Enhancing Aviation Safety: Expert Insights, Tips, and Updates from SMS-Pro

Using Safety Key Performance Indicators in Your Aviation SMS

Most aviation safety professionals today are managing their aviation safety management systems (SMS) using automated tools. These full-featured SMS database tools allow safety managers to easily classify issues according to many criteria.

How Do You Set Key Performance Indicators

Most safety managers consider aligning their operation's key performance indicators with organizational objectives, such as

• "Lost Time Injuries,"
• "Employee Turnover," and
• "Seats Sold."

What Is a Key Performance Indicator?

Answering the question, what is a key performance indicator, is not exactly as straightforward as it may seem.

This is because key performance indicators, known commonly as KPIs, have multiple uses in aviation safety management systems (SMS).

What Is a Key Performance Indicator in Aviation SMS?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are data metrics used to track performance in aviation safety management systems (SMS). This “performance” was not intended to measure only safety, but also quality and financial performance as well.

Understanding what is a key performance indicator is an essential component of being able to identify signs of good KPIs.

Safety Managers Suffer Common Problem Selecting Valuable KPIs

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) measures how effectively aviation service providers are achieving key business or safety objectives. Civil aviation authorities also use KPIs to evaluate their success at reaching safety targets.

When focusing on safety, there is a tendency of some safety professionals to use the term "safety performance indicator" (SPI) to differentiate pure business metrics from safety metrics.

Why KPI Charts Matter

The main continuous improvement activities for maturing aviation safety management systems (SMS) following an ICAO-compliant SMS implementation include developing:

• key safety performance indicators (KPIs); and
• safety goal and objectives tied to KPIs.

Why KPIs Are Different in Aviation Safety Management Systems?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) in aviation safety management systems (SMS) are different from KPIs from most other industries. The differences both benefit and hurt safety management teams' ability to choose the right KPIs for their organization.

What Are Lagging Indicators in Aviation SMS?

Lagging indicators are an essential element of system performance monitoring in aviation safety management systems (SMS). Safety professionals and accountable executives should become familiar with lagging indicators as these managers are responsible for

Difficulty of Selecting KPIs in Aviation Safety Programs

Selecting key performance indicators (KPIs) in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is neither simple nor always intuitive. In addition to being time-consuming and costly, selecting and monitoring KPIs can also be a stressful experience.

Questions on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Aviation

Aviation safety professionals frequently email our subject-matter experts (SMEs) for opinions regarding aviation safety management systems (SMS) and advice as to managing key performance indicators (KPIs).