Oct4Written by:Chris Howell
10/4/2007 3:00 PM 
Three types of free Gap Analyses are available in SMS Pro.
The first we created was a "Hybrid," best of breed adopted from FAA, ICAO and Transport Canada. The second is the Transport Canada SMS Gap Analysis.
The newest GAP analysis is strictly from FAA's AC Draft XX-X version 4, which is now the FAA SMS Assurance Guide. As of today, we have only this beta version.
All free SMS gap analyses have identical functionality. A new feature we added recently was the ability to add notes or supporting Documentation Sources to each question. In the past, SMS Pro's Gap Analysis had a "General Note Section" to document notes about the entire Gap Analysis. For example, a Gap Analysis may span several subject areas, such as Flight Operations, Cabin, Dispatch, etc. Since one person is rarely the subject matter expert in all areas, a safety manager could assign sections to individual team members. Six months later, everyone would know which person worked on each section if it was documented in this fashion. Unfortunately, this feature isn't available in the SMS Pro's free Gap Analysis. In order to store information for extended periods and create "continuous improvement" charts & graphs, it is imperative that the operator has at least the "Free SMS Pro Version."
An SMS Gap analysis is one of the first steps in implementing an effective aviation SMS. Of course, the best Web-based aviation SMS software is SMS Pro. Consultants consistently tell us that SMS Pro is:
- More Complete!
- More User-Friendly!
- Most Cost-Effective! and
- Designed specifically for the aviation industry.
For general informaiton, FAA's GAP Analysis has only four sections and is not as comprehensive as our "Hybrid" GAP Analysis. Transport Canada's Gap Analysis is more complete than the FAA Gap Analysis.
Graphs of previously completed SMS GAP analysis facilitate the "continuous improvement" requirement. Again, meaningful charts and graphs are not possible with the free SMS Gap Analysis tool.
After completing a Gap Analysis, whether it is the free SMS Gap Analysis or one that comes with any version of SMS Pro, a report is emailed to the person who initiated the SMS Gap Analysis.
For an SMS Pro demo, contact chowell@nwds-ak.com or to learn more, see http://www.aviation-sms.com/SMSPro/BusinessProcesses/Overview/HighLevel/tabid/721/Default.aspx for the business processes.
For additional information on NWDS visit their website at www.nwds-ak.com and www.aviation-sms.com to learn more about SMS Pro™.
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