Definitions

Note

The following terms and definitions are in addition to the terms and definitions listed in ACA’s Operations Manual, Part A, General and Basic Chapter 01.

Aircraft Accident

Aircraft Accident means an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards aircraft with the intention of flight until such time as all such persons have disembarked, in which any person suffers death or serious injury as a result of being in or upon the aircraft or anything attached thereto, or the aircraft receives substantial damage.

Acceptable Level of Safety

Acceptable level of safety is a level of safety which expressed in practical terms by two measures which are safety performance indicator and safety performance target.

Accountable Executive (Accountable Manager)

The accountable manager is a single, identifiable person having responsibility for the effective and efficient performance of ACA’s QAS.

Analysis

Analysis is the process of identifying a question or issue to be addressed, modeling the issue, investigating model results, interpreting the results, and possibly making a recommendation. Analysis typically involves using scientific or mathematical methods for evaluation.

Assessment

Assessment is the process of measuring or judging the value or level of something.

Audit

An audit is a scheduled and a formal review to evaluate compliance with ACAs quality standards for our processes, policies, procedures, and contractual requirements. ACAs audits may also include compliance monitoring. A compliance monitoring audit will be conducted to ensure compliance with CAAT requirements.

The starting point for an audit is the management and operations of the organization, and it moves outward to the organization’s activities and products/services.

• Internal Audit is an audit conducted by ACA to ensure compliance within ACA to ensure compliance with the overseeing authority’s regulations, and ACA quality policies and procedures.
• External audit is an audit conducted by ACA conducted by ACA to ensure that contracted service providers are in compliance with the overseeing authorities regulations, and ACA quality policies and procedures.

Audited

The department or organization that is being audited.

Change Management

Change management is the formal process to manage changes within an organization in a systematic manner, so that changes which may impact identified non-compliant correction strategies are agreed upon and before the changes are implemented.

Compliance Monitoring

The act evaluating processes, policies or procedures to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations of CAAT, State or local laws.

Concern

Is a condition supported by objective evidence recognized as a potential problem or risk that may become a “Finding”.

Continuous Monitoring

Continuous monitoring is the uninterrupted watchfulness over the system.

Contract

Any services and any requirements agreed upon between a contract service provider and ACA.

Contract Training Partner

A Contract Training Partner is a company that ACA has contracted to provide training to employees.

Contracted Service Providers (Sub-contractors, Suppliers and Vendors)

Contracted service providers are qualified organizations that provide services or supplies for ACA at our home base, any approved satellite bases and when aircraft are away from home base. Examples of Contract Service Providers include: aircraft and aircraft parts manufacturers; fueling companies; aircraft maintenance providers, avionics maintenance providers, and air traffic control equipment; etc.

Continuous Monitoring

Continuous monitoring is the uninterrupted watchfulness over the system.

Corrective Action

Corrective action is an action to eliminate or mitigate the cause or reduce the effects of a detected nonconformity or other undesirable situation.

Defenses

Defenses are the specific mitigating actions, preventive controls or recovery measures put in place to prevent the realization of a non-compliance or its escalation into an undesirable consequence.

Documentation

Documentation is information or meaningful data and its supporting medium (e.g., paper, electronic, etc.). In this context it is distinct from records because it is the written description of policies, processes, procedures, objectives, requirements, authorities, responsibilities, or work instructions.

Errors

Errors are an action or inaction by an operational person that leads to deviations from organizational or the operational person’s intentions or expectations.

Evaluation

Evaluation is a functionally independent review of company policies, procedures, and systems. If accomplished by the company itself, the evaluation should be done by an element of the company other than the one performing the function being evaluated. The evaluation process builds on the concepts of auditing and inspection. An evaluation is an anticipatory process, and is designed to identify and correct potential findings before they occur. An evaluation is synonymous with the term systems audit.

Evidence

Is a documented statement of a fact that may be quantitative or qualitative, based on observations, measurements or tests that can be verified. Objective evidence may be found from:

• Document or manual review;
• Equipment examination;
• Activity observation or interviews.

Finding(s)

A finding is a condition supported by objective evidence that demonstrates a non-compliance with a specific standard.

Flight Data Analysis (FDA)

Flight Data Analysis (FDA) is a proactive and non-punitive program for gathering and analyzing data recorded during routine flights to improve flight crew performance, operating procedures, flight training, air traffic control procedures, air navigation services, or aircraft maintenance and design. FOQA is an example of a FDA program.

Gap Analysis

Gap Analysis is a technique that assists in identifying the disparity between the current and the desired future state.

Head of Quality

The Head of Quality who is acceptable to CAAT and responsible for the management of the Quality Assurance System, the monitoring functions and for requesting remedial actions.

High Consequence Indicators

High-consequence indicators are safety performance indicators pertaining to the monitoring and measurement of high- consequence occurrences, such as accidents or serious incidents. High-consequence indicators are sometimes referred to as reactive indicators.

Incident

Incident is a near miss episode with minor consequences that could have resulted in greater loss. An unplanned event that could have resulted in an accident, or did result in minor damage, and indicates the existence of, though may not define, a hazard or hazardous condition.

Inspection

Inspection is unscheduled and unannounced inspection of policy or procedures to ensure compliance.

