The Ground Handling Airport Control Center Exercise

The Scenario

A major international Airport (Knuffingen Airport) has identified a need to upgrade its Ground Handling operations by enhancing its airside bus dispatch system. Currently, the airport can only dispatch Airside Busses with a maximum capacity of 50 passengers (PAX), which is causing delays and inefficiencies in the airport's ground handling operations. To address this issue, the Airport has initiated a smaller project to upgrade its Airport Contorl Center (KACC - Knuffingen Airport Control Center) including the Airside Bus Dispatching system, which will enable the dispatch of busses with a capacity of 100 passengers.

As part of the upgrade, the KACC at the airport needs to be updated to support the dispatch of larger busses. The requirement for the project is the development of a new ground handling control center that can dispatch Airside Busses with a capacity of 100 passengers. This requirement has many dependencies, including:

• Gate Software Upgrade: To support the dispatch of larger busses, the gate software needs to be updated. This requires coordination with the gate software vendor, airport IT staff, and the project team to ensure a smooth upgrade process.

• Shift Planning Software Upgrade: The ground handling control center relies on shift planning software to manage staffing levels. The upgrade to the KACC will require an upgrade to the Shift Planning Software as well. This requires coordination with the shift planning software Scrum Team and Airport HR staff to ensure a smooth upgrade process.

• User Requirements: The new KACC must meet the needs of various stakeholders, including ground-handling dispatchers, airport staff, and airlines. Requirements gathering and analysis must be carried out in collaboration with these stakeholders to ensure that the system meets their needs.

• Training: The ground handling control center staff must be trained on the new system. The training program must be carefully planned and executed to ensure that all users are proficient in using the system.

• System Testing: The new ground handling control center must be thoroughly tested to ensure that it meets all functional and non-functional requirements. This requires collaboration with the testing team to ensure that all test cases are covered and that any defects are identified and addressed.

• Regulatory Compliance: The new ground handling control center must comply with all relevant regulations and safety standards. This requires collaboration with airport authorities and regulatory bodies to ensure that the system meets all necessary requirements.

The Scrum Team must carefully manage these dependencies and ensure that they are addressed in a timely and effective manner. This requires coordination, communication, and collaboration among all stakeholders, including project managers, developers, vendors, and end-users. With careful planning and execution, the new ground handling control center can support the dispatch of larger busses, improving the efficiency and safety of ground handling operations at the airport and providing a better experience for passengers and airlines.

The User Story / The Epic for your Team

The User Story

As a ground handling control center operator at the airport, I want to be able to dispatch airside busses with a capacity of 100 passengers so that I can efficiently transport large groups of passengers and improve overall ground handling operations.

Acceptance Criteria:

• The ground handling control center should be updated to support the dispatch of airside busses with a capacity of 100 passengers.

• The gate software should be upgraded to support the dispatch of larger busses.

• The shift planning software should be upgraded to manage staffing levels for the larger busses.

• The new ground handling control center should meet the needs of various stakeholders, including ground handling service providers, airport staff, and airlines.

• The ground handling control center staff should be trained on the new system.

• The new ground handling control center should comply with all relevant regulations and safety standards.

• As a result, I can dispatch larger busses, which will reduce wait times for passengers and improve overall operational efficiency. Additionally, I can better meet the needs of airlines and ground handling service providers, which will improve collaboration and communication between stakeholders.