Continuous Improvement in Aviation SMS: Things Can Only Get Better
“Things Can Only Get Better” - the upbeat 80s tune by Howard Jones - might seem like an unlikely theme for aviation safety. Yet as I recently heard this song on a drive, it struck me how perfectly it encapsulates the ethos of continuous improvement in a Safety Management System (SMS). In aviation, we can’t afford to stand still; a successful SMS is always learning, adapting, and getting better. This week, we dive into what continuous improvement in an SMS really means, what it looks like in both theory and practice, and how an accountable executive can ensure it’s truly happening.
What Does “Continuous Improvement” Mean in SMS?
In simple terms, continuous improvement is the ongoing Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle that drives an SMS to become safer and more effective over time. An SMS isn’t a one-and-done project or a binder of static procedures - it’s a living system. In fact, Transport Canada’s guidance material notes that if all the fundamental parts of an SMS are in place, they inherently create a loop of planning, doing, checking, and acting that allows safety to continuously improve. This mirrors the quality management principles of W. Edwards Deming, whose PDCA model underpins many SMS frameworks.
Crucially, continuous improvement in an aviation SMS means constantly identifying hazards and safety issues, analyzing them, taking action, and measuring the results. The goal is to reduce risk in a proactive, structured way. As one industry expert put it, aviation SMS implementations are designed to continuously improve safety performance by systematically identifying hazards, collecting and analyzing safety data, monitoring risks, and cultivating safety awareness among stakeholders. It’s a broad concept that touches every part of the SMS - from daily ops on the ramp to high-level safety policy - all working together to keep finding ways to do better.
An SMS Can Never Be Static
Regulators and industry leaders alike emphasize that “for an SMS to be successful it must never be static”. Just having the basic components in place doesn’t mean the job is finished - an SMS is never truly “complete.” Why? Because aviation operations are always changing. Your organization isn’t static: personnel change, equipment and technology evolve, routes and runways differ, the operating environment shifts. As Transport Canada’s Advisory Circular AC 107-001 explains, as the organization changes, so must the SMS. The system has to continually evolve by using its outputs (data, reports, lessons learned) to adapt and improve.
Think of continuous improvement as building the habit of asking and answering, “How can we be safer tomorrow than we were today?” on an ongoing basis. It’s not about the annual audit or a once-a-year review; it’s about embedding a relentless learning and adapting process into everyday operations. In fact, the traditional approach of periodic audits is giving way to a more dynamic, feedback-driven oversight. Modern safety programs have shifted from static check-the-box audits to continuous, data-driven engagement, where regular safety performance reviews and lessons learned are fed back into the system for adaptation. Continuous improvement becomes “built-in” through ongoing monitoring of safety performance, frequent review of objectives, and updates to processes whenever changes in the operation or shortfalls in performance are identified.
One practical methodology for this is the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle mentioned above. AC 107-001 explicitly ties a well-functioning SMS to the PDCA model - because if you have processes for planning, executing, verifying results, and acting on them, you have the engine for continuous improvement. For example, in the Plan stage you might set a safety objective (e.g. reducing runway incursions), establish performance goals and metrics, and plan safety actions. In Do, you implement those actions (training, new procedures, technologies) and capture data. In Check, you compare the results against your goals - are incursions down? are the new controls working? - analyzing any gaps. Finally, in Act, you make adjustments: refine the procedure if it’s not effective, standardize and celebrate it if it is, share the improvement with the team, and then look for the next area to improve. Then the cycle begins anew. This looping process ensures that safety management is continuous, not a one-time initiative.
Regulatory Foundations for Improvement
Continuous improvement isn’t just a buzzword; it’s baked into the very requirements for SMS. For instance, the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) explicitly require certain components in an SMS that drive improvement. CAR 302.502 (for certified airports’ SMS, as an example) mandates that an SMS include, among other things: a safety policy and clear safety roles; performance goals and a means to measure their attainment; an internal hazard/incident reporting policy with protections for employees; and crucially, a process for reviewing the SMS to determine its effectiveness. In other words, you need to be checking if the system is actually working and improving safety, not just assuming it does.
