Who would have thought 10 years ago that an audit can take place remotely? Having the aircraft (asset) somewhere, and the auditor in a completely different location for sure does not sound like a good idea.
Companies were not used to this type of service and most of the time it was just easier to opt for the traditional on-site audit. Such preferences can be easily explained as in case of onsite jobs the client is able to see the auditor in person and that gives a feeling of liability and control.
Since the beginning of 2020 things have changed as we all know. Companies have seen themselves forced to go from the “On-site” to the “Remote Services” option. How does it work and when is it still recommended not to use remote services? Follow us through this article if you would like to know more.
1. Organization
The key to efficiency is organization and without it any job can become messy, having this in mind while planning all audits when dealing with aeronautical engineering, airworthiness and technical documentation is a must.
We recommend using an online control system to keep an eye on each snag raised during the audit.
The system should have the key information required to bring each issue raised during the audit to a closing point.
Information such as description of the finding containing a short and clear message of what is the issue and where exactly it is located. The information can be split into parts that are required and may be missed in the expected answering, minimising this way the time it takes when back and forward communication takes place, registering accurate data about the problem and the solution.
How GranCM controls ABC books audit:
2. Skills, Experience & Knowledge
Having an experienced, knowledgeable team is a must, please consider the numerous rules and individual aspects to audit and/or monitor.
It can take months of good work and minutes of lack of knowledge or experience to ruin the financial outcome of a project.
It is also important to consider which type of skill sets are needed for what type of job.
Let’s say the project requires 100 repairs to be audited; it would not be a good idea to put in an engineer with Maintenance Programs knowledge to do the audit since he does not have the sufficient knowledge that the job requires.
A maintenance program is a schedule of tasks to be carried out within certain intervals to one or a group of aircraft (fleets) during their operational lifetime with the purpose of maintaining their airworthiness. It is a document that must be approved by the local aviation authority; Meanwhile, repairs require a focus on types of damages, measures, and possible solutions.
Damages and repairs can be within and not within limits, each damage has to be mapped. This job requires a different skills set and experience.
3. Communication
Make sure you and your team count on reliable internet services; use your favorite communication channel other than email since lack of physical presence will have to be substituted by instant communication chat apps.
4. Adjustment
Being able to adapt to the customer’s requirements and conditions is a must for a long-term business relationship. We also cannot forget that the customer has a say to fulfill determined requirements and they can also change during the course of any project. It is important to consider this point but to never jeopardize airworthiness and the local authority’s rules.
When it is NOT recommended to use Remote Services?
All the jobs that require a physical inspection ONLY for a short period of time, such as pre-purchase/lease inspections.
It is also not recommended to have a remote consultant supporting audits if the aircraft’s paperwork is not in digital form (scanned), and if there is no one assigned on the other side to complete scans or to retrieve related documentation that is required during the project. It is impossible to contribute without having a continuous source of information.
Avoid organizations that lack of good communication, these can strongly contribute in significant delays which can bring bad results at the end for both parties.
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