"Encouraging people to do things the right way by following the relevant rules, procedures and processes"
Aviation does not exist without rules, procedures and processes. There are rules that your organisation needs to follow and that your national aviation authority will audit you against.
Rules are comprehensive and often complicated to understand. This is where having a compliance manager within your organisation, who is competent, is so important. It is a basic requirement for your organisation, to be compliant with regulations.
Things are made slightly more complicated in the modern world with the invention of "Performance Based Regulation", which means that things are less prescriptive and more adapted to your operations. Whilst performance-based regulation can afford your organisation flexibility, allowing elements of regulation to be tailored to its purpose/operational activity, the trade-off is that it requires a little more thought on the part of the organisation.
Are your local procedures fit for purpose?
There are all sorts of other procedures and processes that impact your operation. Some of these come from other organisations that you work with and some of these you need to develop yourself. While it is important for your people to understand, remember and follow the procedures that relate to the work they do - they shouldn't do this blindly and without question. Always look to understand where procedures and processes are not fit for purpose and be open to share and hear any improvements. It is all about having a positive "mindset" and then being open to "learning".
Be aware of where your processes impact other organisations
A final aspect is that many procedures go across organisations, for example airlines operating at an airport. It is important that you think intelligently about how you apply procedures across different contractors and stakeholders. If every airline has a different way to handle a chock and a cone for a particular type of aircraft this turns into chaos for the poor ground handler of another company who must remember 800 different ways of doing the same job with the same aircraft.
We have to comply with processes, procedures and practices. This is mandatory. However, just because it is mandatory does not mean it is simply a "tick-box" exercise. In order to be safe, employees need to understand WHY they are complying and also have the resources to do so!
Supporting implementation of EASA rules
It's likely the biggest compliance challenge that you have is to understand and interpret changes to the EASA Rules.
When it comes to different EASA Rules, the best way to access these are through the Easy Access Rules. These are consolidated, up to date documents that provide all the information you need in one place. You can access these through the EASA Website here.
When it comes to new rules, we have dedicated pages here on the Community Site for the main ones that have recently been completed and that you might be trying to figure out in your own organisation. Follow the different links for more information.