The regulations also call for procedures to collect and analyze data on hazards and incidents, and to take corrective actions as needed. There must be training programs for SMS personnel (so they have the competence to manage safety) and regular safety performance reports up to the accountable executive. And notably, employees must be involved in the implementation and ongoing development of the SMS. That last part is key - it recognizes that an effective SMS is one where people on the front lines are actively participating in improvements, not just management alone.
Taken together, these components form a built-in improvement cycle. You gather data, report issues, analyze trends, take action, train people, measure performance, involve the whole team, and loop back to reassess. Even the quality assurance program in the regulations (e.g. CAR 302.503) is essentially a continuous improvement tool: it requires periodic audits and evaluations of your operations and your SMS itself, with findings fed to managers for corrective action and follow-up. The intent is that you’re constantly checking “Are we doing what we said we’d do in our SMS? Is it effective? Where can we do better?” and then making adjustments accordingly.
Key Ingredients of Continuous Improvement
What does continuous improvement look like within the SMS on a practical level? Let’s break down some of the critical elements and how they contribute to an ever-improving safety system:
Active Hazard Reporting and Data Collection: A non-punitive, well-used hazard reporting system is the frontline of continuous improvement. You can’t fix what you don’t know about. Encouraging employees to report hazards, incidents, and near-misses without fear is vital. This is why regulations insist on an internal reporting policy that includes immunity from discipline for genuine mistakes - it’s fostering a Just Culture where people feel safe to speak up. All those reports and safety data coming in are the raw material for improvement. By tracking even “weak signals” and small safety issues, organizations can address risks before they lead to serious events. For example, if several minor tug vehicle incidents are reported on the ramp, those reports might reveal an underlying process issue or training gap that can be fixed before it causes a major accident.
Employee Involvement and Feedback: As mentioned, involving employees is not optional - it’s a regulatory must and a practical one. Continuous improvement truly takes off when staff at all levels participate. One aviation safety blog bluntly noted that improvement “is not sustainable” if you try to run an SMS with just the safety office; you need buy-in and conscious involvement from employees and management alike. What does active involvement look like? It goes beyond passive measures like a suggestion box. It could mean having regular safety meetings or workshops where front-line staff are invited to discuss hazards and suggest solutions. It could mean forming cross-departmental safety action teams that work on specific issues (for instance, a working group to improve runway safety that includes pilots, ATC, and ground crew). When presented with a structured opportunity - a conversation, an activity, a focused meeting - people are far more likely to contribute candid feedback and ideas. As an accountable executive, consider how you can create those opportunities. Walking the floor and informally chatting about safety, holding “safety pause” discussions during shifts, or inviting a few employees to help review a procedure are ways to draw out insights that a drop-box probably won’t. The payoff is twofold: you get practical improvement ideas from those who know the work best, and you build a strong safety culture where everyone feels they have a voice in safety.
Performance Goals, Metrics and Safety Objectives: Continuous improvement is also about aiming for specific improvements and tracking progress. An effective SMS includes safety performance indicators (SPIs) and targets - essentially, “what does success look like, and how will we measure it?”. For example, you might set an objective to reduce runway incursions by 50% this year, with SPIs like the number of runway incursion incidents per 10,000 movements, or the number of surface movement safety reports. By monitoring these indicators, management can see if safety initiatives are working. If the numbers aren’t trending the right way, that’s a trigger to investigate why and adjust strategies. ICAO’s Safety Management Manual points out that if performance targets aren’t met, the organization needs to analyze why - maybe the target was unrealistic, or the actions taken were ineffective, or new risks emerged - and then decide what further actions or changes are needed. Regular review of safety objectives and data is thus a cornerstone of continuous improvement; it keeps the organization from growing complacent. Set new goals as you achieve old ones. If you’ve met your target of reducing incursions by 50%, great - how about aiming to eliminate a certain type of incident entirely next, or improving another area? The SMS should have a built-in process (often an annual or semi-annual management review) to assess the effectiveness of the system and set or refine these safety performance goals.
