Coordination and simplexity in modelling air traffic control as a service: The case of NAV Portugal

• Date: 01 October 2017
• Author: Pedro Antunes,Jocelyn Cranefield
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1551
• Published date: 01 October 2017

CASE STUDY

Coordination and simplexity in modelling air traffic control as a

service: The case of NAV Portugal

Pedro Antunes |Jocelyn Cranefield

School of Information Management, Victoria

University of Wellington, Wellington, New

Zealand

Correspondence

Pedro Antunes, School of Information

Management, Victoria University of

Wellington, PO BOX 600, Wellington 6140,

New Zealand.

Email: pedro.antunes@vuw.ac.nz

This study analyses a unique, revelatory case of service modelling in a complex organisation

providing air traffic control. The study analyses broad modelling activities, including information

elicitation, analysis, and organisation, undertaken by a small team internal to the organisation that

so far has spent about 2,400 person‐hours of effort in the project. The study follows a qualitative

approach in the interpretivist tradition based on interviews and document analysis. The study

analyses the project framework, modelling notations, data collection, collaboration, modelling

activities, and project outputs. The findings are interpreted in light of two theoretical lenses:

coordination and simplexity. The study suggests that simplexity is beneficial for structuring the

modelling of complex, knowledge‐based services. A pattern was identified combining an initial

step promoting simplicity and establishing communication with the stakeholders, followed by a

second step acquiring complexity of understanding. Considering the mechanisms defined by

coordination theory (flow, share, and fit), the study suggests a predominance of the fit mechanism

in modelling knowledge‐based services. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the

challenges of modelling work through cognitive and knowledge‐based lenses and identifies

possible strategies to overcome these challenges. The paper also contributes to the emergent

literature on simplexity by applying that particular lens to work modelling.

1|INTRODUCTION

This study analyses a project that modelled air traffic control (ATC)

services at a holistic, all‐of‐system level. The project was developed

by NAV, which is the Portuguese ATC service provider. The main goal

of the project was to ensure compliance with Eurocontrol's European

Safety Assessment Regulatory Requirement regarding risk assessment

and mitigation. Eurocontrol coordinates ATC across Europe. The main

goal of this study was to understand the nature of the modelling task

undertaken by the project, which provided a unique, revelatory case

of modelling in terms of its criticality, scale, and complexity.

This project was an interesting target for research for several

reasons. One is that the modelling task was centred on a complex orga-

nisation providing a complex, critical service. Lessons taken from these

types of organisations and services can, and probably should, be taken

into consideration when developing similar projects for less demanding

contexts. To give a notion of the complexity involved, the project has

spent approximately 4 years in development and 2,400 person‐hours

of effort, of which 500 focussed on validation only (Santos, 2014).

Another reason for selection of this case is the nature of the

modelling task itself. Modelling in this project was centred on a service

that is still predominantly based on humans, even though heavily based

on sophisticated technology. Modelling cognitive and knowledge‐

based functions is a challenge in itself, because capturing information

that lives in people's minds and making something useful with that

information at the organisational level are both very difficult. The fact

that the ATC model resulting from the NAV project is currently being

used gives a strong indication that the project had found the right

balance between feasibility and utility, which deserves further inquiry.

The model is being used for multiple purposes including regulatory

compliance, safety analysis, training, knowledge management, and

communication, with additional developments under way towards

simulation. Furthermore, the model is also being deployed in other

ATC organisations.

Finally, another incentive for analysing this project is that the

whole project was undertaken by a small team within the organisation

itself without support from external consultants, expert modellers, and

researchers. This is in itself unusual, and it is therefore worth

investigating the endogenous factors that led to success.

The study followed a qualitative approach in the interpretivist

tradition. It was based on analysis of in‐depth interviews with key

project team members and document analysis. The focus was placed

on understanding how the project team undertook broad modelling

activities, including information elicitation, analysis, and organisation.

Received: 31 July 2016 Accepted: 26 July 2017

DOI: 10.1002/kpm.1551

Knowl Process Manag. 2017;24:277–286. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/kpm 277