British Airways chief information officer (CIO) Paul Coby is clearly not afraid of a challenge.

‘IT must be available globally, 24/7, and each year we must do more for less,’ he told Computing.

‘We have taken 45 per cent out of the cost of running IT, while what IT does in terms of processing has gone up by a multiple of seven.’

Under Coby’s leadership, BA has been a pioneer in IT-enabled change, placing web technology at the heart of a transformation that saw the company through the aviation industry’s post-9/11 crisis.

But innovations such as e-ticketing, online check-in and printing your own boarding cards have become standard practice. So where do you go next?

‘We are embracing Web 2.0 – it is not just about technology but staying on top of social and economic changes,’ said Coby.

‘Once every three weeks, there is a new release into BA.com which is about anything from improving how it works or a redesign of the web site from top to bottom.’

But there is a difficult balance to be achieved. One symptom of the success of BA.com is online processes have become mainstream, and the risk is losing the ability to innovate, says Coby.

‘It is a bit like being the Rolling Stones. At first you have the ability to stay up all night, but later you lose the ability to move quickly,’ he said.

‘In 2001, we could try hairy things with BA.com, but now we have to be more careful.’

To overcome any danger of stagnating, Coby has worked with Robert Boyle, BA’s commercial director, to encourage innovation.

One example is testing tickets on mobile phones, where passengers check in and board flights using a barcode sent as a text message.

‘We want to try exciting new things and using mobile phones to check in is something customers may like,’ said Coby.

‘Twenty-four hours before you travel, you are probably going to use a PC. But if you are on the train to the airport, an email will not hack it, but everyone has a mobile phone.’

The aim of providing passengers with a complete travel information service for their whole journey is another example of the sort of scheme that BA’s service-oriented architecture infrastructure has enabled.

‘Convergence is beginning to happen and with increased response times and reliability, we can think about doing transactions with mobile equipment,’ said Coby.

But central to the philosophy of innovation and IT-enabled change is simplicity.

Complexity could easily be considered unavoidable in an information management (IM) department of 1,600 people – plus partners and suppliers around the world. Coby recalls a fellow CIO speaking at a conference who revealed an organisation chart that ‘was so complex it looked like a chip design’.

‘My top team used to have a complex structure, but we have evolved to become simple. BA business had become too complicated which is one of the reasons why we slipped in the 1990s from the most profitable airline to the 21st most profitable airline by 2000,’ he said.

‘We had lost the plot in terms of keeping things simple and the importance of technology for the airline business.’

At that time many experts were writing off BA, especially after the fallout from 9/11.

But Coby remained confident and realised that the internet would play a key role in the firm’s comeback.

‘We were smart enough to see that the world was changing. We are now an online airline – it is at the heart of what we do,’ he said.

‘Some 92 per cent of all tickets issued are e-tickets, half of passengers are checking in online or using self-service kiosks and a quarter of overall bookings are online, and there is room for building on that.’

The focus for IT delivery now is on developing new applications and systems.

A revamp of the web site was recently carried out to make interacting with BA as easy as possible, underlining Coby’s adherence to simplicity.

On a smaller scale, he also points to BA using Google Earth so that web users can, for example, ‘whizz in and look at hotels’.

The theme of simplicity also extends to people.

‘There are lots of people from different professions with varying skills whose raison d’etre is to help the business and allow business change using technology,’ said Coby.

‘Each may have a strong siloed view about where they fit in, but to enable the business, you need some or all of those people working together.’

To encourage co-operation, Coby has an approach he calls 3pi – proposition, process, people and IT.

‘Definitely in that order and not necessarily with the ‘I’. If you can do what you want to do without building a system, then do it,’ he said.

‘The principal reason for a project failing is people rushing in and cutting code without having understood the proposition or processes which cut across departmental boundaries.’

The key goals for the IM department are making IT work for the airline and working with each department.

‘We must make sure we perform and deliver for the airline. But we must work with each department to collaboratively build a roadmap and help understand where each department wants to go,’ said Coby.

‘In some departments it is a question of reigning in enthusiasm as we do not have infinite resources. We can let the department know where the technology is going and how it could be used to meet a target.’

Despite cutting IM staff numbers by half over the past five years, Coby is adding to the department’s skillset, and the airline’s IT Professional Programme is part of the recruitment drive.

‘We have 900 applications for 10 people to work in Heathrow and 10 in Newcastle joining us at an entry level. It is vital to gain stimulus as we must grow our skills as technology moves forward and the business changes,’ he said.

‘There is no room for complacency. We are only as good as today’s performance. Our competitors are exceptionally good, and we must keep moving.’