NextGen for Airports, Volume 2: Engaging Airport Stakeholders: Guidebook (2016)

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Chapter Title | 35Establishing and Maintaining a Stakeholder Engagement Program 8 Establishing and Maintaining a Stakeholder Engagement Program Stakeholder engagement is most effective when it is carried out in a series of well-thought-out activities. “Poorly thought-through engagement practice[s] can create mistrust, waste stakeholders’ time, and lead to ‘engagement fatigue’—a reluctance to participate in future con- sultations” (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 2011). A well-thought-out process requires a series of steps, which are described in this chapter. Establish a Strategy for Stakeholder Engagement First, senior management establishes a strategy for stakeholder engagement. As a part of this strategy, management decides what level of engagement is desired for typical airport activities such as approval of a new master plan, significant capital improvements, and the implementation of new procedures. The desired outcomes of stakeholder engagement efforts also should be defined. For the implementa- tion of PBN and other NextGen capabilities, desired outcomes may include faster implementation, compatibility with community land use, reduced noise impact, and increased air service. Establishment of a strategy for stakeholder engagement requires input from airport planners, opera- tions personnel, communications and marketing specialists, and others, but the decisions should be made by the senior managers that have oversight over these airport departments. When implementing the strategy, senior management should promote a culture of two-way en- gagement of stakeholders. They should encourage transparency, so that relevant factors are shared with stakeholders as soon as possible. They should encourage staff to share information openly and to be effective listeners. The goal should be not only to provide information but also to receive it (Woodward, Briscoe, and Dunholter 2009). Airport staff should then act, as appropriate, using the information that has been received from stakeholders. Openness, listening, and action are critical in fostering the trust that is required for effective long-term engagement (Woodward, Briscoe, and Dunholter 2009). Once the desired level of engagement has been determined, human and financial resources need to be allocated and assigned to carry out the strategy. The human resources include individuals respon- sible for carrying out stakeholder engagement activities, specialists who can conduct any necessary analyses, analysts who can prepare maps, and communications specialists who can develop the materials required. The individuals senior management selects for a stakeholder engagement initia- tive should bring a public service attitude and strong people skills to the process along with technical knowledge of the subject at hand (Woodward, Briscoe, and Dunholter 2009). These human resources may be existing employees, new hires, consultants, or service providers. Stakeholder engagement activities are often led from within their airport planning department. This is logical because planners are often involved in the early phases of changes when stakeholder engage- ment is best initiated. Other airports, particularly smaller and medium-sized airports that do not have

36 | ENGAGING AIRPORT STAKEHOLDERS large staffs, tend to rely on senior management to fulfill these functions. Most of the airports that re- sponded to the survey (14 of 17, or 82.4%) have internal communications or marketing departments, all of which indicated that they help with communications with external stakeholders. Regardless of whether the airport has communications staff or consultants available to help them, senior manage- ment should participate in stakeholder engagement meetings when possible. Their involvement demonstrates the airport’s commitment to the engagement effort and illustrates that the airport holds stakeholder comments and questions in high regard. The presence of senior management also attracts senior level managers and decision makers to the discussion (Woodward, Briscoe, and Dunholter 2009). Funding should be identified at the onset of a stakeholder engagement program. Given the variety of factors involved, no single funding level can be prescribed, or even ranges based on airport size. Fund- ing requirements vary based on the level of stakeholder engagement desired and fluctuate as the air- port or FAA implement changes that affect stakeholders. A cost estimating spreadsheet tool (provided online in the NextGen Outreach Toolkit) can help each airport determine rough order of magnitude (ROM) costs that can assist in determining the funding requirements of their stakeholder engagement program. Finally, it bears repeating that clear lines of communication should be established at the early stages of forming a stakeholder engagement program. Those responsible for carrying out the program need to know to whom they are to report, on what subjects, and when. Expectations for participating in meet- ings need to be established so that department managers can allocate their staff resources accordingly. All airport staff and consultants who have valid information needs with regard to the NextGen initia- tive should be kept informed, and relationships with external stakeholders established to keep lines of communication open between and beyond formal meetings. To improve coordination with airports with regard to stakeholder communications on NextGen, FAA has published printed and electronic material that describes NextGen, identifies successes achieved, and outlines the implementation plan going forward at a national scale. At a local level, FAA has promoted, supported, and, in some cases, led many stakeholder engagement activities related to NextGen. Examples of these efforts include the case studies on the O’Hare Modernization Program and the Puget Sound Regional Council’s engagement activities described in Chapter 9 of this guide- book. At the same time, a growing number of airports are proactively seeking information on NextGen initiatives that will impact them through dialogue with their ADO manager, local ATO representatives, regional flight procedures teams (FPTs) and regional airspace and procedures teams (RAPTs). Informa- tion on FPTs is available online (FAA 2013a; FAA 2016). Understand the Issues and Concerns An important next step in stakeholder engagement is to be sure that all stakeholders understand the issues, options, and concerns about NextGen. Fortunately, all stakeholders do not need to know all the complex details about NextGen. They do, however, need to understand their specific roles in NextGen implementation and enough of the details to effectively contribute to and fulfill those roles. The interactive flow chart provided in the NextGen Outreach Toolkit highlights the airport’s role within the complex process of implementing PBN procedures. Details and links are provided in the flow chart to cover each step that involves airport stakeholders. The other volumes in the ACRP Report 150 series provide further details on NextGen as it relates to senior management, airport planning, PBN, and mapping data.