Inspector

An Inspector conducts non-scheduled inspections that may cover all aspects of ACAs operations including contract service providers. Inspectors are appointed by the Head of Quality.

Just Culture

Just Culture is an important aspect of a positive quality culture that ensures that while employees will be held accountable for their actions.

Learning Culture

Learning Culture is an important aspect of a positive quality culture that ensures that the information contained in reports, audits, investigation, and other data sources is analyzed to generate quality recommendations which are then implemented in the organization.

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned is knowledge or understanding gained by experience, which may be positive, such as a successful test or mission, or negative, such as a mishap or failure. Lessons learned should be developed from information obtained from within, as well as outside of, the organization and/or industry.

Likelihood

Likelihood is the estimated probability or frequency, in quantitative or qualitative terms, of an occurrence related to a non-compliance.

Lower Consequence Indicators

Lower-consequence indicators are safety performance indicators pertaining to the monitoring and measurement of lower-consequence occurrences, events or activities such as incidents, non-compliance findings or deviations. Lower-consequence indicators are sometimes referred to as proactive/predictive indicators.

Mitigation Measures

Mitigation Measures is to eliminate the potential non-compliance and reduce the probability or severity.

Monitoring (Surveillance)

Monitoring or surveillance is the act of closely observing, evaluating, and assessing the effectiveness of an organization in a systematic way to verify compliance with regulations; and operation in accordance with its processes.

Non-compliance

Non-compliance is a failure to comply, as with a law, regulation, or term of a contract.

Nonconformity

Nonconformity is a non fulfillment of a requirement (ref. ISO 9000). This includes but is not limited to non-compliance with CAAT requirements. It also includes company requirements, requirements of operator developed risk controls or operator specified policies and procedures.

Nominated Persons

A person nominated by ACA and is responsible for overseeing a specific department. The Nominated Person is responsible for their department and meeting the standards required by CAAT and any additional requirements defined by the company.

Occurrence

An occurrence involves any circumstance indicating that an accident nearly occurred.

Oversight

Oversight is a function that ensures the effective promulgation and implementation of the safety- related standards, requirements, regulations, and associated procedures. Safety oversight also ensures that the acceptable level of risk is not exceeded in ACA’s operations.

Predictive

The predictive method captures system performance as it happens in real-time normal operations.

Preventive Action

Preventive action is an action to eliminate or mitigate the cause or reduce the effects of a potential nonconformity or other undesirable situation.

Proactive

The proactive method looks actively for the identification of a quality or non-compliance area that are identified through audits or investigations and the analysis of ACA’s activities.

Probability

Probability is the estimated probability or frequency, in quantitative or qualitative terms, of an occurrence related to the non-compliance.

Procedure

Procedure is a specified way to carry out an activity or a process.

Process

Process is a set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs into outputs.

Quality

The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.

Quality Assurance System (QAS)

Quality Assurance System is the formal, top-down business-like approach to managing quality. It includes systematic procedures, practices, and policies for the management of ACA’s quality policies, processes and procedures.

Quality Culture

Quality Culture is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, competencies, and patterns of behavior that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, the organization’s management of quality. Organizations with a positive quality culture are characterized by communications founded on mutual trust, by shared perceptions of the importance of quality, and by confidence in the efficacy of preventive measures.

Quality Control The operational techniques and activities used to

fulfill requirements of ACA’s Quality Assurance System Program.

Quality Management

The Management that is responsible for the overall function and for implementing the Quality Policy.

Quality Oversight

Quality oversight is functions were CAAT insures effective implementation of quality related standards contained in CAAT requirements.

Quality Performance

Quality performance is the measurement of ACA’s overall quality achievement as defined by our quality performance targets and quality performance indicators.

Quality Performance Indicator

Quality performance indicator is a short or medium term of a state of quality, for //Company// or a contract service provider.

Quality Performance Monitoring

Quality performance monitoring are activities being implemented by ACAs under QAS requirements.

Quality Performance Target

Quality Performance Target is a long term of a state quality program or ACA service provider QAS.

Quality Planning

Quality planning is part of quality assurance focused on setting quality objectives and specifying necessary operational processes and related resources to fulfill the quality objectives.

Quality Promotion

Quality promotion is a combination of quality culture, training, and data sharing activities that support the implementation and operation of a QAS in an organization.

Reactive

The reactive method responds to the events that already happened, such as incidents and accidents.

Record

Records are evidence of results achieved or activities performed. In this context it is distinct from documentation because records are the documentation of QAS outputs.

Reporting Culture

Reporting Culture is an important aspect of a positive quality culture that cultivates the willingness of every member to contribute to the organization’s knowledge base.

Service

Service is an action done to help a person, client or customer.

Service Realization

Service realization is the term used to describe the work that the organization goes through to develop a service or services.

Severity

Severity is the consequence or impact of a non-compliance in terms of degree of loss or harm.

System

A system is an integrated set of constituent elements that are combined in an operational or support environment to accomplish a defined objective. These elements include personnel, hardware, software, firmware, information, procedures, facilities, services, and other support facets.

Voluntary Self-Disclosure Program

Voluntary Self-Disclosure Program is any program that encourages employees to voluntarily report non-compliance, suggestions and inadvertent violations of ACA’s policies, ACA procedures or inadvertent violations of CAAT requirements. Violations reported under this program will normally be closed out with an administrative or quality committee action.