SMS Conformity

SMS Conformity

By OffRoadPilots

Conformity refers to the act of adjusting one's

thoughts, behaviors, or actions to align with the

norms, values, or expectations of a group or society.

It involves yielding to social pressure or influence,

often without necessarily agreeing with the group's

perspective or beliefs.

Conformity can occur in various contexts, such as

social settings, organizations, institutions, cultures

and among SMS enterprises compliance with auditors or

cloudbased SMS suppliers. 

There are several

reasons why people

and aviation

executives conform.

Normative conformity:

This occurs when

individuals conform

to fit in with the

group and avoid

rejection or

disapproval. It is driven by the desire for acceptance

of SMS programs, aviation industry norms, and the fear of being excluded from contracts or business

opportunities.

Informational conformity: Accountable Executives may conform because they believe that the group possesses more accurate information or knowledge than they do.In such cases, they conform to be correct or to gain

insight into uncertain situations. This is common with

the safety management system (SMS) groups, or

associations, to conform to the person with the louder

voice.

Data, information, knowledge, and comprehension of

operational processes are vital components for

continuous safety improvements. Analyzing SMS is more

than discussing numbers, where the group or person with

a louder voice and better vocabulary wins the argument.

When applying strategies and solutions to SMS processes

it is not the numbers of events that becomes the issue,

but the comprehension of operations.

Identification: Conformity can also stem from a desire

to identify with a particular group or social category.

Third-party auditors design, develop and maintain

groups with standards for SMS enterprises. Airlines and

airports are then rated accordingly to their audit

compliance and segregated within the group. Group

segregation could be a platinum member, gold member,

silver member, or bronze member.

Maintaining the highest available level in the group

becomes their primary goal and objectives, and adapting

SMS polices to achieve desired result.

Accountable Executives may adopt the behaviors and

attitudes of a group they wish to belong to, even if it

means conforming to norms they do not entirely agree

with.Conformity has both positive and negative consequences.

On one hand, it facilitates social cohesion,

cooperation, and smooth interactions within groups.

On the other hand, excessive conformity stifles

creativity, innovation, and independent thinking,

leading to groupthink and a reluctance to challenge the

status quo.

Studies have shed light on the dynamics of conformity

and its implications for individual behavior and group

dynamics. These experiments have highlighted the

powerful influence of social pressure on human behavior

and the complexities of conformity in various

situations.

When conforming to levels of compliance within one

group, there is only one person who is the

decisionmaker for the entire group. SMS enterprises are

in non-compliance with regulatory requirements when

conforming without adapting to size and complexity of

their airport or airline.

HOW DOES SMS CONFORM

Regulations are the same for all SMS enterprises, but

conformity is different.

Conformity is positive SMS element when applied

correctly and assessed for special cause variations

opportunities to interfere with processes.

Conformity is a negative SMS element, and a hazard to

process output when third-party opinions become the

foundation of the safety management system.SMS enterprises providing the same services, such as airport or airline operations, differentiate themselves from other airports and airlines in several ways.

Value Proposition Each SMS enterprise may offer a unique value

proposition, emphasizing different aspects of the

service that cater to specific customer needs or

preferences. This could include factors such as price,

quality, convenience, customer service, or additional

features.

Brand Identity

Branding plays a

significant role in

setting SMS

enterprises apart

from competitors and

non-competitor

enterprises. A strong

brand identity evokes

certain emotions or

associations in

consumers' minds, making them more likely to choose one

SMS enterprise over another.

Brand identity also applies to airport tenants, and

other service providers offered to the flying public

within a customer range of the airport.

Customer Experience

The way SMS enterprises interact with and serve their

customers is a key differentiator. This encompasses

aspects such as the ease of use of their services,responsiveness to customer inquiries or complaints, and

overall customer satisfaction.

Innovation

SMS enterprises that innovate and stay ahead of

industry trends distinguish themselves by offering

unique features, technologies, or approaches that

competitors do not. This involves new product features,

service delivery methods, or business models.

Innovation is the process of creating something new or

significantly improving upon existing products,

services, processes, or ideas to generate value. It

involves the application of creativity, knowledge, and

resources to develop novel solutions to challenges or

to meet the needs and demands of individuals,

organizations, or society as a whole.

Innovations are manifested in various forms.

