights, with a 4D planned trajectory taking into account airline cruising level preferences in addition to the requested flight levels, and an optimised 2D route integrating as soon also weather impact.
• Cruising speed: to determine as closely as possible the airlines’ preference between cruising speeds. To do this, the algorithms will have to predict the aircraft flight parameters in order to determine whether the aircraft is flying in economy mode or faster. This data will pave the way to a better prediction of the estimated speeds in cruise phase, and thus compute a more reliable flight plan.
• Traffic predictability: from the filed flight plans, estimate the traffic per sector, in order to better feed flow management tools and optimise HR cycles. This solution will improve the predictability of traffic and thus help in anticipating possible changes to let time to provide rapid and effective operational response.

These projects are at the study and analysis stage, the long-term objective will be to apply this research to concrete cases in Coflight in order to improve it and propose an accurate and relevant tool for real-time air traffic management.

L’article AI to support Air Traffic Management est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

A dedicated team manages this platform: the helpdesk team. She relies on two tools to facilitate the management of this infrastructure:

• Supervision: This graphical interface allows critical information to be sent to supervisors. It can then carry out the necessary actions to resolve the alerts raised. It is therefore a warning tool but also a tool for controlling and steering the overall system. It is via this graphical interface that the supervisor can control and adjust the system.
• JIRA: the second is a ticketing tool, which allows tickets to be opened when incidents are detected, and which then tracked and traced these problems. This tool enables the helpdesk team to adjust and improve the platform in order to meet skyguide’s needs.

The helpdesk team therefore manages and improves this virtualisation platform. Its daily activities consist firstly of installing new versions of CCS: setting up the supervision tool accordingly and enriching it with newly developed functions. Secondly, to manage the supervision of the system and therefore the implementation of corrective actions. Thirdly, to ensure coordination between skyguide and ENAV/DSNA maintenance team, on the resolution of major incidents.

With the introduction of the first CCS service for skyguide, the “Technical Integration Service”, skyguide can reserve the platform for operations. In this case, the role of the helpdesk team is to ensure the availability of the platform if the Swiss encounter problems.

The next major step for the CCS platform is to migrate the solution to the cloud. This will mean moving from a classic virtualised platform to a private cloud. This allows controllers to benefit from continuous innovation, with increased speed and reduced costs compared to traditional ATM infrastructures, without compromising the safety and security of the system.

L’article CCS platform in Paris est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

Thanks to the collaborative development of a CCS “Concept of Operations”, skyguide will consolidate a plan for integration of Coflight capabilities within their own environment, encompassing appropriate training, working methods and HMI development.

CONOPS roadmap

The objectives of this CONOPS are to:

• Assess the main differences, benefits and potential gaps between the ATM flight data computed by Coflight and those currently used in skyguide system
• Ensure operational understanding of Coflight trajectory prediction principles, so that skyguide operational experts feel comfortable using Coflight functionalities in their tasks (supported by adapted tools, HMIs and working methods to be defined by skyguide)
• Experiment on the basis of operationally relevant use cases of Coflight functionalities, with the support of DSNA, ENAV technical and operational experts, in order to make the best use of Coflight current capabilities to satisfy skyguide operational needs and strategic objectives
• Collect feedback from skyguide ATCOs when using the data, trajectories and profiles computed by Coflight, to improve use of CCS solution

CONOPS activities will stretch over several phases of CCS development project; the first activities performed within Step 2 time frame mainly consist in getting familiar with basic principles of Coflight, through a series of presentations and workshops involving DSNA, ENAV and skyguide operational experts.

The team will work on significant use cases identified by skyguide, to gain full understanding of Coflight information computation and how it can be used. Simulations based on Coflight trajectory prediction will provide concrete material to collect feedback and iteratively refine CCS Concept of operations for skyguide.

Progress report

CCS CONOPS team conducted three workshops in 2021. The first one was facilitated remotely, the second on skyguide premises in Zurich and the third one on DSNA premises and remotely in Toulouse.

