For new aviation safety managers, training staff and leadership on Safety Management System (SMS) concepts can feel like a steep climb. One of the toughest challenges is preparing accountable executives—senior leaders like CEOs, directors, or operations managers—to effectively oversee SMS performance.

These executives are critical to SMS success, as regulators like the FAA, EASA, or ICAO expect them to demonstrate active leadership in managing safety risks and ensuring compliance during audits.

This guide offers practical steps to train accountable executives to oversee SMS performance. By simplifying complex concepts, focusing on tools like the risk matrix, and aligning training with business business benefits like reduced incidents and regulatory compliance, new safety managers can empower executives to lead confidently and foster a robust safety culture.

Why Training Executives to Oversee SMS Performance Matters

In aviation SMS, the accountable executive is the senior leader responsible for ensuring the SMS operates effectively. Their role in overseeing performance involves reviewing safety data, prioritizing resources, and making strategic decisions to mitigate risks. During SMS audits, regulators will evaluate whether executives:

• Understand SMS Processes: Can they explain how safety data, like risk assessments, informs decisions?

• Demonstrate Leadership: Do they actively support safety initiatives and resource allocation?

• Ensure Compliance: Are they prepared to show auditors how SMS aligns with standards like ICAO Annex 19 or FAA AC 120-92B?

For new safety managers, training executives is challenging due to their limited time, technical unfamiliarity with SMS, or perception of safety as a compliance burden. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to make training accessible, engaging, and audit-focused.

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Step 1: Clarify the Executive’s Role in Overseeing SMS Performance

Start by defining what overseeing SMS performance means. The accountable executive’s primary duties include:

• Reviewing Safety Data: Regularly analyzing hazard reports, risk assessments, and safety metrics to identify trends.

• Prioritizing Actions: Using tools like the risk matrix to decide which risks need immediate attention.

• Allocating Resources: Approving budgets for training, equipment, or SMS software based on risk priorities.

• Monitoring Effectiveness: Ensuring mitigation strategies reduce risks and comply with regulations.

Training Tip

Create a one-page infographic summarizing these duties. Use plain language and tie each to a business benefit, like preventing costly incidents or strengthening regulatory approval.

Step 2: Simplify SMS Concepts for Executives

Executives often lack the time or technical background for in-depth SMS training. Simplify the system into three core ideas:

1. Spot Risks: SMS helps identify hazards (e.g., runway hazards, maintenance errors) before they cause harm.

2. Rank Risks: The risk matrix prioritizes which risks need urgent action.

3. Act and Track: Mitigation plans address risks, and performance data ensures they work.

Why It Matters

Explain that overseeing SMS performance lets executives make smarter decisions, like investing in new equipment to address high-risk issues, which saves money and boosts safety.

Training Activity

Host a 30-minute briefing using a real-world example (e.g., a recent taxiway incident). Show how SMS data flagged the issue and how executive oversight led to a solution, like improved signage.

Step 3: Teach the Risk Matrix as a Decision-Making Tool

The risk matrix is central to SMS performance oversight, as it helps executives prioritize risks based on likelihood (e.g., Rare to Almost Certain) and severity (e.g., Negligible to Catastrophic). Train executives to use it as a strategic guide.

How the Risk Matrix Works

• Plot risks on a grid (e.g., 5x5) to categorize them as Low, Medium, or High.

• High-risk issues (e.g., frequent bird strikes) require immediate resources, while Low-risk ones (e.g., minor paperwork errors) may be monitored.

Why Executives Need It

The matrix translates complex safety data into clear priorities, helping executives justify budgets or policy changes to auditors.

Training Tip

Provide a laminated risk matrix card with a sample scenario (e.g., a fuel spill risk). Ask executives to assess it and suggest a mitigation plan, like additional spill kits.

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Step 4: Train Executives to Review Safety Data

Overseeing SMS performance requires executives to interpret safety data, such as:

• Hazard Reports: Employee-submitted concerns, like slippery tarmacs.

• Risk Assessments: Matrix-based evaluations of specific risks.

• Performance Metrics: Trends, like a rise in near-misses.

How to Train

• Use Dashboards: Show executives how SMS software (e.g., Aviation Safety Management Software) displays data in easy-to-read charts.

