Glossary of Terms and Acronyms

This glossary is designed to help users interpret terms used throughout the Competitiveness Pathway, as well as related frameworks such as SC21, Aero Excellence™, and the wider SCS programme.

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Key Acronyms

ADS Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space – The UK trade organisation that developed the SCS Framework and leads the SC21 programme.

AS9100 A widely adopted quality management standard for the aerospace industry, aligned with ISO 9001 and used by most primes and Tier 1 suppliers.

BMA Baseline Maturity Assessment – The core diagnostic tool used to assess operational maturity within the Competitiveness Pathway.

CAPA Corrective and Preventive Action – A process used to investigate, resolve, and prevent recurrence of quality and delivery issues.

KPI Key Performance Indicator – A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively an organisation is achieving its operational goals.

OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer – A company that produces parts or systems that are used in another company's end products, often a major prime in aerospace and defence.

OTD On-Time Delivery – A critical performance metric tracking how consistently products or services are delivered on or before the promised date.

QMS Quality Management System – The documented system of policies, processes, and procedures used to plan and deliver quality objectives.

SC21 Supply Chains for the 21st Century – A continuous improvement programme led by ADS to raise supplier performance in quality, delivery, and business maturity.

SCS Supply Chain Solutions – The broader improvement framework developed by ADS to integrate multiple capability pathways, including Competitiveness, ESG, and Digital.

SME Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise – A company with fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than €50 million.

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Common Terms

Aero Excellence™ An international improvement programme led by major OEMs including Airbus and Safran, focused on driving operational maturity across the global supply chain.

Baseline A starting point for evaluating maturity. In the Competitiveness Pathway, this refers to your organisation's performance level across key assessment themes.

Benchmarking Comparing your organisation's performance metrics or maturity level against industry standards or recognised peers.

Business Maturity The extent to which an organisation has formalised, embedded, and continuously improved its systems, processes, and leadership practices.

Capability The ability of an organisation to deliver value consistently and reliably, supported by its people, processes, and systems.

Continuous Improvement A structured approach to systematically identify, analyse, and improve existing processes, with the goal of enhancing performance and reducing inefficiencies.

Corrective Action Steps taken to eliminate the cause of an identified nonconformity or performance issue, preventing its recurrence.

Delivery Performance A measure of how reliably a company delivers products or services to the right place, at the right time, in the right quantity and condition.

Evidence Supporting documentation provided as part of a maturity assessment — including quality data, KPIs, process maps, management reviews, or improvement records.

Excellence Award A formal recognition (Bronze, Silver, or Gold) granted to organisations that meet or exceed performance thresholds within the SC21 or Aero Excellence™ frameworks.

Lead Time The time taken between initiating a process or order and its completion — a key factor in delivery performance.

Maturity Level A stage of progress within the Competitiveness Pathway, ranging from 0 (Not Considered) to 3 (Optimised). Used to benchmark and track improvement over time.

Nonconformity A deviation from a defined standard, process, or customer requirement — typically requiring corrective action.

Performance Metrics Quantitative indicators used to evaluate quality, delivery, and capability — such as OTD, scrap rates, customer returns, or lead times.

Recognition Pathway The formal route by which organisations can achieve SC21 or Aero Excellence™ recognition based on their assessed performance and improvement plans.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) A method used to identify the underlying causes of problems in order to prevent recurrence.

Value Stream The end-to-end set of activities that create and deliver value to a customer — often used in process improvement mapping and analysis.