Technical Documentation and IETM Utilization – Aviations Weapons Of Mass Consumption

May 31, 2023

Data Sharing Dominates

Exchanging critical data fairly summarizes the daily routine in the aviation sector. With each minute action, a corresponding and exponentially larger portion of data must be transferred between parties in order to maintain everything from operational efficiency to maintenance and safety parameters. Without the ability to transmit and share information, the industry would grind to a halt, with results ranging from missing baggage to planes falling out of the sky. It is the collaborative aspect that keeps all events synchronized, allowing passengers to have a thankfully uneventful experience in their travels, and cargo to arrive from point A to point B.

Rebounding from dormancy during the COVID 19 pandemic, industry demands have returned with a vengeance.Organizations are scrambling to capitalize on the wave of opportunity. Downsizing, supply chain disruptions, and the need to rehire staff continue to thwart efforts to achieve a seamless return to normalcy. Companies require a way to mitigate the adverse factors impacting them, and as well keep them prepared for future as yet unseen changes. The ability to share information, in particular, technical documentation, could be the missing piece of the puzzle. How? Through the deployment of IETM / IETP technical publications applications.

Key Areas of Information Exchange

Recent studies have shown that the larger airlines will be moving away from legacy systems, lowering the industry usage of outdated technical documentation applications from 37% down to 21%. Cloud based systems are becoming more prevalent, being able to render higher value chain efficiencies for fleet management, maintenance planning, and overall flight operations. The advantages are varied and numerous.

Advanced training and scaling new employees’ skill sets can easily be leveraged by the usage of an IETM / IETP. The same can be said regarding purchasing, scheduling and new material usage procedures and specifications. Information can easily be accessed and consumed by technicians, trainees, and administrators. An intuitive user interface further assists with daily tasks and shortens learning curves. Combined with the capacity to capture key human observations, aviation technical documentation becomes a much more formidable tool, addressing some of the more pressing industry issues

In a recent NBAA review, procedural non compliance and the use and sharing of human reported safety data ranked as two of the biggest factors that need attention. Safety procedures, especially in today’s critical climate, need to be steadfastly adhered to. Maintaining the airworthiness of mixed fleets demands diligently applied scrutiny to the product as a whole. Only 46% of companies said they employ some form of automated safety protocol invigilation, disregarding the massive wealth of human supplied data that can be utilized and provided by them.

By providing technical documentation through an IETM /IETP, aviation operators, MROs and OEM employees can gain access to regularly updated and critical information necessary to maintain safety standards. IETM applications, such as the NIVOMAX Viewer, allows provisioned users to utilize this information via web, mobile device, or desktop. Valuable human data can be captured as well, through the ability to annotate manuals and publications, increasing the efficiency of future procedures. Workflow Extensions can be implemented to assist internal staff with adhering to the regulatory standards necessary for airworthiness.

Facing supply chain disruptions, layered with labor shortages is proving to be a challenging task. According to sources, many aviation companies are engaging engineering services , either on site or through virtual interfaces. These services provide skill upgrades and labor to undermanned teams, vital to the delivery of aviation products. The beneficial pre-vetted techniques gained from engaging engineering assistance can be retained and utilized by adding to or annotating existing technical documentation. The presence of an IETM / IETP itself facilitates onboarding these services more effectively, allowing collaboration through sharing technical information across both organizations in the relationship.

Post pandemic ,onboarding and training both existing and new staff has become a bottleneck in the return to normalcy. Aviation staff require ways to quickly achieve proficiency in their individual roles, including absorbing data regarding new materials, suppliers, procedures and safety regulations. 

Through the utilization of an IETM , technical documentation can be made available to assist with skill development at all levels of an organization.Trainees can benefit from data enriched through annotation by seasoned veterans, allowing them to absorb tribal knowledge not normally accessible in their regular formation. New specifications, operational procedures and maintenance practices for new aircraft (i.e. newer narrowbody planes and cargo converted widebodies) assist with turnaround time, delivery , and the application of current regulatory overhaul procedures. IETM / IETP features allow this critical information to be accessed at both home facilities and on remote sites via web, desktop and mobile devices.

Overall, the benefits of using IETMs to propagate and use information more effectively are manyfold. Cloud based technical documentation suites are indispensable tools for organizations to overcome the pressing issues of the current market. Just as importantly, their presence allows companies to remain in a state of readiness for future issues, making change management a far simpler and efficient process.

Wise stakeholders need to realize and address the volatile nature of aviation’s comeback. The landscape could quickly shift again, with issues such as attaining sustainability and fuel cost having an uncertain effect on the vertical going forward. Given the number of companies which did not make it through the storm of COVID 19, being prepared in regard to technical documentation and IETMs may certainly be a viable option, if not mandatory.

Looking To Increase Your Informational Efficiency?

SYNAXIOM has helped aviation companies achieve success for over  a decade. If you require applications to address and optimize your ability to scale your workforce and manage data effectively, reach out to us. The NIVOMAX Viewer can help you grow to meet today’s market challenges.