Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS): web based flight risk assessment

Showing posts with label web based flight risk assessment. Show all posts

Monday, February 3, 2014

Targeted Closure Date in Airline/Airport Risk Management Software

Automatically receive alerts when reported hazards become overdue should be top feature of your aviation safety management system (SMS) software.

New Feature in Aviation SMS Software

Several airline and airport safety managers have asked about the new visual cue in SMS Pro's risk management module, Issue Manager. This feature was added without a formal announcement because we consider it a minor cosmetic enhancement. Look at the image below to see the far right column.

Far Right Column Indicates Severity and Targeted Closure Date

airline and airport risk management software enhancements

History of Aviation SMS Risk Management Software Enhancement

Since SMS Pro came onto the market in 2008, the far right column indicated the severity of each risk assessed issue. Whenever the targeted closure date was exceeded, an alert bell would appear in the far right column. Hovering over the alert bell, users would be presented with a message, such as:
"Issue Exceeded Targeted Closure Date: 1/15/2014"

SMS Pro Enhancements Often Evolve By Customer Requests

Most know that SMS Pro is considered one of the most flexible aviation SMS software packages for airlines, airports, flight schools and aviation maintenance organizations. New features have been added constantly over the past seven years based on regulatory requirements and customer feedback. Aviation SMS consultants also provide great ideas to ensure SMS Pro remains among the world's leading aviation SMS software suites.

What Does This Aviation SMS Feature Do?

This new enhancement idea came from a European airline. They wanted to be able to see the targeted closure date of issues not overdue without going into each issue. Instead of adding another column to this

web based aviation safety management software for airlines airports aviation maintenance

already crowded screen, SMS Pro developers added an image indicating:

Whether a targeted closure date was set (image is visible); and
The targeted closure date of each issue when hovering over target image.

We think this is a great enhancement because safety managers can easily see whether the targeted closure date was not yet set on issues coming into the system. As always, we appreciate your feedback and ideas to make SMS Pro the best possible.

More information about aviation SMS software can be found at:

How to best help your
Aviation Safety Management System

Become an SMS PRO

About NWDS - founded in 2003 by six software engineers, NorthWest Data Solutions (NWDS) provides custom computer programming and systems design services. NWDS creates many types of software, including e-commerce, financial, defense, engineering, logistics, aviation and more. In 2007, NWDS developed SMS Pro™ a web based SMS application that supports an organization's overall SMS through safety reporting, safety documentation, safety risk management and safety assurance. SMS Pro™ is currently used by aviation organizations in the U.S., Canada, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East to help manage their SMS programs. NWDS continues to support SMS Pro™ and add new functionality. NWDS offers custom contract programming services in the U.S. and Canada and is managed by Chris Howell, one of the founders. Their headquarters is in Anchorage, Alaska. For information on NWDS visit their website at www.nwds-ak.com and www.asms-pro.com to learn more about SMS Pro™.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Aviation Safety Risk Management Database

Risk Management Occurs Within a "System"

Aviation risk management remains the most crucial element of an effective aviation risk management system. Operators manage risk in everyday activities, but we don't focus formal, structured process needed in an ICAO compliant SMS risk management framework.

Aviation providers implementing ICAO compliant SMS programs are recommended to structure risk management strategies according to best practices, which are found in quality aviation risk management database software.

Phases for Managing Aviation-Related Risk

Aviation risk management strategies (or best practices), commonly possess these risk management cycle phases:

Airline and airport risk management best practices

Identify & Report Hazards: Determine whether potential risk exists and report it using formal hazard reporting tools (paper based, Web reporting forms, audits, gap analysis, etc). The SMS Pro™ Web-based hazard reporting form is a customizable solution with automatic email notifications that is recognized as best in class. Other capabilities of SMS Pro's hazard reporting and aviation risk management database software includes:

Customized forms requiring minimal costs to incorporate additional data elements;
Many predefined Web-based hazard reporting forms for flight operations, maintenance, ect. that meet most user needs;
Quick report features for mobile Web users or others who may pressured for time and need to submit a "quick hazard report;"

Assess Risk: Determine severity and probability of risk with a standard, best in class, risk matrix like SMS Pro's Customizable Risk Matrix. Whenever potential risk is minimal (low to medium severity, low likelihood of occurrence), your policies may state that no additional actions is required unless the issue repeatedly occurs. With significant or major risks, which could cause injury or damage to users and equipment, you need to implement reactive risk management processes. Based on reported issue's severity and type of issue, one may also choose to use SMS Pro™ to:

Set targeted closure dates (so issues don't remain open forever);
Inform regulatory authorities or clients (when required by contract), that the issue has occurred.

Classify Risk: The best risk management database software offers simple, flexible, customizable strategies to classify risk. One must understand risks before they can be managed effectively. Consequently, aviation providers adopt risk classification systems or create their own. Many will start with a template and modify the schema as necessary. Classifying risks (or reported issues) allows aviation organizations to identify and control risk, which is a major element of aviation risk management. SMS Pro™ offers the best system that is very comprehensive, yet flexible enough for all types of organziations, such as airports, airlines, FBOs, MROs, and flight schools. SMS Pros risk classification framework helps identify risk which is useful for generating reports to communicate risk.

