The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has become the first aviation regulator globally to embrace mobile technology, enhancing their oversight responsibilities by using the iPad to carry out safety audits. As the regulator of one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, the GCAA is committed to ensuring that this growth is managed safely.
Monitoring the safety performance of more than 565 organisations requires the regulator to implement efficient and effective oversight measures, which is why the GCAA engaged with auditing technology specialists, Gael.
The GCAA and Gael have a history of delivering ground-breaking initiatives having implemented “e-auditing” – a project which allowed the regulator to move from a laborious paper-based process to an electronically managed system that offered greater efficiency and dramatically improved traceability and analysis functionality.
Executive Director of the GCAA’s Aviation Safety Department, Ismaeil Mohammed Al Balooshi, said: “We were the first regulator in the world to implement such a robust electronic auditing platform and the project has been a huge success, resulting in a better relationship with our stakeholders, improved knowledge sharing and, ultimately, safer skies above the UAE.”
The GCAA identified that the audit process could further evolve to take advantage of mobile technologies, such as the iPad.
Mr Al Balooshi continued: “When working on-site, our auditors spent much of their time capturing audit responses on paper checklists before having to re-input them into the e-auditing system. Our vision is to replace the need for physical paperwork entirely.” He continued: "We’ve worked with Gael on a number of ground-breaking auditing projects before and we were confident that once we explained our vision, they would deliver."
Gael and the GCAA got together to scope out the requirements of a mobile audit solution:
- all documentation relative to an audit needs to be available on the device including checklists and guidance notes
- checklists need to be in a format that they can be easily completed using the iPad’s intuitive touch screen interface
- checklist responses can be uploaded into the GCAA’s e-audit system easily and with minimum effort
As part of Gael’s continuous development of their Q-Pulse management system, taking the “perform an audit” functionality mobile was always part of the product roadmap. Ashley Marron, Gael’s Chief Executive Officer, explains: “We firmly believe that mobile auditing using the iPad can be applied in a range of different scenarios and we challenged our customers to think of innovative applications for the solution. I wholeheartedly commend the GCAA for taking this challenge forward.”
.aspx)
The application allows an auditor to complete a checklist using the device by capturing responses and raising findings at the point of identification. This has huge time-saving implications and accuracy benefits as information doesn’t need to be re-entered into the Q-Pulse audit management system. To further enhance audit findings, photographic evidence of best practice or improvement areas can be taken and included using the iPad’s camera.
At the conclusion of the audit, the iPad facilitates a more accurate and collaborative close out process that allows the auditor and auditee to review and amend findings before submission. Once uploaded to Q-Pulse, the findings can automatically initiate non-conformance workflow and action tracking functionality.
Khalid Ahmed Mousa, Planning and Standard Specialist at the GCAA, said of the technology: “By using the iPad, our auditors are spending more time assuring safety and less time duplicating data entry from their clipboard checklists to a system in their office. This allows immediate acceptance of the audit report, meaning that when they leave the site, their role in the audit is over until findings are actioned. The more I can get them auditing, the more workload we can cover with same number of staff.”
Summarising the project, Mr Al Balooshi concluded: “We are striving to ensure that the growth of aviation traffic in the UAE is managed in a secure and safe environment. Our work with Gael demonstrates our willingness to challenge existing processes and to embrace new technologies in order to achieve that goal."