1st May 2025 — MRO-PRO is proud to announce the release of its new Safety Management System (SMS) module, delivering a powerful, structured solution for aviation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) organisations to manage risks, strengthen safety culture, and ensure regulatory compliance.
The introduction of SMS is not only a best practice – it is now a regulatory requirement. Under Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1963, all EASA Part-145 approved maintenance organisations were required to implement an SMS by 2 December 2024. Similarly, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has mandated that UK Part-145 organisations implement an SMS by 1 July 2026, following the Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulation 2023.
MRO-PRO’s SMS module has been specifically developed to help organisations meet these requirements with an intuitive, integrated system tailored for aviation operations.
A Comprehensive System for Managing Safety Information
The MRO-PRO SMS module acts as a central information system for safety. It captures a wide range of what we call ‘Inputs’ — critical data points that indicate risks, incidents, hazards, or opportunities for improvement across the organisation. Once an Input is entered, it undergoes an initial risk assessment to determine its severity and likelihood. Each Input is then categorised according to the organisation’s Bowtie methodology, mapping threats, barriers, and consequences. To mitigate identified risks, the system issues Tasks, either as corrective Actions or Follow-Ups. After mitigation, a residual risk assessment is conducted to measure how much the risk has been reduced. Finally, the Input is either accepted at its mitigated risk level or placed onto the organisation’s Risk Register for continued monitoring and future review. This structured flow ensures that every piece of safety information is actively managed, mitigated, and fully traceable.
Input Types include:
- SMS Reports: General safety observations or events.
- Injury Reports: Incidents involving staff injuries.
- Customer Findings: Non-conformances or concerns raised by customers.
- Internal Findings: Results from audits or inspections.
- Regulator Findings: Issues raised by external aviation authorities.
- Management of Change Requests: Notifications of planned operational or procedural changes.
- Meeting Actions: Actions arising from safety or operational meetings.
Each Input is subject to an initial risk assessment, evaluating its potential severity and likelihood. This ensures that every piece of information is prioritised correctly and managed systematically.
Managing Risk Using the Bowtie Methodology
Risk assessments within MRO-PRO are structured around the internationally recognised Bowtie Methodology.
The Bowtie model visually maps:
- Threats (causes leading to a risk event),
- Consequences (impacts if the event occurs),
- Barriers (preventative measures),
- Mitigations (actions to minimise consequences).
Organisations can configure their own custom bowties within the system, tailoring threat and barrier structures to match their unique operational environments. This flexibility ensures alignment with different types of aircraft maintenance activities, from line maintenance to heavy base maintenance.
By categorising Inputs against custom bowties, MROs gain deeper insight into how risks propagate through their operations — and how they can be proactively controlled.
Actions and Follow-Ups: Task Management
Once an Input is assessed and categorised, the system automatically generates Tasks to mitigate the identified risks. Tasks are allocated to individuals or teams for action and tracked through to closure.
Task Types include:
- Actions: Instructions to perform a specific corrective measure to address a risk.
- Follow-Ups: Scheduled checks (e.g., after 3 or 6 months) to verify that a barrier remains effective over time.
Each Task contributes to risk mitigation. After Task completion, a residual risk assessment is performed to evaluate how much the original risk has been reduced, providing a clear, traceable audit trail of improvement.
The system ensures full visibility of all Tasks, their deadlines, statuses, and responsible owners, driving accountability and ensuring no risk is left unmanaged.
Intuitive Dashboards for Tracking and Oversight
The SMS module includes powerful real-time dashboards, allowing users and managers to:
- Monitor open, overdue, and closed Inputs and Tasks,
- View risk heatmaps and trends,
- Track progress on barrier effectiveness and mitigation strategies,
- Instantly identify areas requiring management attention.
This provides both day-to-day operational oversight and strategic risk management visibility for safety and quality leadership teams.
Supporting Safer, Stronger MRO Operations
With the launch of the SMS module, MRO-PRO is helping aviation MRO organisations not only meet EASA and CAArequirements but also build a more robust, proactive approach to safety management.
By consolidating risk information, automating assessments, and actively driving mitigation, the SMS module enhances operational resilience, reduces compliance burdens, and empowers continuous improvement across maintenance activities.
About MRO-PRO
MRO-PRO is a dedicated software platform built specifically for independent aviation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) organisations managing external client operations. Designed to support the unique needs of independent MROs, MRO-PRO offers comprehensive functionality across both line maintenance and workshop operations, with base maintenance modules coming soon to complete the platform’s full-service offering. Focused on operational efficiency, safety management, and regulatory compliance, MRO-PRO enables MROs to streamline processes, enhance customer service, and drive continuous improvement. With a commitment to innovation and industry expertise, MRO-PRO provides the tools independent MROs need to grow, compete, and lead in today’s dynamic aviation market.
For more information about the SMS module or to arrange a demonstration, please contact [email protected]