Establishing and Maintaining a Stakeholder Engagement Program | 37 Identify the Who, When, and How of Engaging Stakeholders Carrying out a stakeholder engagement program involves understanding who should be engaged, when they should be engaged, and how they can be engaged most effectively. • Senior managers examine, as early as possible in the planning of a NextGen initiative, the oppor- tunities and risks associated with the implementation of NextGen capabilities. These opportunities and risks include the timing and impact of NextGen-related changes on identified internal and external stakeholders. Potential benefits to air service, operational efficiency, and safety, along with any environmental impacts, also should be understood. As the initiative progresses—or whenever relevant factors change considerably—senior management will need to be updated. • Airport planners and consultants study the potential impacts on stakeholders of the new capabili- ties during planning and identify beneficial—or mitigating—options that may exist. • Airport planners and/or communications specialists share information with and seek feedback from community representatives, elected officials, and the media/press before changes occur. Planners continue to be involved as the implementation of the NextGen capability progresses, monitor- ing the results of the newly implemented capability. Together with communications specialists, airport planners may also be involved with collecting and responding to complaints from airport neighbors. • FAA flight procedures representatives, significant aircraft operators, and airport operations staff are engaged both during planning and throughout implementation of the NextGen initiative, col- laborating through formal working group meetings or ad-hoc meetings or teleconference calls to ensure that operational considerations are met. Although a list can clarify these responsibilities and roles, it is difficult to accurately convey the “when” in linear fashion. In reality the contributions of an airport’s internal stakeholders to a stakeholder engagement program require varying levels of involvement across all stages of the program. For example, airport operators and operations staff may be tapped to contribute information that helps senior management understand and assess risks and benefits very early during the planning stage, and senior management will want to be informed about—and may participate in responses to—serious complaints should they be raised by airport neighbors. Evaluate and Monitor Program Success As with any ongoing program, an effective stakeholder engagement program will periodically evalu- ate how well it has met the original objectives. Adjustments and changes can be made if necessary. As different NextGen capabilities are implemented, the strategy and methods of stakeholder engagement also must be reevaluated and adjusted. To borrow a quotation from a public involvement benchmark- ing study by FHWA, “Because you got it right once, don’t think you’ve got it down” (Matley 2002). The RTCA PBN Blueprint Task Group recommends defining stakeholder engagement goals as key performance areas (KPAs) that describe the overall outcomes desired. Specific objectives that can be measured in terms of their contribution toward achieving a KPA are referred to as “sub KPAs” and the results of these measurements are expressed as key performance indicators (KPIs).

38 | ENGAGING AIRPORT STAKEHOLDERS Lessons learned from KPIs can be used to adjust the original goals or redefine the scope of an initia- tive as needed (RTCA NextGen Advisory Committee 2014). Tables 8-1 and 8-2 relate KPAs and KPIs for stakeholder engagement in relation to for PBN implementation. Table 8-1. Stakeholder engagement KPAs and KPIs. Key Performance Area Key Performance Indicators Reach Appropriate Stakeholders Number and type of stakeholders who participated Level of effort stakeholders expended to participate Did senior management participate? Two-Way Engagement Did participants learn new information that was relevant to them? Number of questions and comments received Efficiency Staff time required to prepare for and conduct stakeholder engagement Actual amount of funds spent versus estimated budget Effectiveness Were questions raised that should have been addressed in the material? Number of follow-up inquiries or action items required Sources: ACRP Project 01-28 and Marsh (2001) The ultimate indicator of success is how well the stakeholder engagement activities have achieved an optimal balance of stakeholder objectives for the NextGen capabilities being implemented. Table 8-2 presents KPIs that can be monitored to assess whether important KPAs of PBN implementation have been met. Table 8-2. PBN implementation KPAs and KPIs. Key Performance Area Key Performance Indicators Flight Safety Number of incidents recorded Feedback from pilots Increased Air Service Procedure usage statistics Enplanements over time Aircraft landing fees and parking revenue over time Operational Efficiency Comparison of actual flight tracks to intended flight tracks Feedback from operators Comparison of schedule versus actual arrival and departure times Decreased Noise Impact Comparison of actual flight tracks with noise abatement procedures Trends in number, location, and anger intensity of noise complaints Community attitude surveys and feedback from focus groups Results from noise monitoring equipment Sources: ACRP Project 01-28 and Woodward, Briscoe, and Dunholter (2009) It is suggested that the individuals responsible for PBN-related stakeholder engagement at airports monitor these and other KPIs they deem relevant to their airport. For maximum efficiency, these individuals can seek help from their colleagues in airport planning, operations, and marketing. They also should refer to the growing number of statistical sources available from FAA. At this stage, their goal is to monitor the success of NextGen implementation with regard to the objectives expressed by stakeholders. Airport participants in PBN working groups also should be prepared to share evaluation

