SMS Pro Aviation Safety Software Blog 4 Airlines & Airports

What Is a Fishbone Diagram for Aviation Safety Programs

Fishbone diagrams are a lesser known but very effective risk management tool in aviation safety management systems (SMS).

Fishbone diagrams get their name because of their fish-like appearance, with several fins and a head. Each “fin” or “branch” of a fishbone diagram describes a different element of the safety issue, such as “Man” and “Machine.”

Importance of Risk Level Breakdown in Aviation SMS

Simple safety charts often speak volumes.

A group of simple, yet related, safety charts evolves nicely into a performance monitoring dashboard. For aviation service providers, a secure, easily accessible dashboard allows management to remain updated as to the performance of their aviation safety management system (SMS).

A simple risk management chart embedded within a dashboard may communicate many things, including:

Importance Monitoring Root Causes in Aviation SMS

Monitoring the performance of aviation safety management systems (SMS) is a common activity for safety managers and upper management alike. Furthermore, in every SMS, the accountable executive is responsible for directing actions to correct substandard safety performance whenever it is detected.

How is substandard safety performance detected in your organization?

How does management know which operational areas require additional risk mitigation measures?

What Is Task Management in Aviation Risk Management

Task management in every aviation safety management system (SMS) is extremely important. After all, the accountable executive will be monitoring SMS performance regularly and will be alert for substandard safety performance.

How quickly are safety tasks completed?

How many safety tasks are overdue? And for how many days? And why are these safety tasks overdue?

Aviation SMS Dashboard Charts Monitor SMS Performance

Operators implementing aviation safety management systems (SMS) have common questions early in their SMS implementation. How do I monitor risk to my organization within a particular time period? What report best explains the organization's interactions with:

• operational safety hazards; and
• ineffective risk controls?

What would be a convenient method to display aggregated risk based on assessed safety reports?

Why Hazard Reporting Matters

Hazard reporting in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is the backbone of any safety program’s performance.

Every aviation safety program depends upon hazard reports for:

• mitigating operational risk;
• settings goals;
• determining Key Performance Indicators;
• complying with SMS regulatory requirements; and
• implementing relevant risk controls.

Why the Issues by Location Chart Is Important

In aviation safety management systems (SMS), locations are often underutilized and neglected detail when reporting or managing safety issues, because modern aviation safety databases can't trend this data effectively.

Furthermore, it’s simply easy to gloss over such details as – what difference does it make? In truth, adding such detail could make no difference to ongoing continuous improvement as risk controls are implemented that should be location agnostic.

Importance for Visualizing Management's Risk Management Performance

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. Safety charts can also influence safety culture, either for the better or for the worst.

We started creating performance monitoring dashboards for managers approximately ten years ago. By far, the most talked about safety chart in the SMS database is the on-time task performance chart. When all employees and management have transparent visibility into the aviation SMS, management is held to a higher level of accountability.

Global Problem of Safety Reporting Performance

Employee involvement in aviation safety management systems (SMS) is a major struggle for countless organizations.

The unfortunate fact – and this is something we hear regularly – is that finding good safety incentives and accountability for employees' safety performance in aviation SMS implementations is tough.

One of the primary problems here is the “so what” factor.

Why Mandatory vs. Voluntary Safety Reporting Chart Is Important

We generally think of aviation safety management system (SMS) charts as being visual representations of various pieces of safety data. This safety data commonly comes from performance-based data or classification-type data.

Performance based data may include:

• How many safety reports were submitted within the past month?
• Percentage of safety reports closed on time;