CGI Takes On Air Canada’s Challenge And Delivers Complex Enterprise Application Support And Maintenance On Time

When they were awarded a five-year contract, in 1998, to support and maintain all of Air Canada’s PeopleSoft and other enterprise applications – including human resources, payroll and finances – CGI specialists knew they were dealing with a fast industry.

Air Canada was already the country’s largest air carrier and one of the majors on the international scene with $ 6.5 billion in annual revenue.

By august 2000, the new dedicated application support and maintenance centre in Montreal was practically coasting at optimal altitude when, after acquiring rival Canadian Airlines, Air Canada publicly planned to thoroughly integrate the management of the two firms within 1year.

Now, that was fast. The sign went on in the cockpit: Fasten Seatbelts!

The Challenge
The initial repatriation of system management functions was a complex project, requiring a delicate balance of organizational finesse, and in-depth knowledge of several technological environments. System information and technical control had to be repatriated from two locations and various sources, including some of Air Canada’s previous suppliers. Some legacy functions had been in operation for over 15 years and documentation was sometimes hard to locate.

The application support centre had to integrate all of those elements, to act as an efficient control tower, managing and directing IT functions and accurately responding to the client’s requests.

The team had to produce enhancements, maintenance and modifications without affecting system’s output. Even though the managed applications were not officially considered mission critical, a corporation of Air Canada’s scope cannot afford prolonged downtime in human resources, payroll and financial systems.

This became even more important when the rapid integration of Canadian Airlines activities was announced.

The Strategy
Whereas outsourcing contracts generally involve taking over a clients’ IT operation along with an experienced team, the current mandate required regrouping a mixture of legacy and brand new enterprise applications – with a brand new crew.

While the facility was being launched and tested, a group of three representatives – from Air Canada, the former outsourcer for some of the applications and CGI – was created to manage all issues and ensure a smooth transition of knowledge and technology.

Throughout the process, applications were simultaneously operated from their former environment and the Montreal facility, until the new set-up was thoroughly tested. The scarcity of system information at some levels was seen as an opportunity to thoroughly document all functions and implement processes that would ensure follow-up in the future.

CGI also implemented the Peritus methodology – now part of CGI’s ISO 9001 certified project management framework – a comprehensive system specifically designed to optimize the management of application support and maintenance teams.

Finally, during the integration of Canadian Airline’s management, CGI brought in a task force of high level consultants and technicians, increasing the center’s staff from 35 to 60 in peak period, in order to meet the client’s deadline.

The Technology
Setting-up the centre and bringing it to full functionality required solid knowledge of the following:

• PeopleSoft Enterprise Applications: Human Resources, Payroll, Financial, operated in a Client/Server environment
• Legacy Systems: Mainframe environment
• Technical platforms/environments: Oracle; Focus; COBOL; UNIX

The Results
Following the complex repatriation process, the centre is providing excellent day-to-day performance. Client requests for changes and improvements are dealt with in an efficient manner and CGI offers ongoing system evolution thanks to its large pool of diversified expertise – unmatched in any single corporation. The quick and successful integration of Canadian Airlines’ IT functions also demonstrates the benefits of dealing with specialists capable of quickly providing competent resources when demand increases.

“Air Canada is very pleased with CGI’s accomplishments in the context of this project,” said Jean-Paul Bourgeois, Director, Enterprise Systems for Air Canada. “The project was delivered on schedule and the transition was totally seamless. To us, it was business as usual. We highly appreciate the professionalism and dedication of the specialists who work for our suppliers.”