Data Analysis and Corrective Action: Data without action is just noise. A continuous improvement-minded SMS devotes effort to analyzing safety data and investigation findings to identify trends and root causes, and then implements corrective actions. This is explicitly required: for instance, the Canadian regulations call for procedures to analyze data from hazard reports and audits, and to take corrective actions based on what’s found. In practice, this could mean your safety team reviews all incident reports monthly and notices an uptick in bird strike events on approach – leading to a deeper analysis of wildlife management efficacy and new measures to mitigate the risk. Or an internal audit might reveal that maintenance personnel are unclear on a procedure, correlating with an increase in maintenance-related errors; the corrective action might be to clarify the procedure and provide refresher training. Continuous improvement thrives on this cycle of find the problem → fix the problem → follow up to ensure the fix worked. It also means not waiting for an annual audit to course-correct; issues should be addressed in near-real-time if possible. Many airlines and airports now use safety data software that can provide trending dashboards. For example, JetBlue Airways integrated multiple data streams into a central safety database with live dashboards, enabling real-time monitoring of safety reports and trends on the ramp and elsewhere. This allowed them to spot emerging risks quickly and apply targeted mitigations, then watch in the data to see if those mitigations are effective over time. The faster you can detect and respond to safety issues, the more continuous your improvement becomes, rather than a series of delayed reactions.
Safety Investigation and Lessons Learned: When incidents or accidents do occur, continuous improvement means treating investigations as learning opportunities, not exercises in assigning blame. A thorough investigation process will dig into active failures and contributing factors, which then informs stronger defenses for the future. But the loop only closes if those lessons learned are fed back into the system - updating training, procedures, or equipment to prevent recurrence. For instance, if an incident investigation finds that a checklist design contributed to confusion, the checklist gets redesigned (and perhaps that lesson is shared with other departments that use similar checklists). A positive safety culture, supported by leadership, ensures that lessons are openly shared rather than swept under the rug. This approach reflects what ICAO calls a learning culture, where even mistakes are used to fuel improvement. An organization with a learning orientation doesn’t fear admitting something went wrong; it fears not learning from it. As an executive, you can encourage this by asking in meetings, “What did we learn from that occurrence last month? How have we improved because of it?” and by supporting those who bring issues to light.
Training and Competence: Continuous improvement also relies on human performance - so training is an integral piece. The SMS should ensure that not just the safety manager, but all personnel have the training appropriate to their SMS roles and responsibilities. This might include training on how to report hazards, how to conduct risk assessments, or how to implement safety duties in their daily job. When people are well-trained and knowledgeable, they can more effectively participate in safety efforts and spot improvement opportunities. Furthermore, training itself should be continuously improved. Good SMS organizations review training effectiveness (via exams, drills, or performance observations) and update curricula based on feedback or new risks. For example, if you introduce new ground support equipment, you might need to enhance your training program to address the new hazards that come with it – before an incident forces you to. Competence feeds confidence: a workforce that understands the SMS and their part in it will be proactive and engaged, rather than just going through the motions.
