FO-12 · Flight Crew Briefing & Pre-Departure

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Process Flow Diagram (BPMN)

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L4 Process Steps

Step	Step Name	Role / Swim Lane	System	Input	Output	KPI	Dec?	Exc?
Phase 1 1.1	Crew sign-in and duty period validation	Captain / First Officer	Jeppesen Crew Management	Scheduled report time, crew roster assignment	Validated duty start time, confirmed crew pairing	Sign-in completion ≥30 min prior to departure; FTL compliance 100%	N	N
1.2	Validate fatigue risk and FTL compliance	Captain / Crew Scheduling	Jeppesen Crew Management	Cumulative flight hours, rest period log, duty start time	FTL compliance confirmation or crew relief trigger	FTL violation rate <0.1% of monthly departures	Y	Y
1.3	Retrieve and open crew briefing package	Captain / First Officer	Jeppesen FliteDeck	Flight number, date, departure station	Loaded briefing package: flight plan, weather, NOTAMs, ATIS	Briefing package retrieval within 2 min of sign-in; package currency ≤60 min old at review	N	N
Phase 2 2.1	Review METAR, TAF, and SIGMET reports	Captain / Dispatcher	Honeywell GoDirect	Current METAR, TAF for departure/en-route/destination, SIGMETs	Crew weather assessment and ceiling/visibility minima check	Weather briefing completed ≥20 min before STD; 100% SIGMET acknowledgement logged	N	N
2.2	Assess destination and alternate minima	Captain	Jeppesen FliteDeck	Terminal aerodrome forecasts, instrument approach plate minima, airline OpSpecs	Alternate airport selection and additional fuel requirement	Correct alternate selected per ICAO Annex 2 / FAR 121.619; fuel-to-alternate margin ≥45 min	N	Y
2.3	Confirm weather acceptable for planned departure	Captain / Dispatcher	Honeywell GoDirect	Weather assessment, crew minimums, operational limits	Go / No-Go weather decision; delay or reroute request if no-go	Weather-related departure decision communicated to OCC ≥15 min before STD	Y	Y
Phase 3 3.1	Review computerised flight plan and fuel load	Captain / Dispatcher	NAVBLUE	Filed ATC flight plan, optimised route, fuel figures from Dispatch	Reviewed flight plan with crew acknowledgement	Flight plan review complete ≥15 min before STD; fuel uplift variance ≤2% vs planned	N	Y
3.2	Review dispatch release for regulatory compliance	Captain	NAVBLUE	Dispatch release document, OpSpecs authorisations, fuel release	Crew review annotation; list of queries for Dispatcher	Dispatch release co-sign rate without amendment ≥92%; amendment resolution time ≤10 min	Y	Y
3.3	Co-sign dispatch release with Dispatcher	Captain / Licensed Dispatcher	NAVBLUE	Reviewed and agreed dispatch release	Dual-signed dispatch release (FAR 121.663 joint responsibility established)	Dispatch release signed ≥10 min before STD; 100% digital co-signature audit trail	N	N
Phase 4 4.1	Review NOTAM package for departure and en-route	Captain / First Officer	Jeppesen FliteDeck	NOTAM filter output for departure airport, en-route waypoints, destination	Annotated NOTAM list; crew awareness of active restrictions	NOTAM review complete prior to departure; safety-critical NOTAMs (runway closures, ILS unserviceable) flagged 100%	N	N
4.2	Review MEL and CDL deferred item list	Captain	Boeing Toolbox / CAMP	Aircraft tail number, active MEL/CDL deferrals, maintenance logbook	Crew acceptance or rejection of aircraft with deferred items	MEL review completion rate 100% prior to boarding; deferral-related delays <0.5% of departures	Y	Y
4.3	Confirm airworthiness release from Maintenance	Captain / Maintenance Control	AMOS by Swiss AviationSoftware	Signed aircraft logbook, maintenance release certificate	Airworthiness confirmed; aircraft released for service	Maintenance release issued ≥45 min before STD; 100% release traceability in AMOS	N	Y
Phase 5 5.1	Conduct pre-flight exterior walk-around	First Officer / Captain	Jeppesen FliteDeck	Completed maintenance release, pre-flight checklist	Completed exterior inspection record; any defects raised	Walk-around completed ≥30 min before STD; defect-to-report time ≤5 min	N	Y
5.2	Confirm final weight & balance load sheet	Captain / Load Control	Amadeus Altéa PSS	Final passenger count, cargo weights, fuel load, trim settings	Signed load sheet; CG within envelope confirmed	Load sheet issued ≤15 min before STD; CG deviation from plan <0.5% MAC	N	Y
5.3	Obtain ATC clearance and departure slot	Captain / First Officer	SITA ACARS	Filed flight plan, ATIS, ATFM slot allocation	ATC route clearance; CTOT confirmed or delay calculated	Clearance received ≥5 min before pushback; ATFM slot adherence ≥94%	Y	Y