During the first workshop, the team drew up an initial list of uses cases for skyguide and planned the activities to be carried out thereafter. The second workshop was an opportunity for DSNA to present the application of the first use cases with Coflight and to gather feedback from skyguide users. The third session was dedicated to demonstrate Coflight in operation, on a 4F simulation, and pursue the discussions to enrich the use cases.

Interactive and creative workshops are a great opportunity to share knowledge: DSNA explains how Coflight works with illustration through the use cases given by the Swiss experts. Conversely, they share their strategic issues and vision so that the CCS teams can progress with the implementation of the services, including the progressive enrichment of the dataset, which sets the rules for Coflight to compute trajectories for skyguide.

This first phase of CONOPS activity is bringing DSNA, ENAV and skyguide operational experts together to facilitate the acceptability of Coflight and make sure that CCS meets advanced operational requirements.

L’article DSNA, ENAV and skyguide develop a CONOPS est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

A tooling chain for Skyguide

In order to manage and modify the dataset using the Off-line platform, the skyguide customer will need a set of tools. Three essential tools are therefore required:

• DPR: Coflight tool allowing the off-line preparation of environmental and technical data and system parameters. DPR offers different services on dataset such as consultation, definition, import, export and archive services. After the initialisation of the collections of dataset, a check as to be performed to validate that the collections are correctly input (semantic/consistency checks). If the check is valid, the dataset can be exported or archived, then deployed on the platform. The teams have already identified developments and improvements, which are planned for the summer.
• GEDI: this tool consists to the update of published European data, such as list of points, airways, aerodromes… but also the performance data (BADA) that are used by Coflight.  This tool is used to upgrade AIRAC (Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control) cycle data, every 28 days. At each update, GEDI generates a report, which lists the dependencies that are to be updated (because impacted by the new AIRAC cycle data).
• COSMIC (Coflight and Swimbox Manager for Installation and Configuration): CCS deployment tool. The new COSMIC tool will be enable to deployed the CCS platform in an automated manner. The teams are working on the deployment of a first version, which shall be available in March 2022 (end of PI5).

In addition to these three tools, which are essential for skyguide, there is a need of shared repository for provider and customer for CCS datasets versions. The use of GitLab tool has been retained because it offers a management of dataset and keeps track of the modifications made (saving each version, with details of the modifications made, as well as the name of the person who made them). It also allows organising the shared directories of the dataset. Currently, the functional off-line architecture has been agreed with skyguide, based on use cases. The technical architecture is still under consolidation, especially for remote access from Athis-Mons platform.

The ultimate goal is to make the tooling chain of dataset available remotely, so that skyguide can easily perform the necessary operations to update its CCS dataset and commit it into shared repository.

L’article Development of the dataset tooling chain for skyguide est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

Obeya is a visual lean management method coming from the Japanese word for “big room”. It is a collaborative space that gathers all-important information and is managed collectively through short and periodic meetings. Obeya is a simple and effective method to meet the challenges of performance.

This approach is usually set up to monitor and drive a project or an organisation. The aim is to make information visually accessible and understandable very quickly by the collaborators. A project brings together different areas of expertise and teams, which must work together but generally located in different places (with COVID and teleworking, this is all the more frequent) and therefore cannot necessarily see each other or communicate as much as needed. This virtual or non-virtual room allows therefore each team to report risks, progress and planning focus which are essential for the project functioning via tables and dedicated post-its. To make this method efficient, the teams must ritualise its use by means of short weekly reviews, so that the tool is fed in real time and decisions can be taken at the right time.

Why implementing this method?

Obeya first allows teams to be involved and engaged. It intensifies collaboration between team members and teams, thanks to information sharing. It is based on listening, sharing facts, transparency and joint decision-making. Solutions are collectively generated, as well as priorities.

This tool also boost agility. Indeed, information is displayed, accurate and shared by all, which allows a more effective answer to encountered difficulties. When changes or problems arise, employees quickly and collectively come up with solutions to adapt their activities and ensure their objectives are met.

How does CCS use this method?