Product innovation is to create new or improved

products or services that offer enhanced features,

functionalities, or benefits to consumers.

Process innovation is to develop efficient or effective

ways of doing things, such as optimizing production

processes, supply chains, or workflows.

Business model innovation is the introduction of new

ways of generating revenue, entering markets, or

delivering value to customers, often through disruptive

changes to existing business models.

Successful airport operators are operating with airside

operations plans and the daily rundown quality controlprocess. A successful daily rundown airside process

combines multiple regulatory, standards and policy

requirements into limited number of applied tasks. In

addition, the daily rundown is a perquisite for their

required triennial audit and conforms to the regulatory

requirement to operate an SMS enterprise within their

size and complexity.

Technological innovation is advancing or applying new

technologies to address problems, improve products, or

create entirely new markets.

In airport operations, the use of drones to conduct

live and autonomous runway inspections, and

automatically transmit findings to the airport

manager’s control room is an example of technological

innovation.

Social innovation is to find innovative solutions to

social, environmental, or community challenges, often

with a focus on improving quality of life or addressing

societal issues.

Organizational innovation is to implement changes

within an SMS enterprise’s structure, culture, or

management practices to foster creativity,

collaboration, and adaptability.

With the implementation of SMS in airport and airline

operations followed the just-culture principle as an

organizational innovation.

Innovation is essential for driving progress,

competitiveness, and growth in industries and

economies. It fuels advancements in science, technology, business, and society, leading to improvements in customer experience standards, increased productivity, and the development of new

opportunities and industries.

Market Segment Focus.

Different SMS

enterprises target

different market

segments within the

same industry. By

focusing on specific

demographics,

geographies, or niche

markets, they can

tailor their services

to meet the unique

needs of those segments.

Reputation and Trust.

A strong reputation for reliability, trustworthiness,

and quality set SMS enterprises apart from competitors.

Positive word-of-mouth recommendations and reviews from

satisfied customers can further reinforce this

differentiation.

Reputation and trust in airport operations is to apply

processes with outputs for airlines, aircraft, and

flight crew to operate out of airports with reliability

and dependability.

Reliability and dependability are closely related

concepts, but they have slightly different nuances.Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of

a system, process, or product to perform its intended

function under specific conditions over a period of

time.

Reliability emphasizes the ability of a system or

product to consistently deliver expected outcomes

without failure or deviation.

An example is that a reliable car starts every morning

without fail.

Dependability encompasses reliability but extends

further to include factors such as availability,

safety, maintainability, and security.

Dependability emphasizes the trustworthiness and

assurance that a system or product will be available

and perform as expected when needed, considering

various aspects beyond just reliability.

An example is that a dependable car not only starts

reliably but is also safe, easy to maintain, and

provides consistent performance over time.

While reliability primarily focuses on the consistency

of performance, dependability considers a broader range

of factors that contribute to the overall

trustworthiness and usability of a system or product.

Corporate culture is the culture and values of an

organization influence how it operates and interacts

with customers and personnel.

SMS enterprises with a distinct corporate culture that resonates with their target audience may stand out from competitors.Partnerships and collaborating with other SMS enterprises or forming strategic partnerships provide access to resources, expertise, or customer bases that competitors may not have. These alliances create unique

value propositions for customers.

Geographic presence reach of an SMS enterprise can

differentiate it from other SMS enterprises or

competitors, especially if it allows them to serve

underserved or niche markets that others do not cover.

Customization and personalization are to offer

customization or personalization options to provide a

tailored experience for customers, making them feel

more valued and increasing loyalty to an airport or

airline.

Differentiation in the marketplace often comes down to

a combination of factors that collectively create a

unique and compelling offering for customers.

SMS enterprises conform by giving up control of their

safety management system to third parties, cloudbased

SMS services, or accredited auditors. When conducting a

comprehensive search for acceptable cloudbased SMS

services not long ago, all, except for two, assumed

control of SMS enterprises by their cloudbased program

design.

CLOUDBASED SMS

A cloudbased safety management system is a software

application designed to help organizations manage their

SMS processes and responsibilities in a centralized and

efficient manner using cloud computing technology.These systems provide tools for tracking incidents,

managing compliance with regulations, conducting risk

assessments, implementing safety procedures, and

analyzing data to improve safety performance.

