BACKGROUND

Operational Readiness, Activation, and Transition, or ORAT, is a process for seamlessly managing the transfer of a new or substantially upgraded facility from the design and implementation stage to active live operation. ORAT can incorporate the integration of process, people, facilities, and systems and provide a framework that encompasses stakeholder engagement, quality control and assurance, trial activities, commissioning, training, and regulatory and certification requirements. Airports across the country are investing billions of dollars in facility development; while airports have been using some aspects of ORAT for years, formalizing the process will help them incorporate ORAT into new and ongoing project development processes.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this research are to (1) develop a WebResource and associated tools, which are scalable and adaptable, to support U.S. airports as they develop, implement, maintain, or grow an ORAT program; (2) develop a roadmap to enhance the understanding, purpose, and effectiveness of ORAT programs for airport projects; and (3) develop an executive summary of the findings to promote the effectiveness and inclusion of ORAT programs. All project types should be addressed including all terminal development (headhouse, holdroom, gates, etc.); landside development; airside development; and support facilities, utilities, and special systems.  The roadmap shall provide the industry with guidelines to more fully embrace the ORAT process. It should provide airports that have not developed an ORAT program with a process to start a program.

The final deliverables will cover, at a minimum, the following broad, common components of an ORAT program:

• Relationship of ORAT to planning design and program management;
• Risk identification and mitigation plan;
• Identifying internal and external stakeholders and developing engagement and communication strategies; 
• Identifying roles and responsibilities of stakeholders (either internal or external) who will use, operate, and/or maintain a facility/asset after it is delivered;
• Strategies and tools for transitioning the facility/asset from construction to normal operations (e.g., transfer of Building Information Modeling (BIM) data, asset management, etc.);
• Identifying strategies for training, testing, commissioning, and staffing a new facility/asset;
• Trials and simulation;
• Suggested roles and responsibilities of an ORAT division/team; and
• Meeting any relevant federal, state, and local regulations.

STATUS: RESEARCH IN PROGRESS