Within the airline industry, Quality and Safety have long been recognised as effective ways in which airlines can continue to make sure that passengers and crews are safe and that aircraft are airworthy.
As the industry continues to grow and expand, broadening the scope of Safety by extending its remit beyond Flight Safety is vitally important in preventing a significant rise in accident and incident rates.
In extending the management of Safety throughout the organisation, airlines must adopt a more systematic approach in order to manage both Safety and Quality effectively.
Industry best practice recommends that safety management systems (SMS) should be based on Quality processes, and regulatory guidance material recognises the quality management system (QMS) as the foundation on which SMS should be built.
By integrating quality and safety management systems with Q-Pulse, airlines can achieve a systematic approach to managing and Safety and Quality, and at the same time attain a holistic viewpoint of their QMS and SMS status in all areas and at all levels of the organisation.
Based on the PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT cycle, Q-Pulse applies a systematic and holistic approach to QMS and SMS management, from documenting and distributing policies and procedures through to identifying opportunities for continual improvement.
Aviation Quality Management
Quality Management [should] interface with Safety Management as part of the organisation’s core management system… Companies establishing a SMS need to take a pragmatic approach, building where possible on existing procedures and practices, particularly Quality Management.
CAP 712 – Safety Management Systems for Commercial Air Transport Operations
UK CAA Safety Regulation Group
In the airline industry, Quality is paramount; regulations such as JAR-OPS, JAR-FCL and EASA Part-145 require airlines to implement and maintain a Quality System to monitor compliance with, and the adequacy of, procedures required to ensure safe operational practices and airworthy aeroplanes.
As part of the Quality System, airlines must implement and maintain a Quality Assurance Programme (QAP) to make sure that operational practices are safe and that aircraft are airworthy, and to review such systems through regular internal and external audit.
As well as being a requirement of JAA/EASA regulations, auditing is integral to the effectiveness of any QAP: from internal and external audits of the airline and its suppliers to third-party audits by customers and regulators, airlines are continually being audited.
A Systematic and Holistic Approach to Quality & Safety
Q-Pulse comprises a series of interconnected modules that gives airlines an interlocking framework with which to manage their quality management systems (QMS). In addition, the same framework can be used to manage safety management systems (SMS) both proactively and reactively.
Q-Pulse helps to integrate how the QMS and SMS are being managed throughout the organisation, covering key regulatory functions including:
- Audit management
- CA/PA management
- Policy and procedure management
- Occurrence management
- Occurrence & CA/PA analysis
By enabling airlines to integrate the management of quality and safety, Q-Pulse helps airlines to meet requirements common to multiple regulations, including JAR-OPS, EASA Part-145 and IOSA, as well as to enhance the maintenance and improvement of quality and safety management.
In integrating quality and safety management systems with Q-Pulse, airlines can achieve a systematic approach to managing and Safety and Quality, and at the same time attain a holistic viewpoint of their QMS and SMS status in all areas and at all levels of the organisation.
Aviation Occurrence Management
Q-Pulse’s Occurrence Management functionality enables airlines to transfer existing Incident tools and techniques into a robust and scaleable system that is fully integrated with other core SMS activities:
- simple yet flexible occurrence report designing
- systematic occurrence investigating and risk rating
- automated occurrence action-tracking with associated business alerts
- detailed report trending and analysis across all reported occurrence data
Report, Investigate, Analyse
Q-Pulse caters for all the reporting requirements of Occurrence Management, including ASRs, GORs and subsequent MORs. Additional reports from outside of the traditional Flight Safety domain can also be easily created. With all reports available through Q-Pulse’s web client, safety concerns can be raised by anyone with access to the corporate portal.
With the ability to mandate fields that must be completed before submitting a report, Q-Pulse ensures that information relevant to the occurrence is available at-a-glance prior to any investigation. Incident classification is performed using industry-standard descriptors and causal factors, whilst risk assessment templates are available for organisation-specific matrices.
With its unique ability to create customised incident workflows based on incident type, the system ensures that all findings are documented, all actions are agreed and all activities are communicated. Investigation communication is performed using existing company email systems meaning that staff are informed of actions and responsibilities in real-time.
With all data analysis conducted within a dedicated Analysis module, Q-Pulse uniquely offers dynamic incident analysis graphs which can be drilled down to the most specific details. In addition, the incident and occurrence records that comprise the graphs are accessible with a single mouse-click, instantly giving you the information you need to respond to any questions asked.
Aviation Safety Management
All safety improvement programmes must be based on data and follow a ‘PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT’ cycle… analysis, identification, action, measurement and revision is a core feature of any safety improvement programme.
ICAO Global Aviation Safety Roadmap
Traditionally, the aviation industry has taken a reactive approach to managing safety, for example in occurrence reporting. As well as helping the industry to manage regulatory compliance, SMS have given airlines tools and techniques that have helped them to move from a reactive approach to take a more proactive stance.
However, the continuing growth and expansion of the industry exerts increasing pressure on airlines to extend the SMS to every level and to all areas of the organisation, in order to maintain the way in which safety is managed, and to continue to make sure that safety and airworthiness are improving.
This shift in how safety is managed can be seen in the changing requirements of aviation regulations and standards: from January 2009, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), airlines must establish a SMS that complies with ICAO standards and recommended practices (SARPs).
A Systematic and Holistic Approach to Safety & Quality
For the airline industry, Q-Pulse is the only commercially available software solution that offers a centralised and standardised framework that encompasses the four key components of the corporate SMS based on the ICAO framework:
- safety policy and objectives
- safety risk management
- safety assurance
- safety promotion
By enabling airlines to take a proactive stance in establishing how safety is managed in all areas of the organisation, Q-Pulse helps airlines to adopt a systematic and holistic approach to managing quality and safety in all areas and at all levels of the organisation.
In integrating quality and safety management systems with Q-Pulse, airlines can achieve both a structured approach to managing quality and safety and a holistic viewpoint of the QMS and SMS status in all areas and at all levels of the organisation.
Get in touch with us today on +44 (0) 1355 593400 or at aviation@gaelquality.com to talk about how you can implement an integrated system for Safety & Quality management with Q-Pulse.