news & blog
Being independent: The advantages our independence has for you
17th December 2013
Being independent has many benefits for a small company like o&i consulting, however our independence also offers many advantages for our aviation clients.
Conflict and delay are often associated with complex airport projects that host a large number of stakeholders or strong internal viewpoints. Involved parties may become consumed in the detail, may struggle to satisfy many conflicting needs, and may begin to lose sight of the core objectives.
There are times when an external, independent viewpoint can help to refocus and accelerate a project. There are also times when a third party may simply add a different dimension to a project, may identify if any details or opportunities have been overlooked, or may confirm that a project or operation is ready to go live.
Bringing in someone who understands the aviation environment but is distanced from the day-to-day detail and politics that are often associated with airport facility and operations development projects can be beneficial from many perspectives.
Experience and Knowledge
An external resource can bring knowledge of best practice and experience of performing similar projects. They can provide experience of stakeholder management and new techniques, as well as knowledge of the entire airport industry, other areas of the aviation sector, and other transportation fields, rather than just knowledge of one company and one way of working.
Focus
An experienced third party can help to work through the sea of detail that may cloud a project, and provide focus on the core elements that need attention and that will help to drive the project forward.
Objectivity & Collaborative Working
These are crucial elements in multi-stakeholder projects where each party is protecting its own interests. An independent body can provide unbiased benchmarking, and can deliver a fair set of results when comparable products and services are being assessed. An independent will work collaboratively with all stakeholders, will help to prioritise and provide balance amongst parties, while maintaining focus on the project objectives.
Time
By helping to resolve conflict, rationalise project details, and introduce alternative ways of working, an external body can help to make better use of project time and focus on project deadlines.
Cost
While there is an inevitable cost involved with engaging a third party, this may be absorbed by the fact that an independent body can help to move a stagnant project forward and identify cost savings.
o&i consulting has been brought in as an independent party on many occasions: for peer reviews, for operations reviews, and for large multi-stakeholder projects. We are recognised for our detailed knowledge of the functioning of aviation operations, the role of each stakeholder, and managing complex projects.
We work across the entire aviation industry, with airline, airport and ground handler clients, which means we are able to understand the view points of each party and their business objectives – being impartial but understanding the whole picture.
If an independent view may benefit you, please contact: David Calder at davidcalder@oandiconsulting.com