In line with the Agile method, the CCS management decided to set up the Obeya in order to have a global view of the project’s progress, the roadmap, the possible risks and to ensure alignment between CCS actors and to take the necessary decisions.

For this purpose, a dedicated space was created in Klaxoon, so that all the teams could share this information. Every Monday morning, each team reviews its status. For this purpose, the tables used are updated every week. The tables are organised as follows:

• One allowing the monitoring of the CCS roadmap and the general progress
• Another with an overall view of each team, highlighting the activities in progress, the objectives for the period and the risks encountered.
• One containing the objectives of the PI Planning, which enables us to ensure that these are being followed.
• Finally, a last one, which allows to point out some bugs impacting strongly on the progress of the project.

It is essential that Obeya is constantly evolving in order to respond and adapt to needs and that new ideas can be developed if they are relevant.

This method therefore allows actors of CCS to have all the information they need to take the better decisions collectively. As the teams are used to digital tools and Agile mind-set, this approach is only the logical continuation to ensure effective management of teams based in different geographies.

L’article CCS implements the Obeya method est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

Since June, the DSNA has been working on the reorganisation of its innovation laboratory, the Hub Innovations, within its premises in Toulouse. With a view to modernising and facilitating innovation, this space will be accessible to all employees and partners wishing to

• Have access to a creative space to develop ideas
• To be welcomed in the framework of their innovation project
• Have access to an innovative digital infrastructure as well as to an open and agile environment and simulation means.

The laboratory is organised into several rooms, each dedicated to a particular field:

• A creative space
• “La Forge”, providing the digital software, platforms and data solutions needed to accelerate development.
• An “Atelier” to host innovative projects,
• Two rooms dedicated to the validation of concepts and projects,
• A space dedicated to Supervision
• And another for the Coflight project

CCS innovation room

The Coflight Cloud Services teams have a dedicated space to create, develop and share their innovative ideas. The Coflight room is composed of a modular space allowing them to work in groups, with a screen on a stand that can be remotely connected (to Klaxoon for example) to carry out their monitoring or create new boards. There is also a demonstrator area, where simulations can be carried out and demos can be made in real time.

The aim is to provide CCS employees with a dynamic and welcoming space in which they can express their creativity. This place should allow employees from different teams to come together to share their experience and develop collective intelligence. With this laboratory, CCS hopes to create the good conditions to bring out and support innovations (technical environment, availability of resources, pooling, etc.), and support innovators by providing them the right means and environment to develop and promote their project. Finally, this place has been set up to encourage new ways of working and collaboration so that each employee and partner can express himself and share his experience in a different environment.

L’article An innovation room for CCS teams est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

An important face-to-face event

These two days of face-to-face meetings allowed the teams to express themselves more easily, to share informal exchanges moments during meals and coffee breaks, which are essential to create links and cohesion between the teams. The whole event was organized around group work using whiteboard, while maintaining Klaxoon as the support for all SAFe PI planning artefacts (containing important information and outcomes of the event). Given the real enthusiasm of the teams for this kind of face-to-face event, the next PI Planning, in mid-November, should also be held with the same principle (according to sanitary situation).

PI Objectives, how does it works?

PI Objectives are key outcomes of the PI Planning, so how do you set them up and how does it work?

As named, they are objectives but the particularity is that they must be written in natural language by each teams, they represent a point of convergence between the teams (who write them) and the business owners (who approve them). These objectives are those on which the teams commit themselves for the PI, the importance of engagement is crucial. They are separated into two categories: committed and uncommitted (present a risk of not being achieved for different reason such as a significant dependency with external team). All the committed and uncommitted objectives are then taken into account in the teams’ planning in order to anticipate possible deviations.

These objectives must be as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) as possible, so that they are the less open to interpretation and understandable by all (simple language). They can be of different natures (they are not necessarily only deliverables), they can be related to the development, the writing of procedures, the organization, etc.

