Crew Concept as an Organizational Knowledge Instrument Vital for Operations

To cope with nowadays adversities, it is imperative to adopt new mechanisms that provide effective and efficient management of the increasingly scarce resources that the organization has at its disposal. With the aim of increasing efficiency, Portuguese Air Force uses the Air Force Integrated Management Support System. This tool covers various areas, with modules that support personnel management, maintenance and operation, among others. This paper addresses one of these branches, the Operational Management Module. The referred module is used at the operational level for recording data on the performed operations, evidencing several flaws compared to its purpose as an integrated management tool. Regarding flight operations, an essential element is the Crew, which manages the Aircraft, in turn used to execute the Mission. In order to meet the above objective, it is important that Crews management, which includes their composition and promptness verification, is implemented in Operational Management Module. It is therefore the object of study of this paper, to find out whether, how and to what depth, is the Crew concept incorporated in the information system and if this is actually used in the operating theater of the Portuguese Air Force.