Safety Communication and Promotion: One often overlooked facet of continuous improvement is communication - keeping safety information flowing to maintain awareness and engagement. ICAO emphasizes that improvement of safety performance is highly dependent on safety culture, and a key action to improve culture is constant communication of priorities, best practices, and emerging risks. In practice, this means sharing safety performance results with staff (e.g. posting that “we reduced high-speed rejected takeoffs by 30% this quarter - good job, here’s how we did it”), circulating lessons learned from investigations, highlighting positive changes (“We’ve installed new anti-skid surfaces on the ramps as a result of your feedback”), and generally keeping safety in the conversation. When everyone sees that the organization is actively improving and that their inputs lead to tangible changes, it fuels a virtuous cycle - people are more likely to participate, which leads to more improvements. Many organizations use safety newsletters, briefings, dashboards, or even apps to update staff on safety metrics and initiatives. The point is to make safety improvement visible. As the IATA SMS guidance notes, sharing safety trends, good practices, success stories, and lessons learned widely not only increases safety awareness but also encourages staff participation and helps create a positive safety culture. A positive safety culture, in turn, multiplies your improvement efforts - it’s much easier to enhance safety performance in an organization that’s supportive and communicative than in one where safety is seen as just bureaucracy.
By focusing on these elements – reporting, involvement, objectives/indicators, analysis & action, learning from incidents, training, and communication - an SMS builds a self-sustaining momentum of improvement. Importantly, none of these are “set and forget” items. You don’t launch a reporting system and then ignore it; you continually encourage reporting and refine the system. You don’t set a safety goal once; you regularly review and update it. Continuous improvement is the opposite of a static checklist - it’s an ongoing mindset of always finding the next improvement, no matter how small.
The Role of Leadership and Culture in Improvement
Even the best processes on paper won’t lead to improvement without the right culture and leadership support. ICAO’s Safety Management Manual makes it clear: the improvement of safety performance in an organization is highly dependent on its safety culture. Actions to manage safety are far more effective when the organization has a positive safety culture, meaning there is trust, openness, and a shared commitment to safety at all levels. How do you achieve that? The guidance is unambiguous: it must be visibly supported by upper and middle management. When frontline employees see their leaders walking the talk - for example, executives who attend safety briefings, ask probing questions about safety issues, respond to reports, and allocate resources for safety improvements - they in turn feel a sense of shared responsibility for achieving safety objectives. In contrast, if employees sense that management pays lip service to safety but really only cares about on-time performance or cost, the willingness to engage in improvement will wither.
Accountable executives, in particular, set the tone. In the SMS framework, the accountable executive is the champion who has the authority to marshal resources for safety. Leadership can ensure continuous improvement by doing things like: regularly putting safety on the agenda of management meetings, actively reviewing safety reports and progress (not just glancing at statistics, but asking “what’s driving these numbers?”), and making it clear through decisions and actions that safety is a core value, not a box-ticking exercise. Something as simple as personally thanking an employee who reported a safety concern, or visibly following up on an issue they raised, sends a powerful message that improvement is everyone’s business and is appreciated from the top down.
Another leadership aspect is ensuring resources and time are available for safety initiatives. Continuous improvement often requires investment - maybe new training programs, better data systems, hiring safety staff, or equipment upgrades. An executive must juggle these needs against other business pressures, but if safety truly is the top priority, the resources must follow. The Canadian regs even define the accountable executive as the person with control over financial and human resources for a reason - so that safety improvements can get funded and staffed when needed.
Safety culture and continuous improvement also thrive on open communication and just culture. Leaders should cultivate an environment where reporting issues or admitting mistakes is met with support and problem-solving, not blame. This is why many organizations adopt a Just Culture policy (as part of safety policy) that delineates between blameless errors and willful negligence. When people trust that reporting a near-miss won’t get them punished, they are far more likely to contribute to the SMS - which means more data and opportunities to improve. As one aviation safety consultant noted, the industry’s evolution toward just culture and away from individual blame has been critical in enabling organizations to learn and improve continuously. After all, you can’t improve what you don’t know about, and you won’t know about problems if people are afraid to speak up.