There are several key features and benefits of a

cloudbased safety management system.

Centralized Data Storage.

All SMS and operational related information, such as

incident reports, safety policies, training records,

and compliance documents, are stored in a centralized

cloudbased database, making it easily accessible to

authorized users from anywhere with an internet

connection.

Real-Time Updates.

Cloudbased systems allow for real-time updates and

collaboration among users, enabling instant

communication of safety incidents, updates to

procedures, and tracking of corrective actions.

Mobile Accessibility.

Cloudbased safety management systems offer mobile

applications, allowing personnel to report incidents,

conduct inspections, and access safety information

directly from their smartphones or tablets, even when

they are in the field.

Scalability.

Cloudbased systems can easily scale up or down to

accommodate changes in the size and needs of an

organization. Whether an organization grows or

downsizes, the system can adjust accordingly without

requiring significant IT infrastructure changes.Cost-Effectiveness.

By eliminating the need for on-premises servers and

infrastructure, cloudbased systems can be more cost-

effective for organizations, especially smaller ones

with limited IT budgets.

Additionally, they

often operate on a

subscription-based

model, allowing

organizations to pay

only for the features

and services they

need.

Determining what

subscription services

are needed require a

comprehensive gap

analysis.

Assessing what is

needed in a safety

management system involves a structured approach to

identify, evaluate, and prioritize safety risks and

requirements within an organization. The regulatory

body provide airports and airlines with a GAP analysis

tool to assess what they need.

Understand regulatory requirements begin by

comprehending relevant regulatory requirements and

standards that apply to airports or airlines.Identify hazards and risks are conducted by a thorough

assessment of operations to identify potential hazards

and risks. This might involve reviewing incident

reports, conducting workplace inspections, and

soliciting input from personnel.

Assess existing processes is an evaluation of the

effectiveness of existing policies, systems, processes,

procedures or acceptable work practices. Determine what

is working well and what needs improvement.

Establishing goals and objectives are based on the SMS

policy and are aligned with the SMS enterprise overall

mission and values. Goals must be specific, measurable,

achievable, relevant, and time bound.

Allocate resources is to allocate both financial and

human resources. This includes investing in training

programs, equipment, and software tools.

Policies, processes, procedures, and acceptable work

practices must be documented and are needed for an

effective SMS. Create comprehensive policies outlining

how SMS will be managed within the enterprise. This

should cover areas such as hazard identification, risk

assessment, incident reporting, emergency response, and

personnel training.

Implementation of controls are needed. Controls and

measures are implemented to mitigate identified risks.

This could involve engineering controls (e.g., machine

guards), administrative controls (e.g., work

procedures), and personal protective equipment (PPE).Control and mitigation corrective action plans are

assigned to human factors, organizational factors,

supervision factors, or environmental factors.

Training and communication are needed for app personnel

to receive adequate training on processes, procedures,

acceptable work practices, and expectations. An SMS

enterprise must establish clear lines of communication

for reporting occurrences.

Regular, hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly monitoring

and review for effectiveness of the safety management

system is needed. This involves the daily rundown

quality control system, in addition to conducting

audits, data analysis, and feedback from personnel.

Continuously seeking opportunities for improvement and

refinement of the safety management system is also

needed when considering cloudbased SMS service

providers. This could involve updating policies and

procedures, implementing new technologies, or

addressing emerging issues.

SMS enterprises design, develop and maintain a robust

safety management system that effectively identifies

and mitigates risks for compliance with expected

outputs.

Enhanced Security.

Cloudbased safety management systems often have robust

security measures in place to protect sensitive data,

including encryption, access controls, and regular

security updates. Cloud providers typically invest

heavily in security measures to ensure the safety of

their customers' data.Data Analysis and Reporting.

These systems usually offer robust reporting and

analytics tools, allowing organizations to track safety

performance metrics, identify trends, and make data-

driven decisions to improve safety outcomes.

Overall, a cloudbased safety management system is a

tool to help SMS enterprises streamline their safety

management system processes, improve compliance with

regulations, reduce the risk of incidents, and

ultimately create safer work environments for personnel

and customers.

WHAT IS A DATA

ANALYSIS

Data analysis is

about the process of

inspecting, cleaning,

transforming, and

modeling data with

the goal of

discovering useful

information,

informing

conclusions, and

supporting decision-

making. It involves

applying various

statistical and

computational

techniques to interpret patterns, trends, and

relationships within datasets.

