Integrated Operational Risk Assessment: Transitioning to a Unified SMS in Uncrew
Executive Summary
We are transitioning operational safety protocols from fragmented, third-party workflows into a unified, configuration-driven Safety Management System (SMS) embedded directly within Uncrew. This initiative replaces reliance on external tools with “product-delivered compliance,” ensuring that every mission launch is governed by an automated, auditable, and enforceable risk assessment.
The Problem (Current State)
- External Fragmentation: Users currently complete assessments for Operational Sites via external service management solutions (like JIRA), requiring Authorizers to manually review requests outside the Uncrew system.
- Operational Friction: This reliance on external tools creates slow workflows and results in poor visibility into mission readiness.
- Compliance Risk: The current process lacks a hard digital control, relying on manual verification rather than system-enforced governance to prevent flights without approval.
The Solution (Future State)
We will deliver a complete Risk Assessment Framework built on a configuration-driven architecture (using JSON schemas for Phase 1). This system enables Users to initiate, complete, and submit assessments directly inside Uncrew, while Authorizers utilize a standardized in-platform workflow with Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
- Automated Logic: The system will automatically calculate risk scores and route approvals based on defined logic, eliminating manual administrative overhead.
- The “Governance Gate”: We will transform the risk assessment from an administrative task into an operational constraint, preventing any mission from transitioning to “Assigned” status without a formally “Approved” assessment.
Strategic Alignment
- Commercialization Requirement: This feature is a “hard requirement” for the 90-day goal to commercialize Uncrew for the Operator/Agent model. Agents should not be onboarded without a seamless, integrated safety protocol.
- Certification Support: It directly supports 135 certifications by creating site-level access controls and ensuring data traceability for regulatory audits.
- Scalability: It enables the agency model to scale by embedding configurable safety protocols that do not require third-party licenses or training.
Execution Roadmap (The 3 Core Milestones)
1. The Engine (Foundational Scoring & Submission)
Provide Risk Assessment for ORA and PRAFR form submission and approval inside Uncrew. Define form configuration and risk scoring inside JSON configuration files, and workflow stages and approvers in scripted logic. This will allow us to prove the architecture for a future “Risk Assessment Module”, without building the complex solutions for a complete workflow engine and form builder inside of Uncrew at this time.
2. The Signal (Notifications & Task Management)
Eliminate reliance on external ticketing systems by implementing automated alerts (Slack/Email) to Approvers and Requestors, ensuring workflow velocity.
3. The Gate (Mission Execution Governance)
Implement a “Readiness Check” that creates a hard stop, preventing mission launch if the flight approval status is anything other than “Approved,” and establishing an immutable audit link between the Mission ID and the Risk Record.
Target Audience
- Compliance Teams: For auditability and standardized enforcement.
- Operations Teams: For streamlined workflows and mission readiness visibility.
Key Success Metric
The primary measure of success is the establishment of an immutable link between every unique Mission ID and an approved Risk Assessment record, ensuring that no mission can be launched without traceable authority.