Finally, leaders should measure and understand their SMS’s maturity on the continuous improvement journey. ICAO and EASA have introduced SMS maturity models with levels such as Present, Suitable, Operating, and Effective (often abbreviated as PSOE). In simple terms, Present means the SMS exists (you have the components defined), Operating means it’s functioning (procedures are being followed in practice), and Effective means it’s not only working but also continually improving safety outcomes. It’s worth asking: where is your organization on this spectrum? Is your SMS just “present and suitable” - i.e., you’ve written the manuals and assigned roles but it might still be mostly on paper? Is it “operating” - the processes are being used consistently? Or is it truly “effective” - yielding measurable safety improvements and adapting to change? The goal is to reach and maintain the Effective stage, where you can demonstrably show that your safety performance is improving over time as a result of the SMS processes. If you’re not there yet, continuous improvement is the bridge to get there. It may require strengthening weak areas of the SMS, increasing employee engagement, or sharpening your performance monitoring. The point is, SMS maturity is a journey, not a destination. By consistently focusing on improvement, you move from simply being compliant to being truly proficient in safety management.
Ensuring Continuous Improvement as an Executive
Given all of the above, how can an accountable executive ensure that continuous improvement is in fact taking place? Here are some practical approaches for leadership to drive and verify ongoing enhancement of safety:
Set Clear Expectations and Objectives: Make sure the organization knows that continuous improvement is an expectation. Set safety objectives and performance targets at the executive level and communicate them to everyone. For example, the accountable executive might announce, “This year, our goal is to improve our safety incident rate by 20% and here are the key areas we will focus on.” When employees see that leadership has a clear vision for getting better - and is measuring progress - it creates alignment. Tie these goals to the business’s overall success: safer operations mean fewer disruptions, lower costs from accidents, and enhanced reputation.
Regularly Review Safety Performance Data: Don’t just wait for an annual safety report. Require frequent safety performance reports (the regulations allow the executive to set the interval - many do quarterly reports to the Accountable Exec). In these reviews, look at trends in your SPIs, discuss any incidents, and ask what improvements have been made or are planned. If something concerns you - say, a spike in a particular type of incident - task your safety team to investigate and come back with recommendations. This “constant vigilance” approach filters down; when the safety office and line managers know that leadership is going to ask pointed questions about safety metrics, they in turn stay on their toes and more actively manage those metrics. Essentially, lead by inspecting what you expect - if you expect continuous improvement, then continually inspect the system’s outputs for evidence of improvement.
Foster a Culture of Curiosity and Learning: Encourage management and staff to approach safety with curiosity - why are things happening? what can we learn? - rather than with defensiveness or complacency. One way is by celebrating improvements and innovations. If a team comes up with a new checklist that reduces errors or a mechanic identifies a workaround that prevents a hazard, recognize it publicly. This shows that finding better ways is valued. Some organizations hold internal safety awards or “best idea” contests to spur engagement. While the concept of celebrating safety might seem unusual, AC 107-001 literally suggests to “celebrate” successes as part of the Act phase of improvement. Positive reinforcement goes a long way. Likewise, when things go wrong, approach it as “Let’s figure this out together” rather than “Whose fault is this?” - this reinforces that the company cares about solutions, not scapegoats.
Engage Directly with Front-line Employees: As an executive, you can gain invaluable insight by occasionally talking directly with the people who do the work. This can be informal (chatting during site visits, attending a line worker safety meeting) or formal (town halls, Q&A sessions). Ask them what obstacles they see to safer operations, or if they have seen improvements from past initiatives. This not only provides unfiltered information that might not make it into reports, but it also signals that you personally care about their input. Remember, involving employees in the ongoing development of the SMS is a requirement, but it’s also just good business - the people doing the job often know it best. By engaging with them, you might learn, for instance, that a particular new procedure looks good on paper but is impractical on the ramp at 2 AM. That’s a chance to improve the process. Moreover, employees who feel listened to are far more likely to support and actively participate in the SMS.
