Business Need
Making continuity plans easier to use
British Airways operates in an interconnected airport environment, where problems such as a delayed aircraft or systems issue – on the ground or in the air – can quickly affect other flights. Operational teams need to respond quickly to disruptions, using accurate continuity information to understand how other teams are reacting, coordinate their actions and minimise the impact on operations. These activities are overseen by the airline’s business continuity function, which oversees the development of BCPs and maintains a good level of preparedness across the business.
The airline’s legacy business continuity platform recorded dependencies, business impact analysis data and recovery objectives, but it wasn’t designed to hold up-to-date BCPs for every operational unit.
British Airways needed to modernise the experience for all those using BCPs, creating an authoritative source of continuity information that staff in all relevant roles and operational teams could access easily – whether at their desks, on mobile devices or while working on the ramp. It was also important that the app could support accurate reporting and monitoring of BCPs, ensuring that BA could demonstrate compliance with safety regulations and provide data to auditors.
The airline evaluated several off-the-shelf business continuity solutions. Although they offered strong reporting capabilities, these options focused on serving business continuity professionals rather than operational users. British Airways had a broader need: the airline wanted a flexible, user-centric application that could provide real-time BCP information to staff in a huge variety of roles and locations, with the ability to update its capabilities as operational requirements changed.
Solution
Modernising continuity operations around business needs
When British Airways approached NTT DATA, the airline was using an off-the-shelf business continuity product that could not be configured to meet all its requirements. We worked closely with the British Airways team to understand their operational requirements and continuity plans. After considering various options, a bespoke solution was proposed that met their immediate requirements and provided the flexibility to support future growth.
We built the application on Microsoft Power Platform because British Airways was already using several Microsoft products, so staff are familiar with the interface. Identifying and connecting with relevant data feeds and information sources from across the business, the new app creates a consolidated, real-time view of British Airways’ current BCPs. The platform also provides the flexibility to enhance the application as business and operational requirements evolve.
The goals were to create a unified software package that could be used across the business. I provided the vision and NTT DATA and Microsoft took that away to make it a reality.
Outcomes
Clearer continuity information across operations
Bringing British Airways' BCPs into a single platform gave teams a much clearer picture of what was happening across the business. Staff can now access up-to-date information in one place, supporting them to respond to incidents with greater speed, collaboration and confidence.
Strengthened preparation and coordination
The application gave teams a consistent way to review and test BCPs before they were needed. It also made it easier for colleagues to understand how other teams update, use and test their plans, improving learning and coordination across the business.
Improved visibility and reporting
Leaders across British Airways can use Microsoft Power BI, a business intelligence tool, to review current BCPs and critical dependencies across the organisation, supporting business continuity reporting to internal stakeholders and regulators.
Future-ready business continuity
British Airways continues to develop the platform. An IT disaster-recovery module is already in production, and the airline will connect it to the business continuity information already held in the application, giving the airline even greater insight into where to invest in resilience. Looking ahead, British Airways also plans to explore AI for scenario planning based on the BCPs held within the platform.
Business continuity plans are ultimately about simplicity and clarity, because you need a single source of truth. When I open the app, the homepage will have all 10 of Heathrow’s different Business Continuity Plans. I personally only manage one, but the ability to see the other nine is really useful and a real game-changer for us at BA.