How many times have you said to yourself or others “There’s got to be a better way?” My guess is that it would be a bunch. Yet how often do you pursue that better way? If you’re honest with yourself the answer is probably “not often enough.” The demands on one’s time in today’s world typically make it extremely difficult to try something different in an effort to make a task easier, improve a process, or what have you.
The term “best practices” gets a lot of use but are they actually sought out, much less used? Many times expediency and/or cost gets in the way and best practices fall by the wayside and fade away.
“Best practices” means different things to different people. From my view they are actions, resulting from a way of thinking, that not only make a task easier but may also allow us to learn something for the future or apply the thought process to other tasks or processes.
Years ago, IBM’s slogan was “THINK.” It was plastered all over. In my opinion, most best practices come from common sense which should not necessarily require deep thought but does require the desire to do something right the first time.
At the risk of sounding preachy, here are some things to think about that, in my opinion, apply universally.
Communicate
We’ve all heard this a million times but maybe we wouldn’t have to hear it so often if we’d just do it. We’re all guilty at one time or another.
Some of the poorest communication frequently occurs in connection with squawks on the aircraft or its systems. You may have read humorous exchanges between pilots and mechanics on the Internet such as the squawk “left engine missing” and the response “left engine found on left wing.” While funny, this dialogue is based on truth.
A squawk that says “autopilot malfunctioning” says virtually nothing. Pilot write-ups need to give the maintenance staff a fighting chance to figure out what’s wrong without having to guess. You don’t need to write a book, but be as descriptive as possible and try to identify conditions present with the problem.
Mechanics and technicians don’t get off scot-free here. If you don’t understand a write-up, ask questions until you’ve got all the information you need. If you don’t know the right questions to ask then seek assistance or training that fills this need. And, when you do find the cause of the problem, and definitely fix it, report the findings to the flight crew so that everyone learns something from the experience.
Be proactive
Unexpected situations usually produce a “reactive” response. That’s natural since most of us aren’t psychics and have no way of predicting future events. But, being “proactive” doesn’t mean having to be psychic.
Being proactive can be as simple as planning ahead and acting on those plans, preferably to completion. While planning, be on the lookout for potential, or emerging, situations, good or bad. Act up front to try to manipulate the situation to the desired outcome. That outcome could be one that’s better than expected or not as bad as it might have been.
For example, you know an annual inspection of your aircraft is coming around again. In fact, you know it a year in advance. Start looking ahead as soon as practical and plan for the aircraft to be out of service. Regardless if it’s a lone corporate aircraft or one of a fleet, work closely with the dispatch people well in advance to plan around the annual. You should also be planning the actual inspection activities and making sure that all is in place to minimize the required downtime.
Again, I know this is probably preaching to the choir but expect the unexpected. “Murphy’s Law” is just waiting to strike. Being proactive is a good defense against Murphy while disorganization and procrastination are some of Murphy’s best allies.
Use lessons learned
Most day-to-day tasks are mundane with very little to learn. It’s when we do things that are beyond the ordinary daily grind that we are presented with potential challenges. Obviously, tasks that are unfamiliar can be the most challenging and there is usually a learning curve of some degree involved. To improve your proactive abilities apply the lessons learned from past experiences.
In many cases the lessons may be very simple and not require much further thought. However, at the end of major projects, especially those that experienced memorable setbacks, it might be a good idea to have a meeting with all of those involved to discuss the lessons learned and what could have been done to improve the process. Type certificate (TC) or supplemental type certificate (STC) programs are good examples of major projects that can go awry very quickly costing time and money. Organizations that do these sorts of things can benefit greatly from a “lessons learned” exercise after project completion. However, the benefit is only realized if the lessons are applied.
Know your limits
It was mentioned earlier that unfamiliar tasks can be the most challenging and it is during the performance of these tasks that your expertise may not be sufficient. This is true for individuals and organizations.
Don’t misinterpret the axiom “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” It doesn’t mean just suck it up and do it. Being tough also means being smart. Forging ahead on a task that is beyond one’s skill set invites trouble and is downright dangerous, especially in aviation. That’s not to say you shouldn’t even try doing something unfamiliar. Obviously, you expand your abilities and improve your self-confidence by taking on new tasks. But, when taking on something that makes you too nervous or apprehensive, it might be a good idea to have help from the very beginning or have a plan to get help quickly if things don’t go as planned. Remember, it could end up costing more money and time to rework the mistakes made before calling for help. For example, home remodeling craftsman love inexperienced DIYs (do-it-yourselfers) because they frequently end up getting paid more by having to fix what the DIYs did wrong. So, recognize when you’re out of your element.
Practice makes perfect
Whether it’s physical tasks, administrative processes or whatever, better ways only become best practices when they are refined and polished through repeated use. The enemies of refining, polishing and using best practices include lack of time to do things right the first time and (bean counters, listen up) budget practices that result in stepping over dollars to pick up nickels. Fight the urge to be expedient or cheap. It takes patience and resolve on the part of everyone involved, including management, to adopt of culture of encouraging and using best practices. In the long run use of best practices will save time and money.
Paul Magno is the founder and president of Worldwide Helicopter Solutions, LLC in Glendale, AZ, which provides services to helicopter and fixed-wing operators, avionics manufacturers and repair stations around the world.
