Project Overview

From 2018 to 2020, Bronson provided a wide-range of services to support the Airport Authority’s analytical platform and data visualization tool, Tableau. Bronson provided a range of Tableau-related services including:

• Developed multiple new dashboards and improved and restored functionality of existing dashboards to enhance and support decision-making including developing documentation to enable data refreshes and providing one-on-one training to enhance in-house capacity for self-serve analytics;
• Provided an on-call service to the Airport Authority for level 1 and level 2 maintenance and technical support according to prescribed service standards. In this regard, Bronson responded to a variety of Tableau-related and/or data/software-related issues and provided direct support related to the Airport Authority’s use of Tableau, including supporting the Tableau services installed at the Airport Authority and managing and enabling upgrades; and
• Developed a multi-year data strategy for the Airport Authority that included assessing the organization’s approach to data management and documenting and understanding data sources, opportunities to access and share data, obstacles and challenges to leveraging data sources, current and potential data architecture and organizational capacity to expand use of and access to data and related resource requirements.

Bronson also supplied formal project management services to oversee and ensure the successful completion of multiple concurrent workstreams, which included daily management of the project and project team, guiding the project from initiation through planning, execution, and closure phases, as well as effective scheduling, task definition, and regular communication with the client to report on project status, impact, costs, and timelines.

The Challenge

The Airport Authority chose Tableau as their primary platform for data analysis and visualization; however, they lacked the internal resources necessary to fully leverage the tool’s capabilities. Moreover, the Authority sought to refresh existing dashboards and create new ones to enhance decision-making processes and uncover trends across various operational activities. A comprehensive data strategy was also a priority, aiming to ensure that decision-making was grounded in evidence and that the data was both accessible and user-friendly. Consequently, there was a recognized need for an external assessment of the Authority’s data sources, systems, and the overall capacity to access and share data, alongside recommendations for a suitable data architecture and the organizational capacity to utilize data effectively. Additionally, the Airport Authority expressed interest in collaborating with a local third-party provider capable of promptly addressing Tableau maintenance and support needs.

Our Solution and Impact

Bronson established an internal project team to meet the requirements of multiple streams of parallel project activity to support Airport Authority. Team members were specifically assigned to focus on three primary areas: dashboard functionality and development, data strategy formulation, and Tableau maintenance and support. In addition, Bronson assigned a Project Manager to be uniquely focused on the effective and efficient delivery of services, to fulfill client expectations and standards and to meet prescribed project budget, schedule and scope parameters. To maintain oversight, significant efforts were deployed to monitor the time and budget of the Bronson team, as well as the status of each project stream. In addition, the Bronson Project Manager established a close and consistent relationship with Airport Authority through weekly meetings with the Client Authority and through the delivery of formal status updates, monthly budget updates and monthly invoices.

A standardized approach to dashboard development was established, which encompassed gathering requirements and designing preliminary dashboards in consultation with the Project Authority. This process involved reviewing available data sources to ensure they would support the intended design, followed by the development and testing of the dashboards, creating documentation for routine updates, training sessions for the Project Authority or their delegate to manage update documentation, and evaluating future automation potentials. Time and cost required to complete all of these sub-tasks was monitored and reported to the Airport Authority to ensure full visibility. Furthermore, careful project management ensured that any unforeseen challenges were addressed promptly and that adjustments were made to the budget, scope, or schedule as necessary.

The Data Strategy was developed through the following four step methodology:

• Conducted stakeholder interviews and assess current state in terms of current approach to data management, strategic context of Airport Authority and external/peer benchmarking;
• Consolidated and communicated preliminary findings;
• Developed a strawman of the data strategy including creating draft options; socializing the options with key stakeholders and assessing viability of options through consultations with key stakeholders; and
• Developed Data Strategy.

On-demand Tableau maintenance and support were provided based on service standards agreed upon by both Bronson and the Airport Authority. Bronson time and cost dedicated to each maintenance and support requirement was tracked and reported to the Airport Authority. In addition, Bronson used an issue-tracking software (JIRA) to assign maintenance and support tasks and to monitor status of each task. This information was also shared with the Project Authority to ensure full visibility of progress.

Learn more about the Tableau platform.