> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.planeconnection.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MOC Workflow

> Management of Change statuses, categories, screening checklist, and timeline requirements.

Management of Change (MOC) is a structured process for identifying, assessing, and controlling risks introduced by changes to operations, organization, equipment, or procedures. MOC is required by 14 CFR 5.51, which mandates that Safety Risk Management be applied whenever changes are made to existing systems. PlaneConnection's MOC workflow ensures that no change is implemented without an appropriate level of safety review.

## MOC Statuses

| Status          | API Value         | Description                                                                |
| --------------- | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Draft           | `draft`           | Change request submitted. Basic details captured.                          |
| Screening       | `screening`       | Change is being evaluated against the 8-question screening checklist.      |
| Risk Assessment | `risk_assessment` | Change has been screened and requires a formal risk assessment.            |
| Approval        | `approval`        | Risk assessment complete. Change awaiting management approval.             |
| Implementation  | `implementation`  | Change approved and being implemented.                                     |
| Post-Review     | `post_review`     | Change has been implemented. Effectiveness and safety impact under review. |
| Closed          | `closed`          | MOC process complete. Record is immutable.                                 |

## Status Lifecycle

```mermaid theme={}
stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Draft : Change request submitted
    Draft --> Screening : Review begins
    Screening --> Risk_Assessment : Screening indicates risk
    Screening --> Closed : No safety impact identified
    Risk_Assessment --> Approval : Assessment complete
    Approval --> Implementation : Approved
    Approval --> Risk_Assessment : Additional analysis required
    Implementation --> Post_Review : Change deployed
    Post_Review --> Closed : Review complete, change effective
    Post_Review --> Risk_Assessment : Unanticipated risks identified
    Closed --> [*]
```

## Status Transition Rules

| From            | To              | Permitted Roles                              | Conditions                                                  |
| --------------- | --------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Draft           | Screening       | Safety manager, admin                        | All required fields populated                               |
| Screening       | Risk Assessment | Safety manager, admin                        | At least one screening question answered "Yes"              |
| Screening       | Closed          | Safety manager, admin                        | All screening questions answered "No"; rationale documented |
| Risk Assessment | Approval        | Safety manager, admin                        | Risk assessment completed with residual risk documented     |
| Approval        | Implementation  | Accountable executive, safety manager, admin | Approval signature recorded                                 |
| Approval        | Risk Assessment | Safety manager, admin                        | Additional analysis reason documented                       |
| Implementation  | Post-Review     | Safety manager, admin                        | Implementation date recorded                                |
| Post-Review     | Closed          | Safety manager, admin                        | Review findings documented                                  |
| Post-Review     | Risk Assessment | Safety manager, admin                        | New hazards identified                                      |

## Change Categories

| Category       | API Value        | Description                                           | Examples                                                                                                |
| -------------- | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Operational    | `operational`    | Changes to how operations are conducted.              | New routes, revised flight procedures, changes to dispatch practices, weather minima adjustments.       |
| Organizational | `organizational` | Changes to structure, personnel, or responsibilities. | Key personnel changes, department restructuring, outsourcing maintenance, new vendor relationships.     |
| Technical      | `technical`      | Changes to aircraft, equipment, or systems.           | Avionics upgrades, new aircraft type, software updates, ground support equipment changes.               |
| Regulatory     | `regulatory`     | Changes driven by new or amended regulations.         | New airworthiness directives, revised OpSpecs, regulatory amendments, TSA security requirements.        |
| Process        | `process`        | Changes to documented procedures or workflows.        | SOP revisions, checklist modifications, training curriculum updates, quality assurance process changes. |

## 8-Question Screening Checklist

The screening checklist determines whether a proposed change requires a formal risk assessment. If any question is answered "Yes," the MOC advances to Risk Assessment. If all are answered "No," the MOC may be closed with documented rationale.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="1. Does this change affect aircraft operations or flight safety?">
    Covers direct and indirect effects on flight operations, airspace, or aircraft performance.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="2. Does this change introduce new hazards or alter existing hazards?">
    Covers conditions that could foreseeably cause or contribute to an aircraft accident.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="3. Does this change affect existing risk controls or safety barriers?">
    Covers weakening, removal, or bypassing of current safety defenses.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="4. Does this change affect personnel qualifications, training, or competencies?">
    Covers new skills, certifications, or training required to operate safely under the change.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="5. Does this change affect equipment, tools, or systems used in safety-critical functions?">
    Covers aircraft systems, maintenance tooling, dispatch systems, or safety-critical software.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="6. Does this change affect documented procedures, SOPs, or checklists?">
    Covers operating procedures that must be revised to reflect the change.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="7. Does this change affect interfaces with external organizations or systems?">
    Covers ATC coordination, vendor relationships, interline agreements, or data system
    integrations.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="8. Could this change have unintended consequences on other operations or departments?">
    Covers second-order effects -- a change in one area may create risks elsewhere.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Emergency vs. Standard Timelines