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Process Attributes

Identification

Process IDFO-12

L1 DomainFlight Operations

L2 ProcessFlight Dispatch & Control

L3 NameFlight Crew Briefing & Pre-Departure

L4 Steps15 across 5 phases

Decision Gates5 (all with iteration loops)

Exceptions10 documented

Swim Lanes (Roles)

Captain / First Officer

Captain / Crew Scheduling

Captain / Dispatcher

Captain

Captain / Licensed Dispatcher

Captain / Maintenance Control

First Officer / Captain

Captain / Load Control

Systems & Tools

Jeppesen Crew ManagementJeppesen FliteDeckHoneywell GoDirectNAVBLUEBoeing Toolbox / CAMPAMOS by Swiss AviationSoftwareAmadeus Altéa PSSSITA ACARS

Key Performance Indicators

Crew sign-in and duty period validationSign-in completion ≥30 min prior to departure; FTL compliance 100%

Validate fatigue risk and FTL complianceFTL violation rate <0.1% of monthly departures

Retrieve and open crew briefing packageBriefing package retrieval within 2 min of sign-in; package currency ≤60 min old at review

Review METAR, TAF, and SIGMET reportsWeather briefing completed ≥20 min before STD; 100% SIGMET acknowledgement logged

Assess destination and alternate minimaCorrect alternate selected per ICAO Annex 2 / FAR 121.619; fuel-to-alternate margin ≥45 min

Confirm weather acceptable for planned departureWeather-related departure decision communicated to OCC ≥15 min before STD

Review computerised flight plan and fuel loadFlight plan review complete ≥15 min before STD; fuel uplift variance ≤2% vs planned

Review dispatch release for regulatory complianceDispatch release co-sign rate without amendment ≥92%; amendment resolution time ≤10 min

Airline-Specific Risks & Pain Points

FAR Part 117 / EASA FTL limits require real-time cumulative duty tracking across time zones — late roster updates in Jeppesen Crew Management can create compliance gaps at sign-in

Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) data is not always integrated with real-time crew tracking; manual overrides by Crew Scheduling introduce compliance risk during IROPS

EFB synchronisation delays on congested airport Wi-Fi (especially at hub gates) can result in crews accessing stale briefing data — no automatic staleness alert in FliteDeck

Rapidly evolving convective SIGMETs issued by NOAA Aviation Weather Center can be uploaded to GoDirect with 10–15 min latency — crew may depart with outdated convective picture

Low-visibility operations (Cat II/III) require special OpSpecs approval in FAA WebOPSS; not all airports in the network have current CAT II/III plates loaded in FliteDeck for all aircraft types

Dispatcher and Captain may reach independent weather conclusions using different data sources (GoDirect vs airline wx feed) with no reconciliation workflow — leads to coordination delays at the gate

Inputs / Outputs

Primary InputScheduled report time, crew roster assignment

Primary OutputATC route clearance; CTOT confirmed or delay calculated

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