Success of EasyJet compared to the failure of the UK Passport Office
... In the summer of 1999, the Passport Office created huge backlogs of passport requests. ... Since its introduction in 1995, EasyJet has grown into a massive world-wide company. Using several sources, we aim to look at how and why EasyJet was so successful. While doing so, we will be looking and the company’s business models as well as looking at other issues concerning EasyJet. We will also be looking at the statistics surrounding EasyJet to see just how successful they have been. Passport Office Original Purpose of the Passport Office The passport agency, established as an Executive Agency of the Home Office in April 1991, aims to provide passport services for British nationals promptly as well as cost-effectively. ... Siemens Business Services was contracted to carry out initial processing of passports and to provide a new computer system to support passport processing. ... These new arrangements were intended to ease the introduction of a more secure passport, using digital image of the passport holder, and to share the risk of system development and operation with the Agency’s private sector partners. On 5th October 1998, the Agency installed its new computer system and procedures in its Liverpool office – in keeping with the timetable set out in the original contracts. The Agency had expected output levels in the Liverpool office to reach about 30,000 issues per week by mid November. However, when the Newport office went live six weeks later, on November 16th, output in Liverpool was just over 8,000 issues per week. ... Problems with the Passport Office In February 1999, as the amount of applications began to increase, maximum processing times rose. In response, the Agency concentrated on meeting customers’ travel dates, increased overtime working, trained existing staff as passport examiners and began recruiting extra staff. ... Whilst the Agencys monthly output rose to 619,000 in May, compared to a peak of 564,000 in the previous year. In July 1999, the Home Office authorized emergency actions to ease the problems, including a call center to deal with telephone enquiries, an extra 100 staff in passport offices and a facility to extend passports at post offices at no charge for up to two years. ... Since 1990, at the Agencys request, the Home Office has provided the Agency with forecasts. Taking the Home Office figures into account, but relying on its own experience, the Agency then prepares its own forecasts. ... The surge in applications in May and June, and the greater number of passport applications in 1999-00 than forecast, partly reflect a larger number of child passports than forecast. ... Children already included in a passport would be able to travel using this document until they reached the age of sixteen or the passport expired or was amended, whichever was earlier. ... In September 1997, a study commissioned by the Agency from the Home Office’s Research and Planning Unit forecast that approximately 800,000 child passports could be expected in1999-00, compared to 400,000 the previous year, within an overall forecast of 5. ... In July 1999, the Home Office informed the Agency that within the overall forecast of 5. ... In the first six months of 1999, almost 800,000 child passport applications were received by the Agency. ... At this point: - Output from the Liverpool and Newport offices was at 10,000 per week, well below the planned output at that stage; - The Peterborough office had already shut down most of its processing in preparation for the introduction of the new system, and needed to revert to its old system; and - The Glasgow and Belfast offices were struggling to keep up with their normal intake of applications plus work transferred from the other offices. ... Because of the changed office layout, the management team had also to devise and introduce new working arrangements to adapt to the old system’s processes. With help from Siemens, the Peterborough office was able to resume working within 10 days or so of the decision to halt rollout. ... These additional measures add around £3 to the cost of producing each passport, bringing the unit cost to over £17 from 2000-01 onwards. How could Passport Office have been better managed? ... More time should have been allocated to the test the system’s impact on productivity at the Liverpool office, and also to the testing and documentation of the clerical procedures that supported the new system. ... Social, legal and ethical issues concerning Passport Office Social- During the summer of 1999 the passports Office newly implemented and failing system, had widespread social repercussions. ... Many holiday makers did the best they could to obtain a Passport by turning up at the Passport Offices in person and Queuing for a one, this put unusual pressure on staff and the public. The passport office had to take steps to resolve and recover the situation so therefore employed more staff to process applications, and set up a call center to cope with queries, this was an adverse benefit as it created jobs for the local community. The social implications toward the managers and initial staff involved at the passport office and Siemens was stressful, and this was a prolonged effect, in the search for who was to blame for the failed implementation.