Some changes cannot wait for the full MOC process. PlaneConnection supports two timeline modes.

| Attribute             | Standard MOC                                    | Emergency MOC                                                                                                             |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Trigger**           | Planned change with lead time.                  | Urgent change required by immediate safety concern, regulatory directive, or operational necessity.                       |
| **Screening**         | Full 8-question checklist.                      | Abbreviated screening -- minimum of questions 1, 2, and 3.                                                                |
| **Risk Assessment**   | Full assessment with initial and residual risk. | Expedited assessment focused on immediate hazards and interim controls.                                                   |
| **Approval**          | Accountable executive or designee.              | Safety manager can approve with post-facto executive review within 72 hours.                                              |
| **Implementation**    | After full approval.                            | Immediate implementation with interim controls.                                                                           |
| **Post-Review**       | Within 30 days of implementation.               | Full retrospective review within 14 days. Includes completing any deferred screening questions and risk assessment steps. |
| **Target Completion** | 30 -- 90 days depending on complexity.          | Implementation within 24 -- 72 hours; full MOC closure within 30 days.                                                    |

**Emergency MOC safeguards:** An emergency MOC that is not completed (full review and closure) within 30 days is automatically escalated to the accountable executive.

## MOC Fields

| Field                 | Type           |      Required      | Description                                                               |
| --------------------- | -------------- | :----------------: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `code`                | String         |        Auto        | Auto-generated tracking code (e.g., `MOC-2026-0008`).                     |
| `title`               | String         |         Yes        | Brief description of the proposed change.                                 |
| `description`         | Text           |         Yes        | Detailed description of the change, its purpose, and expected impact.     |
| `category`            | Enum           |         Yes        | `operational`, `organizational`, `technical`, `regulatory`, or `process`. |
| `timeline`            | Enum           |         Yes        | `standard` or `emergency`.                                                |
| `status`              | Enum           |        Auto        | Current workflow status.                                                  |
| `initiator`           | User reference |        Auto        | The person who submitted the change request.                              |
| `screening_responses` | Array          |    At Screening    | Answers to the 8 screening questions with rationale.                      |
| `risk_assessment`     | Reference      | At Risk Assessment | Link to the associated risk assessment record.                            |
| `approval_date`       | Date           |     At Approval    | Date of management approval.                                              |
| `approved_by`         | User reference |     At Approval    | The person who approved the change.                                       |
| `implementation_date` | Date           |  At Implementation | Date the change was deployed.                                             |
| `review_findings`     | Text           |       At PIR       | Post-review findings and effectiveness evaluation.                        |
| `review_date`         | Date           |       At PIR       | Date of post-review.                                                      |
| `linked_reports`      | Array          |         No         | Safety reports related to the change.                                     |
| `linked_cpas`         | Array          |         No         | CPAs generated from the MOC risk assessment.                              |
| `created_at`          | Timestamp      |        Auto        | Record creation timestamp (UTC).                                          |
| `updated_at`          | Timestamp      |        Auto        | Last modification timestamp (UTC).                                        |

## Post-Review

The post-review (PIR) evaluates whether the change was implemented as planned and whether any unanticipated safety effects have emerged. The review covers:

| Review Area                 | Description                                                                                         |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Implementation fidelity** | Was the change implemented as described in the MOC? Were there deviations?                          |
| **Hazard validation**       | Did the identified hazards materialize? Were there unanticipated hazards?                           |
| **Control effectiveness**   | Are the risk controls functioning as intended? Is the residual risk at or below the accepted level? |
| **Operational impact**      | How has the change affected day-to-day operations? Any unexpected consequences?                     |
| **Stakeholder feedback**    | Input from affected personnel on the change's practical effects.                                    |

If the PIR identifies new hazards or ineffective controls, the MOC is returned to Risk Assessment for additional analysis.

## Regulatory Alignment

| Part 5 Section | Requirement                                      | MOC Component                                             |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| 5.51           | SRM applicability -- changes to existing systems | MOC process triggers SRM for all qualifying changes       |
| 5.53           | System analysis and hazard identification        | Screening checklist and risk assessment                   |
| 5.55           | Safety risk assessment and control               | Integrated risk assessment with initial and residual risk |
| 5.71           | Safety performance monitoring                    | Post-review                                               |
| 5.97           | SMS records                                      | MOC records retained per policy                           |

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Manage Change" href="/how-to/sms/manage-change">
    Initiate and manage an MOC.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Risk Assessment Matrix" href="/reference/risk-matrix">
    Risk matrix used during MOC risk assessment.
  </Card>

  <Card title="CPA Lifecycle" href="/reference/cpa-lifecycle">
    Lifecycle for actions generated from MOC risk assessments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="FAA Part 5 Overview" href="/explanation/faa-part-5">
    Regulatory context for Management of Change requirements.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>