ANSP roster prototype: the starting point

In 2020, an international consultancy engaged our team to prototype rosters for a private ANSP preparing to launch. The scope covered three to six ATC units, with monthly iterations and feedback from the ANSP and its social partners.

The model brought together a supplied Sector Opening Timetable (SOT), planned and unplanned absence, changed sector openings and alternative staff allocations.

This series describes the modelling work reported in 2021. The results are simulations, not measured production outcomes.

Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3 · Part 4

Agree the scope

The initial meetings brought together ANSP representatives, controllers, union members and our ATM consultants. The team reviewed the planning requirements, staffing limitations and information needed for the first simulation.

A configuration checklist assigned actions to the ANSP and consultants. Staff were represented by identifiers, with unit and team membership supplied to reproduce the relevant organisational structure.

Configure leave and duties

The project used a dedicated SkyRoster environment with administrator access. Configuration began with organisational settings, leave types and duty types.

Nine leave types were defined, including annual paid leave, maternity or paternity leave, sick leave and recuperation leave. Each type specified whether approval was required, whether the leave was planned and whether it reduced an allowance.

For example, annual paid leave required approval, was treated as planned and was deducted from the allowance. Further settings covered hours per day, month or year, consecutive days and request notice. One example required an annual-leave request at least ten days before its start.

Eleven duty types were also defined, including refresher training, missions, English training, medical checks and overtime. Approval settings and applicable limits were configured for each. The country’s public holidays were included in the leave setup.

These values were project inputs. They are not universal requirements for other ANSPs.

Represent the organisation

The initial structure included a tower and an area control centre. The ACC had nine teams of nine controllers, giving 81 ATCOs.

Unit and employee records included the relevant contract values, allowances and carry-overs. Qualification requirements were prepared for the competency records, and the staff information needed for the model was assigned to the appropriate teams.

Part 2 describes the competency settings and staff import.