Customer Stories
Streamlining Aviation: CAAB's Digital Transformation with Microsoft Power Platform
Customer Name:
Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB)
Industry:
Aviation
Business Problem:
CAAB struggled with outdated, manual processes and on-premises data storage, causing regulatory delays, higher costs, and increased environmental impact
Commercial Impact:
Enhanced Efficiency and Cost Reduction
Social Impact:
Promoting Environmental Sustainability and Safety in Air Travel
Deal Size:
$4,460.93
Microsoft Solution:
Microsoft Power Platform
Microsoft Partner:
Cloudware Africa
Cloudware Africa partnered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) to address traditional manual paper processes, reducing delays, operational costs, and environmental impact. Leveraging Microsoft’s Power Platform, the initiative streamlined operations, achieving more than 75% improvement in memorandum turnaround time and reducing paper involvement by 95%. Through meticulous problem-solving and tailored solution implementation, CAAB transitioned from manual processes to streamlined automation. The partnership exemplifies a commitment to environmental sustainability and efficient processes.
Customer Challenge
Improving the circulation of critical information and notices within the CAAB has emerged as a significant challenge. Despite its apparent simplicity, this issue is of paramount importance for an organization tasked with making decisions that directly impact the safety of approximately 3 million Batswana who rely on air travel. The CAAB holds the responsibility for regulating and advancing air transport, furnishing air navigation services, overseeing airports, and advising the government on all civil aviation matters.
The overarching objective is to regulate and foster a safe, secure, and sustainable aviation sector in alignment with global standards and practices. Decisions are made continuously, necessitating approval from pertinent stakeholders before dissemination to ensure compliance. Any delay in distributing memos could pose serious risks to operators and stakeholders, potentially compromising the safety of air travellers. This concern is exacerbated by the CAAB’s pursuit of enhanced profitability, which prompted the establishment of the Business Development Unit dedicated to generating revenue across all CAAB-managed airports. Consequently, regular communication of regulatory updates and information has become imperative.
The antiquated method of disseminating information using physical paper documents not only incurs delays due to the need for multiple downloads and printing for approval signatures but also contributes to excessive paper usage. This not only escalates costs but also contradicts eco-friendly practices.
Solution Impact
- SharePoint Intranet Portal
- Power Automate facilitated seamless approvals by prompting stakeholders through Adobe Sign.
- Eliminated the need for printing and signing memos, streamlining the approval process.
- Power Apps for Real-Time Tracking
- With Power Apps, CAAB tracks the progress of each memo in real-time.
- Enables identification of pending tasks and provides visibility into the status of memos.
- SharePoint for Document Management
- SharePoint streamlined memo management by enhancing storage, retrieval, and audit functionalities.
- Centralized document management system, improving accessibility and organization.
- Flexible Approval Levels with Power Automate
- Implementation of Power Automate allowed for flexible approval levels.
- Enabled CAAB to adapt to stakeholders according to situational demands, improving agility.
- Transformation to Automated Processes
- Transition from manual to automated processes resulted in effortless memo creation, circulation, and approvals.
- Accessibility via mobile devices improved efficiency and reduced processing time.
- Alignment with Green Initiatives
- Swift communication of vital information aligned with green initiatives, reducing paper usage.
- Realized substantial cost savings through reduced paper involvement and increased efficiency.
- Remarkable Results Leveraging Power Platform
- Leveraging Microsoft's Power Platform, the initiative achieved remarkable results.
- Streamlined operations with over a 75% improvement in memorandum turnaround time and significant reduction in paper involvement.
Unique Value Proposition
Cloudware stands out for its dedication to assisting customers in digital transformation, forming robust partnerships that drive mutual success. Collaborating closely with clients, we identify opportunities and introduce value-adding services, aligning our goals with theirs. This customer-centric approach sets us apart as we make their mission our own, focusing on understanding their pain points and delivering tailored solutions. Rather than just selling solutions, we prioritize fit and utilize a data-driven approach for effective problem-solving.
Our commitment to digital transformation and exceptional customer experience has earned us prestigious awards. In 2021, we were honored as the Digital Transformation Company of the Year by the Beacon of Information & Communications Technology. Additionally, in 2023, we received the Business Transformation Company of the Year award at the 14th Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Awards. Furthermore, our continuous recognition as Microsoft Partner of the Year in various countries for six consecutive years highlights our industry leadership and unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. These accolades underscore our remarkable achievements in digitally transforming businesses, driving cost savings, efficiency improvements, and productivity enhancements for our customers.
