How we organize successful enabling of Citizen Developers at the airport operator Fraport.

Fraport AG is one of the leading international companies in the airport business and operates 30 airports on four continents. With 554 landings in 24 hours and over 200,000 passengers a day, the airport operator is a major player in the aviation industry. In the process, 86 airlines serve 292 destinations in 92 countries.

The Challenge

Following the strategic move to a cloud-based infrastructure and the introduction of Microsoft Office 365, Fraport was faced with the significant task of optimally introducing the Microsoft Power Platform. The overarching goal was to fully utilize the innovative power of the various departments while observing all security and compliance guidelines. The introduction of central IT governance and the creation of a citizen developer concept played a decisive and pioneering role in this.

The Almato Solution

The successful implementation of the Power Platform at Fraport included the establishment of a central Center of Excellence (CoE), in which the CoE starter kit from Microsoft was individually adapted to Fraport's specific operational requirements.

Special IT governance was designed for the specific security requirements of the airport operator. The clear definition of rights and roles, the implementation of naming conventions and the design of a secure environment strategy led to the establishment of a robust security architecture.

In addition to IT governance, the training concept was a key component in the introduction of the Microsoft Power Platform. Even with a low-code, no-code concept, sound training of users to become so-called »Power Makers« is essential for the long-term and secure operation of the Power Platform.

To develop the citizen developer strategy, we have designed a customized training concept for Fraport that is being implemented on an ongoing basis. In practice-oriented workshops focusing on Power Apps and Power Automate, the prospective Power Makers can work on their individual use cases. To ensure that the training is as effective as possible, a monthly »Power Maker consultation hour« is held to discuss specific use cases.

Following the successful implementation project, we continue to support the airport operator's Power Platform administrators with extensive consulting services and development support. This includes the creation of Power Apps templates for a standardized design as well as the content evaluation of new connectors.

Another exciting project involves the revision of a Power App that coordinates faults and problems in the parking area, such as damaged bollards, and forwards them to the relevant departments. The focus here is on converting the database to Microsoft Dataverse. The optimization of the existing app and the integration of cloud flows are aimed at increasing performance and usability as well as making the 20,500 daily parking processes run smoothly.

The Success

With the introduction of the Power Platform and the individual training concept, Fraport has around 400 active users after just a few weeks. Several training courses enabled the power makers to identify, evaluate and implement 30 use cases within a short space of time.

One of the numerous areas of application for the Microsoft Power Platform at Fraport is the newly introduced app for fault reports. This enables optimal utilization of all 14,000 parking spaces at Frankfurt Airport as well as efficient troubleshooting.

Meeting Fraport's comprehensive security standards is the result of implementing a rights and roles concept, a clear environment strategy, a data loss prevention policy and application lifecycle management. These measures for secure and efficient operations not only reflect successful digitalization, but also mark the path to a future-oriented, innovative era of airport management.

»Thanks to the close cooperation and the trusting relationship we have developed with Fraport, we were not only able to work very efficiently, but also achieve outstanding results.«

– Florian Euper, Project Manager, Almato AG