Expertise and collaboration

For a safety management system (SMS) to be considered ‘good’ it must be effective, and this means it must be understood by everyone on the team and relevant to the operation. The components of the system must be applied at all levels; not carelessly ‘attached’ to existing processes. To be effective it must be part of the foundation and frame that the operation’s processes are built around. This is often a challenge when building an SMS in an existing operation – you typically can’t just pause everything while the SMS is designed and implemented. Because most special missions operations can’t pause, they must use a deliberate approach to change management that will still reach the goal of implementation with minimal disruption. Approaching this with haste may introduce additional unacceptable risks into the operation.

When we measure the ‘health’ of an operation to find targets for enhancements, we categorize our findings into safety, compliance, morale, and efficiency. These are also helpful guides to use when building or evaluating an SMS. It is worthwhile to consider how each may be impacted by changes.

PRODUCE, PROTECT, AND PROMOTE

We use a variety of approaches with our clients depending on the maturity of their SMS and overall state of their culture. After assessing their current state, we usually start with equipping their team with the ‘why’ of a formal SMS followed by outlining the process of building the foundation of clear and relevant policies and procedures. Through this education, we work to build excitement around how this will positively impact the culture.

Due to similarities between a quality management system (QMS) and an SMS, we are often asked why both are necessary. We differentiate the two by explaining that a QMS is about being able to ‘produce’ the same product or service consistently to a defined standard, while an SMS helps to ‘protect’ the resources necessary to deliver that product or service. Helping an operator build processes to be able to produce and protect alone are not enough, so we ensure there is a process to ‘promote’ the efforts and loop closure through effective communication. The concept of ‘produce, protect, and promote’ can serve as a guide in daily operations.

PLANNING, MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS, AND LEARNING

Our participation in multiple helicopter accident investigations and work with special missions operations have taught us that there are three focus areas while preparing for a successful response to an accident: planning, managing the relationship with your aviation authority, and learning from others’ experience. As a first step, having a robust plan that is effectively trained and exercised is the most important area and, unfortunately, often the most neglected. Without this foundation, an organization will be forced into a reactive posture when it is critical to be in control of a situation. Knowing how to build and maintain a collaborative and transparent relationship with your regulatory and accident investigation authorities will help the post-accident process move smoothly and minimize reputational and cultural damage. Finally, learning best practices for the on-scene investigation and the months of follow-up will reduce uncertainty and allow teams to manage this additional stress effectively while not losing focus on continuing daily operations.

TOOLS AND SUPPORT FOR SAFETY, COMPLIANCE, MORALE, AND EFFICIENCY

VyClimb Consulting offers a comprehensive approach to enhance an organization’s operations and safety systems through a multi-phase project involving on-site and remote engagement with staff and leadership at all levels. The assessment utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a thorough understanding of the current state of the operation. We then work closely with the organization to implement industry best practices tailored to high-risk special missions operations. This ongoing support typically takes the form of staff and leadership mentoring and coaching that helps to foster a strong safety culture and enhances operational excellence. Our goal for all our clients is to provide the tools and support necessary to increase safety, compliance, morale, and efficiency