• Focus on Trends: Teach them to spot patterns, like recurring maintenance issues, and ask, “What resources can address this?”

• Keep It Brief: Summarize data in a one-page monthly report highlighting top risks and recommended actions.

Business Benefit

Reviewing data proactively prevents incidents, saving costs (e.g., a $1M runway collision) and maintaining schedules.

Training Activity

Present a mock SMS dashboard with sample data (e.g., increased bird strikes). Guide executives to identify the trend and propose a solution, like wildlife control funding.

Step 5: Prepare Executives for Audit Questions

Auditors will ask executives to demonstrate how they oversee SMS performance. Common questions include:

• “How do you use safety data to make decisions?”

• “Can you show an example of a risk assessment you acted on?”

• “How do you ensure SMS is resourced?”

Training Strategy

• Script Answers: Provide concise responses, like: “I review monthly risk reports and approved $50,000 for new runway sensors based on a high-risk assessment.”

• Practice: Conduct a mock audit where you role-play the auditor. Offer feedback on clarity.

• Show Records: Train executives to access SMS documentation, like risk logs or budget approvals, during audits.

Training Tip

Create a “cheat sheet” with 5-7 audit questions and sample answers. Review it in a one-on-one session.

Step 6: Make Training Engaging and Time-Efficient

Executives have packed schedules, so training must be concise and interactive to hold their attention.

Effective Methods

• Case Studies: Use a past incident (e.g., a ground handling error) to show how SMS oversight resolved it.

• Short Workshops: Host a 45-minute session with other leaders to discuss SMS’s strategic value.

• Visuals: Use slides or videos to explain the risk matrix or dashboards, keeping jargon minimal.

Training Tip

Piggyback on existing meetings, like a quarterly board session, to deliver a 15-minute SMS update. This respects their time while reinforcing oversight.

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Step 7: Foster Executive Leadership in Safety Culture

Overseeing SMS performance isn’t just about data—it’s about leading a safety-first mindset. Train executives to inspire staff to prioritize safety.

Strategies

• Communicate Commitment: Encourage executives to share safety messages, like a monthly email praising hazard reporters.

• Lead by Example: Invite them to kick off audits or safety meetings, signaling their role.

• Recognize Staff: Highlight employees who use SMS effectively, like a mechanic reporting a tool defect.

Business Benefit

A strong safety culture reduces incidents by encouraging proactive reporting, saving costs and boosting morale.

Training Activity

Work with the executive to draft a short “Safety Vision” statement for staff, like: “Your reports keep us safe and on schedule.” Share it at a safety event.

Step 8: Address Training Challenges

New safety managers often face hurdles when training executives. Here’s how to overcome them:

Challenge: Limited Executive Time

Solution: Offer bite-sized training, like 10-minute videos on platforms like LinkedIn Learning, or briefings during existing meetings.

Challenge: Technical Resistance

Solution: Focus on outcomes (e.g., fewer delays) rather than technical details. Use analogies, like comparing the risk matrix to a traffic light system.

Challenge: Lack of Buy-In

Solution: Share success stories, like how SMS cut incidents at a peer airport, to show ROI.

Step 9: Use Tools and Resources

Streamline training with these resources:

• SMS Software: Tools like SMS Pro or ABC provide dashboards for executives to track performance.

• Regulatory Guides: Reference FAA AC 120-92B, EASA SMS guidelines, or ICAO Doc 9859 for standards.

• Training Platforms: Use Coursera for executive-friendly SMS courses.

Training Tip

Create a shared drive with key SMS files (e.g., risk matrix templates, sample dashboards) for easy executive access.

Conclusion

Training accountable executives to oversee SMS performance is a critical task for new aviation safety managers. By simplifying SMS concepts, focusing on the risk matrix, and using engaging, time-efficient methods, you can empower executives to lead effectively and ace audits.

Regular data reviews, clear documentation, and a strong safety culture ensure SMS delivers results—fewer incidents, lower costs, and regulatory approval.

Start with a concise briefing, build confidence through practice, and maintain momentum with monthly updates. With these strategies, your executives will not only oversee SMS performance but also champion aviation safety across your organization.

Ready to train your executives? Share this guide with your leadership team and explore SMS software to streamline oversight.