Corrective/Preventive Action Plan: Control identified risks based on the risk's severity and likelihood of occurrence. Develop various alternatives and perform a cost/benefit analysis when necessary using SMS Pro™. Automatically generate a Corrective Action Plan for audits, whether they are external or internal audits.

Mitigate or Transfer: Put into action the corrective and preventive actions created in the previous phase to mitigate identified risk. Reassess risk after all corrective and preventive actions have been implemented. When risk is not within acceptable risk management levels, return to the previous phase to put further corrective and preventive actions into play. When corrective and preventive actions fail to reduce risk to acceptable levels, continue analyzing the risk to determine actions to bring the identified risk to an acceptable severity level.

Track: After mitigating risks to an acceptable severity level, track these risks' implemented corrective actions to ensure they remain effective and are controlling the risk. As time passes, ensure implemented corrective actions don't increase risks when they were implemented to alleviate the risk.These items remain the core of any best in breed risk management program. They are easily managed using aviation risk management database software.

How to best help your
Aviation Safety Management System

Become an SMS PRO

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

How to Use Flight Risk Analysis Tool

Web Based Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRAT)

SMS Pro's Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) provides proactive identification of possible aviation-related hazards and the use of risk management tools to mitigate risks as aspects of a Safety Management System (SMS). This is a completely customizable flight risk assessment tool that can be used not only for routine flight operations, but also for specialized missions. For example, one airline that uses this Web based aviation safety management software won a contract to fly a special mission around the world for a special "around-the-world tour." SMS Pro's flight risk assessment tool saved the airline at least three weeks in preparation time.

FRAT Tool Not Just For Flights - Completely Customizable

Web Based Flight Risk Assessments

SMS Pro's FRAT is a greatly improved and completely customizable Mission Risk Assessment Tool allowing escalation of required actions based upon an individual mission's risk. We don't specifically state that this aviation SMS FRAT tool is only for flights. This tool can be used for any special mission, such as maritime missions or hauling hazardous materials in a ground transportation operation. This is why we state that this FRAT tool is for missions.

Because SMS Pro's FRAT tool is completely customizable, an administrator can configure labels that are suitable for the operation. For example, the default "Pilot" and "Co-pilot" labels can be easily changed to "Driver" and "Relief Driver," or if you prefer, "PIC" and "SIC" for pilot in command and second in command.

Aviation Risk Assessment Tool has Four Categories

For SMS Pro's Web based flight risk assessment tool, there are four categories to evaluate for any particular mission:

Manpower;
Operating Environment;
Equipment;
Departures / Arrivals

Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) Based on FAA Model

Based on FAA Model

Each SMS Pro Web-based flight risk assessment tool (FRAT) comes pre-configured with default questions and risk values in each of the first three categories. These questions come from the FAA's paper-based flight risk assessment tool. SMS Pro was the first company to create a Web based flight risk assessment tool modeled after the FAA's model. Within six months, there were several other companies that followed with their own Web based flight risk assessment tools, most notably, NATA and Prism's. If you have seen these Web based FRAT tools and have also seen the SMS Pro FRAT, you will immediately recognize the quality and flexibility of the SMS Pro flight risk assessment tool.

An SMS Admin can easily modify these items by:

Adding new questions;
Changing the verbiage of questions;
Changing risk value between 0 and 5;
Changing the order the questions appear; or
Removing them from the list.

FRAT Comes Configured With Over 6200 ICAO Airports

Departures / Arrivals are landing areas, such as airports or helipads. SMS Admins or Chief Pilots can configure a risk value for the departure and arrival at each landing area. NOTE: If landing areas are not listed, they can be added. Chief Pilots can add customizable landing areas, such as heliports, river beds or snowfields in Alaska. Currently, there are over 6200 ICAO airports in our database.

To facilitate the objective analysis of each landing area, SMS Pro comes with a Runway Risk Assessment download. This Excel spreadsheet allows your company to objectively assess each landing area to come up with a total "Arrival Risk" and a "Departure Risk." The Runway Risk Assessment was developed by the FAA sponsored Medallion Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska.

Automated Escalation For Configured FRAT Risk Levels

Escalate Reports Based on Risk

The purpose of the Mission Risk Assessment is to arrive at a measurable value that directs users to follow additional instructions if the total risk value falls within an "escalation range." For example, a mission risk value of 50 may require "Director of Operations Approval" and anything higher may direct pilots that "Flights are not authorized." SMS Pro limits the number of ranges or "escalation stages" to four in order to reduce end user frustration and complexity. Each range can be assigned a color, a low range and a high range.

Based on the Mission Risk Value, users can submit via email an escalation report to configured users or third parties. In addition, one can easily send all mission reports to an email account to archive. One can even email a report to "dispatch."

Finally, one can print a hard-copy report to get get required signatures or file.

To learn more about Web based aviation safety management systems, follow this link.

How to best help your
Aviation Safety Management System

Become an SMS PRO