Engagement with Microsoft:
The Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) shoulders the pivotal responsibility of overseeing the regulation and advancement of air transport, while also managing airports and offering vital guidance to the government on civil aviation matters. Aligned with its mission to effectively and efficiently regulate and promote a safe, secure, and sustainable aviation industry in accordance with international standards and norms, CAAB embarked on a quest for a technology partner that shared and upheld its mission.
In this pursuit, Cloudware Africa emerged as the natural choice, leveraging our prowess in requirement gathering and problem decomposition. Our partnership with CAAB was steered by our adept team, illuminating the value proposition and demonstrating our proficiency in implementing desired workloads, buoyed by steadfast support from Microsoft throughout the sales cycle. Notably, our specialization in Low Code solutions garnered attention, with Microsoft’s Oluwaremilekun Olowu offering invaluable guidance during customer interactions.
Today, CAAB revels in a seamlessly integrated memorandum process that has effectively eradicated the risks associated with delayed information circulation in a landscape reliant on swift and agile systems. Moreover, the adoption of our solutions has contributed to a noteworthy reduction in carbon footprint through the elimination of paper usage, concurrently enhancing operational efficiency via business process automation. This milestone marks a significant achievement in our collaborative journey, underscoring the tangible impact of our partnership with CAAB.
Business and Digital Transformation
The memorandum process holds immense significance within CAAB, drawing keen interest from C-suite executives who underscore the importance of access control, permissions, and various other facets. Recognizing the critical nature of these concerns, we meticulously addressed them by implementing role-based access within the Power Platform solution. This approach ensured that individuals were granted access only to the essential functionalities requisite for their specific roles in the memorandum process. By doing so, we fortified the integrity of the process and instilled confidence within the CAAB team, alleviating any apprehensions associated with transitioning the memorandum process to the cloud.
Our approach was rooted in a profound understanding of CAAB’s challenges, culminating in the proposition of the Power Platform as a comprehensive solution. Through close collaboration with process owners and the application of design thinking principles, we meticulously crafted a solution designed to facilitate seamless user adoption. Our paramount objective was to maintain familiarity for users while infusing innovation to optimize the system as a whole.
Leveraging the capabilities of Power Automate, we introduced multiple approval pathways, both integrated within the application and accessible via email. This ensured a frictionless process for users to take action promptly and efficiently, irrespective of their location. By seamlessly integrating these functionalities, we streamlined the memorandum process, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness while upholding stringent access controls and permissions.
Recognizing the importance of user acceptance, comprehensive training sessions were conducted, fostering a culture of innovation. Following the John Kotter change management model, key stakeholders were identified to create a sense of urgency and form a coalition. A strategic vision was formulated, capturing the wins the new process will bring , celebrating short-term wins like the first week of rapid Memo management process, we were able to maintain momentum and anchor the change; spotlighting the time, cost and environment savings that comes with each digital memo circulated.
Testimonial
“Prior to utilizing Cloudware Africa services, our internal memorandum procedure consisted of manual tasks that were time-consuming and subject to many potential errors. However, with their expertise in automation, we were able to automate repetitive tasks, allowing our team to focus on more strategic initiatives. Not only did the automation solution save us valuable time, but it also improved the accuracy and efficiency of our operations. Moreover, the ongoing support and responsiveness of Cloudware Africa has been outstanding. Any issue or concerns we have encountered have been promptly addressed, ensuring smooth operations of the automated processes.”
Jacob Moswetsi – Chief Information Technology Officer
Charting the Course Ahead: Our Commitment
We plan to enhance our partnership with the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) in the next year by focusing on Microsoft Azure for cloud solutions, Power BI for analytics, and advanced security measures to improve CAAB’s efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and cybersecurity. Our efforts will include migrating more operations to Azure for scalability and reliability, utilizing Power BI to provide actionable insights for better planning and monitoring as evidenced by the user adoption workshops we have conducted, and bolstering security to protect against threats. We’ll support CAAB with training and continuous improvement, aiming to make it a leader in digital transformation in aviation.