At the end of the PI Planning, during the Final Review, all the teams present their objectives, as well as the risks raised. This step allows each team to take responsibility for the others and to have a global vision of each team. Objective is gaining perspective on these elements in order to group and prioritize them. The managers will thus have a high-level vision of what is planned during the increment. The grouped objectives can then be used to create the overall program objectives for communication purpose (with the Steering Group, for example).

Finally, the teams regularly assess the progress towards meeting these objectives during weekly meeting.  It helps both providing visibility on the PI progress and allowing early decisions in case problems are raised.

L’article PI Objectives: essential elements to enhance Agile methodology est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.

The implementation of collaborative work

This notion of collaborative work means that several people work together in the same unit of time and (digital) space on a strategic project. This ultimately requires a mentality based on listening and helping each other. This way of working can lead to a reorganisation of workspaces in order to obtain a better communication, such as open spaces, innovation laboratories, creativity spaces. Thanks to the digitalisation of collaborative work, it is possible to do it in asynchronous mode: people can interact synchronously or asynchronously on a common tool depending on their availability.

This type of work requires a high level of mutual support and team cohesion in order to move forward together towards the same goal. This is what CCS employees do, with the implementation of an effective Agile method. This allows the teams to cooperate easily in order to achieve the common objectives set during the PI Planning for example. Finally, collaborative work could be defined as “working better together”.

For this working method to be effective, it is important to respect certain rules:

• Everyone must be able to express himself: One of the basic rules for organising collaborative work is the establishment of pillars such as listening, respect, benevolence and transparency. Each employee must be involved and everyone must be on an equal footing.  Collaborative platforms such as Klaxoon (used by CCS team notably during PI Planning) are interesting for this.
• Having clear objectives: participants should have a clear idea of what is expected of them in order to achieve the common objectives.
• Transparency: everyone must know in real time who is where, who needs help. It is essential to share difficulties, risks and successes.
• Team building: it is important for team members to get to know each other, for example through team events (coffee, meals, and activities).
• Constant collaboration at regular intervals to foster communication and alignment through all program members

The benefits of collaborative work

Time saving

The implementation of collaborative work tools and methods saves precious time for everyone. Indeed, by working together, employees avoid intermediaries, raise problems together and find solutions together. It is therefore easier to get to the point and work efficiently. This obviously improves the agility of the company.

Facilitating communication and improving collective intelligence

Collaborative tools make it possible, among other things, to avoid working in silos and instead to play collectively. Everyone will be able to express themselves freely and group thinking will be encouraged. On innovative projects or ideation workshops, this will encourage innovation, mutual aid and reactivity on the part of everyone.

Better synergy and project management

By working collaboratively, stakeholders can more easily create synergies between them and push for better coordination between teams. This method improves visibility on the progress of projects and the sharing of information. The different projects are better managed thanks to regular exchanges and everyone’s voice.

Shared responsibility

Employees are on the same level, thanks to the implementation of horizontal management. Each individual is free to propose ideas and take initiatives to move the project forward but also to improve the elements initially planned. The proposals are then approved by the whole team. Responsibility is no longer individual but collective. The teams are responsible and are encouraged to think and not just to execute their tasks. As teams are more directly involved in decision-making, they are more empowered and committed.

Knowledge sharing

This method of working encourages interaction between people from different backgrounds and experiences to work together and collaborate. Knowledge, skills and competences are thus put at the service of the group, to advance the project, to propose new ideas and to solve problems. Each person will be able to learn from the others and learn new skills and ways of working.

This working method is therefore an essential means of enabling the circulation of information and guaranteeing contact with employees, which seems fundamental in this period of health crisis. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CCS teams have been collaborating remotely thanks to digital tools but also through global events of the Agile method which allow them to exchange information on a regular basis. However, keeping a physical and real link appears more and more essential, especially to integrate new collaborators or create team cohesion. Bringing together three geographically distinct teams is not easy during this time of pandemic, but the CCS teams hope to be able to meet again soon to share and progress on the project.

L’article Collaborative work: an engaging way of working est apparu en premier sur Coflight Cloud Services.