SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

Why Aviation KPIs Lagging and Leading Indicators Are Important

Lagging and leading indicators for aviation safety management systems (SMS) key performance indicators (KPIs) are often confused or misunderstood.

Even various online sources have conflicting, vague, or incomplete explanations of the difference between lagging and leading indicators.

Obviously, understanding how to select aviation SMS KPIs is extremely important, and it’s a topic that often generates much interest from all levels of the aviation safety industry.

Misconceptions About Hazard Identification Training in SMS

Hazard Identification Training is not just for aviation safety officers.

Every area of an organization is exposed to different types of hazards, including, but not limited to:

• Chemicals;
• Electrical hazards;
• Moving equipment; and
• Untrained personnel.

Why Use Aviation Key Performance Indicators as Goals or Objectives

Setting goals and objectives for your aviation safety management system (SMS) is a requirement, i.e., not optional.

Become accustomed to this requirement. Embrace it. Realize organizational value from this requirement and stop squandering an excellent opportunity to improve operations and show that the SMS can become the promised "profit driver."

Don't believe you can pencil whip this requirement like so many safety managers today.

Benefits of Showing Employees That Your SMS Is Effective

Showing employees that your SMS is effective is simply building your case for the SMS. That being said, there are several prerequisites for being able to show employees that your SMS is effective:

• Your SMS has actually demonstrated safety improvement;
• Employees are actually reporting issues;
• Your SMS has a good or improving reputation in the company; and
• Risk controls are actually improving risk in the operational environment.

Purpose of Non-Punitive Reporting Policies in Aviation SMS Programs

Dedicated, hard-working safety managers drive the setup of airline and airports' aviation safety management systems (SMS).

These safety managers are often left to decipher ambiguous requirements that are open to multiple interpretations. This comes into play, especially when upper management wants to "pencil-whip" an aviation SMS and merely check the boxes.

Most safety managers are not content to merely "check the box."

Aviation SMS New Employee Integration Time

The oil industry, which in terms of safety standards is rather similar to the aviation industry, provides a great example with its statistic that over 50% of all accidents are caused by employees with less than 1 year of experience in their current work environment.

When airlines, airports, and other aviation service providers hire new employees, those employees pose a significant risk so long as they are unfamiliar with their new:

Aviation Safety Leadership Is NOT Safety Management

Aviation safety managers and departments heads are tasked with delivering aviation safety management AND safety leadership capabilities.

“Leadership” and “management” are often used interchangeably both in speech and action, but contrary to common practice they are NOT the same thing.

A vanilla definition of aviation safety management is that it is the oversight of how risk is bureaucratically processed in safety management systems (SMS).

Monitor SMS Performance in Real Time

Safety teams and the accountable executive are expected to regularly review the performance of their implemented aviation safety management system (SMS). A regular review of the SMS is important to ensure that any substandard safety performance is addressed in a timely fashion.

Most aviation service providers are storing their SMS data in SMS databases. An SMS database provides the accountable executive with an efficient way to monitor SMS performance in real time.

Plans and Challenges of Implementation

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) implementation takes a long time to fully mature, usually three to five years if you are lucky.

Once there, your SMS will continually be tweaked and updated, which of course requires further implementation and monitoring.

Long story short, implementing an SMS is a leviathan of a task and needs a thoughtful, detailed plan. Of course, don't forget that persistence pays off, as there may be a few "false starts" that require backpedaling to refocus your efforts.

Importance of SMS Performance Monitoring Charts

Aviation safety charts gather and present aviation safety management system (SMS) information to stakeholders, who can then use this information to make informed, fact-based decisions. Well-designed safety charts can take a complex idea and make it easily understandable with a simple picture, table, chart, or graph. In this case, the "report" behind the safety chart could easily be worth more than a thousand words.

A common challenge accountable executives and senior management have is monitoring the performance of their implemented SMS.