1. SMi “Aircraft Maintenance and Repair Conference” London
27-28 January 2010
Maintaining Maintenance Effectiveness
Rupert England
Human Factors Planning Consultant, HFPlan.net
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010

2. Systems of Interest TC HC Human System
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010

3. Know the System What is the System of Interest?
What are its Components?
How do they inter-relate?
Where are the System Boundaries? (HUMS Perspectives)
What are the System’s
emergent Properties?
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010

4. Information & IS Local MIS Joint Logistics Capability MIS
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010

5. Systems Fit-For-Purpose
Effective (do what it says on the box)
 Efficient
 Safe
 Unobstrusive (don’t get in the operator’s way)
 Cost-effective
Have no hidden or nasty surprises!
Over-emphasis on Technology Component
Too many businesses engineer technologies rather than Systems Fit-For-Purpose
Logic Myths
“If it works for me it’ll work for most people” = Big leap of faith!
Attitudes like this prevent early Human Factors (where it offers biggest cost-benefits)
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010

6. More Issues * Awareness Communication & Shared Understanding
Information
Systems Fit-For-Purpose
Organisations as Systems
Safety Culture
Military - Industry Partnerships (CLS)
Trust
Agile & Innovative Partnerships
Oversight
* See accompanying paper on conference CD for fuller discussion of issues
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010

7. Oversight, Boundaries and Accountabilities
ValuJet DC-9 Air Accident
Operator Failures
MRO Failures
Regulatory Authority Failures
NTSB (1997) finding:
An operator “cannot delegate its responsibility for the safety
of its operations and maintenance to its subcontractors”
Who today is responsible within your Military - CLS partnership? Sure?
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010

8. Conclusions
Many systemic and human factors affect Maintenance Capability
Risks as well as Opportunities
No sustainable effective Capability likely from ad hoc approach
The Challenge Ahead:
We need an overarching Maintenance Management Framework
Within which the issues discussed (and many others)
Can be addressed in a methodical, systematic way.
Initial barriers:
Ownership – Can MoD tell UK PLC what to do? Who owns effectiveness problem?
Authority
Coherence
SMi Aircraft Maintenance & Repair, London JAN 2010