Establishing and Maintaining a Stakeholder Engagement Program | 39 information, including KPIs, with the NextGen project manager so that it can be included in the Post- Implementation Analysis Report (PIAR) required by FAA. Identify and Overcome Risks An important part of managing any program is to identify and mitigate potential risks to the pro- gram’s success. Acting within the overall strategy and risk guidelines established by senior manage- ment, this can be best accomplished by the individuals tasked to lead specific stakeholder engagement activities as part of their program planning. Information on risks that have been realized and steps taken to mitigate them also need to be communicated to senior management as a part of program monitoring and reporting activities. Following are some of the risks NextGen-related stakeholder en- gagement programs may face and recommended steps to mitigate those risks: • Too little engagement may occur. This situation leaves some stakeholders feeling as though their needs have not been adequately represented. Too little engagement can lead to negative press, organized uprisings and boycotts, and action by elected officials. Open and transparent commu- nications with all relevant stakeholders can minimize this risk. Although there will always be some stakeholders who will speak out against a change, adequate levels of engagement ensure that they are fewer in number and reduce the likelihood of political action. • Too much engagement occurs. This situation hinders the implementation process. Overly engag- ing stakeholders can result in less willingness on the part of stakeholders to participate in what becomes perceived as an overbearing process. Also, providing too much technical information to stakeholders who are not also informed about how to interpret it can lead to false conclusions. To mitigate this risk, each stakeholder group’s need for information should be assessed and met at the appropriate level. • Lines of communication are unclear. This situation can occur with various stakeholders and can re- sult in individuals feeling uninformed or not empowered to share relevant information with others. To mitigate this risk, it is necessary to clearly identify and convey the authority, authorization, and accountability of all individuals involved in the stakeholder engagement process. In other words, participants need to have well-defined expectations about whom they are expected to communi- cate with, about what, and when. • Information is inaccessible, too abstract, or overly complicated. Stakeholders need to be able to un- derstand the information that is shared. Complex information should be shared in a manner and at a level of detail that helps stakeholders to understand it. Background information, definitions, and instructional materials should be made available to help individuals understand concepts that are new to them and help those familiar with the concepts ensure that their understanding is consis- tent with that of their peers. Engage Stakeholders in NextGen Initiatives Beyond PBN The engagement tools and materials presented in this guidebook deliberately focus on the implemen- tation of PBN flight procedures because PBN has and will continue to be the NextGen capability that

40 | ENGAGING AIRPORT STAKEHOLDERS impacts most airports. PBN also is the NextGen initiative that is the most influenced by stakeholder engagement activity. PBN is the most logical place to begin, but other NextGen initiatives such as multiple runway operations (MRO), separation management, and improved surface operations also will directly impact airports. • MRO will increase the utilization of closely spaced parallel runways by allowing simultaneous paral- lel operations, reducing separation between staggered operations, and alleviating the effects of wake turbulence between aircraft. • Separation management will enable aircraft to operate closer together without compromising safety due to equipment installed on the aircraft, improved communication with controllers, and more details on weather conditions. • Improved surface operations will allow aircraft and other vehicles on the surface of an airfield to operate with greater efficiency, allowing flexibility to adapt to changing conditions without com- promising safety. These benefits are made possible by a combination of location sensors, data exchanged and communication technologies, and traffic flow management (TFM) procedures. Like PBN, MRO and separation management initiatives will change the volume and tracks of arriving and departing aircraft. For this reason, the approach to stakeholder engagement for these initiatives will likely resemble that used for PBN. The objectives, methods, tools, and materials described in this guidebook and provided in the NextGen Outreach Toolkit can be adapted or expanded by airports to address MRO, separation management, and other NextGen initiatives. For these NextGen capabili- ties, as well as for surface operations, airport operations personnel may wish to become more engaged given the changes that will occur to the routes taken by taxiing aircraft and the volume of parked aircraft to be accommodated.