Data analysis can take many forms, depending on the

nature of the data and the objectives of the analysis.

Descriptive analysis describes the basic features of

the data, such as its central tendency, variability,

and distribution. This often involves summarizing data

using measures such as mean, median, mode, standard

deviation, and percentiles.

Exploratory data analysis (EDA) investigation of data

to comprehend its structure, identify patterns, and

uncover relationships between variables. EDA techniques

include data visualization (e.g., SPC control charts,

scatter plots, histograms, box plots) and statistical

methods.

Inferential analysis is to draw conclusions or making

predictions about a population based on a sample of

data. This involves using statistical inference

techniques such as hypothesis testing and confidence

intervals.

Predictive analysis is to build models to predict

future outcomes or estimate unknown values based on

historical data. This may include techniques such as

regression analysis, machine learning algorithms, and

time series forecasting.

Prescriptive analysis is to recommend actions or

decisions based on the results of data analysis. This

involves using optimization techniques and decision-

making frameworks to identify the best course of action

given certain constraints and objectives.Data analysis is essential for a successful SMS and

includes at a minimum statistical process control

analyses. Data analysis helps SMS enterprises extract

valuable insights from their data, improve decision-

making processes, and gain a competitive advantage.

HOW TO CONDUCT A DATA ANALYSIS

Data analysis involves a systematic process of

inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data

with the goal of discovering useful information,

informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making.

Here's a general overview of how data analysis is

conducted:

Define the problem or question.

The first step in any data analysis is to clearly

define the problem or question you are attempting to

address. This could involve identifying trends, making

predictions, finding relationships between variables,

or exploring patterns in the data.

Data collection.

Once the problem is defined, the next step is to gather

the relevant data. This could involve collecting data

from various sources such as databases, surveys,

experiments, or sensors. It is crucial to ensure that

the data collected is accurate, relevant, and

comprehensive.

Data cleaning and preprocessing.

Raw data is often messy and may contain errors, missing

values, or inconsistencies. Data cleaning involves

tasks such as removing duplicates, filling in missing

values, correcting errors, and standardizing formats.

Preprocessing tasks may also include normalization,scaling, or transforming variables to make them

suitable for analysis.

Exploratory data analysis (EDA)

EDA involves analyzing and visualizing the data to

understand its characteristics, identify patterns, and

uncover insights. This may include summary statistics,

data visualization techniques such as histograms,

scatter plots, or box plots, and exploratory techniques

like clustering or dimensionality reduction.

Hypothesis testing and statistical analysis.

If applicable, hypotheses may be formulated based on

the insights gained from exploratory analysis.

Statistical tests are then conducted to evaluate these

hypotheses and determine whether the observed patterns

are statistically significant.

Modeling and prediction.

Depending on the nature of the problem, various

modeling techniques such as regression, classification,

clustering, or machine learning algorithms may be

applied to build predictive models or infer

relationships between variables.

Evaluation and validation.

Once models are built, they need to be evaluated and

validated to assess their performance and

generalizability. This involves using metrics

appropriate for the specific task (e.g., accuracy,

precision, recall, ROC curves for classification tasks)

and techniques such as cross-validation or train-test

splits.

Interpretation and communication.Finally, the results of the analysis need to be interpreted and communicated effectively to

stakeholders. This may involve creating visualizations,

reports, or presentations that convey the insights

gained from the analysis and their implications for

decision-making.

Throughout this process, it is important to maintain

transparency, rigor, and ethical considerations, such

as ensuring data privacy and avoiding biases in

analysis and interpretation. Additionally, data

analysis is often an iterative process, with insights

from one stage informing decisions and revisions in

subsequent stages.

SMS regulations are

applicable to

individual

enterprises and are

not applicable to

member groups, or a

conglomerate of

organizations to

conform. Regulations

are performance based

and a reason SMS

conformity is a high-

risk endeavor to an

SMS enterprise and the Accountable Executive.

A successful SMS paints a picture of your organization.

Every artist and painter have their own unique

technique which shows up in the final artwork. SMS

enterprises are just as unique as a painter, and thepeople in the organization forms the bristles painting

the picture.

OffRoadPilots