Causal Factors

An understanding of Causal Factors that influence the performance objectives is critical to the success of the Performance Based Approach.  Data Analytics groups should promote investment in this area as resources allow.  Without causal information, the group will not be able to prioritize investment or set meaningful performance objectives. 

For example, a KPI for punctuality indicates whether a flight was able to depart or land at a scheduled time. However, this indicator does not contain information about the causal factor of the delay; hence aircraft operators and/or an ANSPs should be required to record the cause for a delay. For example, aircraft operators and/or ANSPs may be required to categorize the delay into: ANSP, aircraft operator, weather or even passenger. An aircraft operator and/or

an ANSP may also record the “Operating Condition” under which the delay occurred, for instance runway or airspace restrictions due to weather or equipment issues.  Delays during high wind, or specific times of the day, will give the organization more insight into where to invest resources in developing solutions. 

If causal factors have not been identified during the reporting of the indicators, methodologies to identify the root cause may be used, for example fishbone diagrams.