People are managing to cope at the moment because there are three, sometimes four, people who an ATCO in position can call on to help him/her, and the L/ops are doing great work in co-ordinating with Apron, especially with towing movements that haven't been input into the system correctly, or flights that are not allocated a stand on our strips because the flight plan is BAW98 and the stand management system has it as BAW098. These are the shortcomings that we keep noting down, so they can get changed, so the system improves. I apologise to anyone if by doing so I'm hurting anyone's feelings.
I think I'm a decent ATCO (OJTI, LCE, EFPS instructor and former WTO), and I have struggled to keep up with both sessions of GMC. I have always said that EFPS will suit more ATCOs more than others, and it doesn't suit me. My strips used to be everything. I cannot now put every clearance limit on the strips that I use, and still have the same amount of spare capacity that I used to have; I'm using more of that spare capacity to keep track of things. I do really hope that the situation will improve in that regard. I don't think I will ever get back to the same level as in the old tower.
Gonzo,
surely all of what you have described above is to be expected. You are in a new environment with new kit and you expect to be an expert on day one!! That is why you have the support until you are comfortable enough to control in a similar way to the old tower (i.e. get your spare capacity back). When EFPS was introduced into Stansted we had minimal support and so many bugs you could fill the Natural History Museum. We worked through it and were able to get back to a normal type of operation within a couple of days. Everyone who used the system for the first time took a little while to adjust but EFPS has developed into a pretty good piece of kit which actually increases the capacity of a controller (I think your colleagues have witnessed this with DCL).
My point then, is to keep with it. I'm sure that within a couple of weeks you'll be glad that you've left that 1950's architecture well behind and joined the 21st century that you and your colleagues have deserved for so many years!!