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

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.

How to Use Key Performance Indicator Statistics?

Aviation safety management systems (SMS) revolve around the four ICAO pillars:

• Safety Policy;
• Risk Management;
• Safety Assurance; and
• Safety Promotion.

Why Monitor Aviation Safety Key Performance Indicators?

Safety assurance is the third ICAO pillar or component of aviation safety management systems (SMS). While practicing safety assurance, aviation service providers focus on safety performance monitoring and measurement. Monitoring activities include constantly reviewing the effectiveness of established safety risk controls.

What Are KPIs?

KPIs, or key performance indicators, track performance in business, quality, and safety. Understanding and using KPIs is a crucial part of SMS.

SMS can track hundreds of data points, especially when using advanced SMS software. Use data tied to objectives and goals to get the most from your KPIs.

Why Compare Trends in Aviation SMS KPI Data?

Curiosity and upper management may frequently demand that safety managers create reports from safety data that compare their operations with their competitors or with a national, regional, or global "average."

Are Your Key Performance Indicators Out of Control?

Most aviation safety managers never went to business school. Otherwise, there would be fewer problems and mistakes relating to key performance indicators (KPI) management.

Realizing Value From Key Performance Indicators

KPIs allow managers to focus on activities that are important to their operations. Understandably, many of these activities may also be important to their civil aviation authority.

What Are Key Performance Indicators

Key performance indicators in aviation SMS measure the core safety concerns of your organization. They help you evaluate your success at reaching important safety targets.

KPIs are NOT used to evaluate:

What Is a KPI in Aviation SMS

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), also called SPIs (Safety Performance Indicators), are data metrics that indicate the baseline performance of your SMS for managing safety. The term Key Performance Indicators is indicative of the scope of KPIs:

• “Key” means that KPIs assess only the most critical areas of your SMS, namely a data representation of Safety Objectives;