Ensure Accountability and Follow-Through: Continuous improvement can falter if there isn’t accountability for making changes. When audits or reports identify needed improvements, assign clear owners and deadlines for those corrective actions. Then track them. As the executive, you should receive updates on outstanding safety issues and mitigations. If something stalls, your intervention might be needed to remove barriers. Essentially, hold your team accountable for closing the loop on safety issues. A culture of continuous improvement means no safety recommendation languishes indefinitely; it gets addressed or at least formally evaluated and documented why it won’t be done. Some organizations use tools or dashboards to monitor open safety action items. You might ask to see, for example, “How many corrective actions from last quarter’s internal audit are still open?” If there are many, that’s a red flag that improvement efforts are not being driven to completion.
Monitor SMS Maturity and Effectiveness: Consider using maturity assessments or external evaluations to gauge where your SMS stands. An outside audit or a tool like EASA’s Management System Assessment Tool (if applicable) can provide an objective look at strengths and weaknesses. They might reveal, say, that while you have a robust reporting system (Present and Suitable), the analysis and feedback loop is lacking (so not fully Effective). Use such insights to focus your improvement efforts. It can be humbling to realize your SMS is only partially effective, but it’s better to know and act than to have blind spots. Benchmarking against industry best practices or even peer organizations can also spark ideas for improvement. For instance, if another airline of similar size has achieved a significantly lower incident rate, what are they doing differently? Continuous improvement often involves learning from others - safety isn’t proprietary, and most in aviation are willing to share best practices through conferences, industry working groups, or publications.
Above all, an accountable executive ensures continuous improvement by embedding it into the organization’s DNA. When safety conversations are as normal as financial or operational ones, when every level of employee understands that part of their job is to find ways to enhance safety, and when the organization is agile in adapting to new information - that’s continuous improvement in action.
Conclusion: Keep Evolving - Safely
In aviation, complacency is the enemy of safety. A Safety Management System that isn’t continually improving is, by definition, stagnating - and in a dynamic industry, stagnation means falling behind on safety. The good news is that with the right processes, culture, and leadership commitment, things can only get better. Continuous improvement in an SMS isn’t just a regulatory checkbox or management theory; it’s a very tangible, powerful approach that has helped airlines, airports, and aviation organizations large and small achieve dramatic gains in safety performance over time. It’s the reason air travel is as safe as it is today - because industry professionals kept learning from every incident, every data point, every new hazard, and never stopped refining the system.
For accountable executives, championing continuous improvement means your safety program will never be “finished” - and that’s a good thing. It will keep evolving along with your business, ensuring that new challenges are met proactively and that your operation is resilient in the face of change. By nurturing a positive safety culture, engaging your people, and relentlessly using the Plan-Do-Check-Act mindset, you create a cycle of safety that perpetually renews itself. Over time, you should see it: hazards get identified earlier, risks are controlled better, employees become more safety-minded, and your key safety metrics trend in the right direction. That is the mark of a healthy SMS and effective safety leadership.
And if you ever need a little inspiration to keep pushing on the improvement path - maybe on a tough day after a safety setback - it might be worth taking a 4-minute music break and cueing up that Howard Jones song. Things can only get better when we’re committed to continuous improvement in our Safety Management Systems, and in the end, that means a safer operation for everyone. Safe travels on your continuous improvement journey!
Currie
Sources:
Transport Canada, Advisory Circular (AC) 107-001 – Guidance on Safety Management Systems Development, esp. Section 3.3 and 3.8.
Transport Canada, Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) 302.500 Series – SMS Requirements for Airports.
ICAO, Safety Management Manual (Doc 9859), 4th Ed. – guidance on safety culture and continuous improvement.
IATA, Safety Management System guidelines – definition of continuous improvement and role of safety promotion.
Sofema Aviation Services – Safety Culture Evolution blog (2025) – on SMS maturity and feedback loops for improvement.
SKYbrary, Continuous Improvement of the SMS – Safety assurance and PDCA in SMS.
Aviation Safety Blog (ASMS-pro) – How to Demonstrate Continuous Improvement in Aviation SMS – emphasis on stakeholder involvement and monitoring performance.
Flight Safety Foundation, “Cutting Edge SMS” (2016) – examples of data-driven continuous improvement (JetBlue Airways).