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By following this guide, you will run a DCT self-assessment to evaluate your SMS effectiveness, score each element, identify improvement areas, and export a compliance-ready report.
Who should read this: Safety managers and quality assurance personnel responsible for SMS evaluation. The accountable executive should review DCT results during management reviews.Prerequisites: Safety Manager or Admin role. Familiarity with your organization’s SMS processes and documentation. A completed or in-progress SMS implementation (see Setting Up Your SMS).
The DCT filters its questionnaire based on your FAA peer group, configured in Safety > Settings > Operator Classification. If your peer group has changed, update it before starting a new assessment. For background on DCT element types, peer groups, and scoring levels, see FAA Part 5 Overview.

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Run the DCT Assessment

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Address Gaps

Elements scored at 0 or 1 represent gaps. For each gap:
  1. Determine whether the process or documentation needs to be created (score 0) or improved (score 1).
  2. Link the gap to the corresponding compliance element in your Part 5 tracker.
  3. If the gap represents a material deficiency, create a CPA to track the remediation.
Run DCT assessments quarterly or semi-annually to track SMS maturity over time. Compare scores across assessments to measure the effectiveness of your improvement initiatives.
The DCT assessment is a self-evaluation tool, not a substitute for the Declaration of Compliance. A high DCT score indicates SMS maturity but does not exempt you from the formal DOC submission requirement. Use the DCT to prepare for and validate your compliance posture before submitting the DOC.

Track Compliance

Monitor Part 5 compliance elements alongside your DCT results.

FAA Part 5 Overview

Understand the regulatory requirements assessed by the DCT.

Compliance Timeline

Key milestones on the path to your Declaration of Compliance.

Prepare Your Declaration of Compliance

Use DCT results to inform your DOC preparation.
Last modified on April 11, 2026