By Lisa Woodall
I’m sitting in the bar of Heathrow terminal 3 waiting for a flight to Toulouse. I’ve just goggled its history. And am in shock – it’s 64 years old.
Back in 1961 it was opened with great fanfare as an airport at the bleeding edge of the aviation industry. I’m looking around and behind the modern facade I can see the design and architecture of a building of its time.
It is bustling with travellers from around the world Canada, America, India and Asia. And, I’m wondering how everyone had found the experience of arriving at a Terminal that’s over 64 years old, one that seems to be going through a major modernisation programme. I guess trying to upgrade to the norm of aviation travel in the 2020s and to be more like its neighbouring Terminal 5.
I’m reflecting on my Terminal 3 experience and making comparisons to the IT transformation programmes I’ve very much part of.
I wonder if you’ve had the same experience at Terminal 3 and if you have considered it in relation to any IT transformation programmes you’ve been on. (Pretty random I guess)
Many IT transformation programmes are based on modernising and innovating legacy businesses with over 30, 40, 50 or even 60 years of IT architecture of its time… are there similarities to the Terminal 3 experience.
Reflecting back on my journey from the car park to the bar ….
COMBINING THE OLD WITH THE NEW
Having become somewhat dizzy driving up the 1960s circular ramp to the meet and greet car park I was ready for the checkin. I walked along 1960s building corridors and through doors, it felt like a very different experience to that of the more familiar walk from terminal 5 car park to the checkin.
I felt worn out lugging cases, skis, and boot bags, through what felt like an obstacle course, bumping into others who seemed to be equally worn out.
I was becoming. slightly stressed with having to follow what didn’t feel normal. After all my mental map of an airport arrival is now more Terminal 5 than Terminal 3.
It made me think about colleagues who are more familiar with integrated modern apps having to navigate legacy systems – switching between systems to get a job done and how draining it must be for them when half of the systems have been upgraded and half of them haven’t.
DEALING WITH LEGACY CONSTRAINTS
The check-in desks felt as if they were crammed into smaller spaces than the open planned offering in Terminal 5. The area was being clearly reconfigured to cater for self service check in and bag drop off. But the space just didn’t feel fit for purpose.
My mind wandered and I couldn’t help but look at the similarities of an IT modernisation programme having to make compromises and work arounds as changing the pattern of the core foundations could blow the business case or be difficult to achieve.
MORE HELP IS OFTEN NEEDED
Arriving at the checkin I sensed that there were more airline staff smiling and coaching me on my way, directing me where to go next compared to the numbers of people helping at Terminal 5 – or maybe Terminal 5 is designed with self serve from the start the need to spot people who could help me out was less of a need.
I reflected on modernisation programmes and the need often to provide helpful hints and tips to help colleagues who would be used to far more intuitive apps navigate the changing legacy systems to get the job done.
BREAKING HABITS TAKES A NUDGE
And then as we reached security everyone was getting out their laptops and iPads. I guessed many were veteran travellers familiar with the accepted norm of unpacking for security .. but today was different.
The travellers were being assertively told “you can leave your laptops in your bags we have new equipment it’s all cool”.
I watched as people original responded with some frustration having to repack what they had just unpacked but also spotted the hopeful glance between couples of having less to worry about in the future / or maybe more to worry about depending on their point of view.
This too made me reflect on when systems and platforms are being upgraded and people come unstuck as they carry on doing what they’ve always done. This was a reminder that it takes more than a nudge to shake people out of their auto pilot ways – it takes an assertive intervention and support to help them, reassure them of the change.
DOES THE FRONT END GET MORE FOCUS
Once through security we were into Duty Free and this felt bright, cheerful and modern – almost identical to every other duty free area of the modern airports – too few chairs and too many shops but giving the feeling of “you have started your adventure this is it”.
The majority of people having got through the shops were sitting down headphones in and laptops open waiting for the boarding gate announcement and relaxing in airport time.
As I sat in the bar taking it all in – it also made me think that the bright lights and the swanky shops were like the shinny front ends of the modernised IT estate.
It felt as if this part of the airport had had more investment than the checkin areas and had been completed ahead of sorting out the “back end”…. Not dissimilar to IT investment modernising the “customer front end” and letting the “back end” catch up… and this part of the airport had a very familiar feel to other airports (apart from it lacked the view of the planes).
ABSOLUTELY TERMINAL 3 PROVIDES INSIGHTS TO TRANSFORMATION
So yes Terminal 3 was a pioneering design of its time – but 60+ years later its being redesigned and re-engineered for the modern world – I doubt it will ever be as good in design as the Terminals that have been designed and opened in the more recent past but remember the new terminals will be 60 one day and they will they have the same challenges adopting to the designs of their time.
Whether you are designing the IT system landscape of the future from a blank sheet of paper or redesigning IT system landscapes of the past, the experience of Terminal 3 may be worth reflecting on.