Archive for the ‘AS 9100 Certification’ Category
If AS9100:2009 is published, why can’t I get certified to AS9100C now?
Before any company can be certified to the AS9100C standard, the aerospace industry must complete these milestones:
- The AS9104-1 standard must be published (expected spring 2010)
- The AS9101D standard (checklist) must be published (expected Spring 2010)
- The AS9100C/AS9101D course for certification body auditors (NQA auditors) must be developed, vetted and made available for use by certification bodies (expected by 30 April 2010)
- Certification body auditors must attend this course, pass it, submit their applications to RABQSA and get approved (we expect that to happen over the summer and fall of 2010)
- The registrars must submit an application to ANAB and then be audited before we can be accredited to perform audits to AS9100C (we expect that to happen early summer of 2010)
Once all of the above tasks are completed, registrars will be able to conduct audits to the quality management system requirements of AS9100 revision C.
As to when your company must transition to this new standard, all AS9100 audits after July 1st, 2011 must be to AS9100C and that by July 1st, 2012, AS9100B will cease to exist and all registrations for AS9100 must be to revision C of the standard.
The Templated Quality System: Mistakes Made
Time and time again I walk into an organization to audit their quality management system and I find that the overall processes and controls are well understood and executed, but the documentation just doesn’t match actual practices. Templates are great tools to help an organization meet the documentation requirements of ISO 9001, AS9100, or any standard. The problem is, most companies buy the templates and insert the name but never modify the templates to their particular processes. The results from such miss use of this tool are non-conformances found during a surveillance or registration audit.
Templates can help save time and help an organization cover all of the requirements of the standard, but they can hurt and organization if they are not used properly. Plan your processes and understand the standard that you have chosen to become certified to. Knowing what is required and what is not can help you to modify the templates to reflect your organizations actual practices. Most non-conformances, about 90% to be exact, are written against what the organization has required of itself or documentation that does not match the processes, not the standard. So if you are thinking of buying a template system, know what you are getting into and spend the time to modify them to match your processes.
Suppliers: Positive & Negative Affects
Suppliers are an integral part of any organization’s overall process. As such, they have the potential to be a positive or negative force. When suppliers are a positive force, materials arrive on time, materials are processed in a problem-free manner and costs are controlled. When suppliers are a negative force, materials often arrive late, processing problems occurs, and the supplier is of little or no help in resolving such issues. Obviously, it just makes good sense to have good suppliers.
The industry is quickly moving toward requiring their subcontractors and suppliers to be AS9100 compliant and/or certified. By conforming to AS9100 or becoming registered by a third party, suppliers can gain a competitive advantage and benefit from the improved processes and continuous improvement that is the foundation of ISO 9001:2008 certified quality management systems.
General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) was one of the first manufacturers to require AS9000 compliance by all of their direct material suppliers. Currently, GEAE is requiring as9100 certification for all new suppliers, and existing suppliers have a gap audit and a certification audit performed to coincide with their existing surveillance audit schedule.
AS9100 Initial Assessment, What Does It Involve?
The quality certification assessment for AS9100 has two main goals:
- Validating system compliance and implementation
- Determining system effectiveness
Initial assessments are conducted in two stages. The first stage involves determining the company’s state of readiness and defining the approach and duration of the second stage.
Prior to conducting a quality management system AS9100 certification audit, the following should have taken place:
- The documented system has been reviewed and approved
- A complete cycle of internal audits has been performed and the results covered in a formal management review
- You know exactly what SQA will be looking for, so there should be No Surprises
- All identified weaknesses in the system that were discovered in the pre-assessment have been effectively corrected
- The certification assessment date, audit team makeup, and audit schedule have all been developed and agreed upon
Benefits of ISO 9001 Certification
If you are unfamiliar with ISO 9000 standards for quality management, you may be wondering why it benefits your business to meet these standards. ISO standards are designed to ensure that your employees are working to their full potential and that your clients are satisfied. Reforming your business to qualify for ISO 9001 certification will garner both internal and external benefits.
Some of the basic requirements for certification include implementing a set of procedures to cover the basic processes of your business, as well as having a system for checking these procedures. You will also be held accountable for maintaining accurate records and performing continuous reviews of your employees and business practices.
Guidance for the Use Of Configuration Management
ISO 10007:2003 gives guidance on the use of configuration management within an organization. It is applicable to the support of products from concept to disposal.
It first outlines the responsibilities and authorities before describing the configuration management process that includes configuration management planning, configuration identification, change control, configuration status accounting and configuration audit.
Since ISO 10007:2003 is a guidance document, it is not intended to be used for certification/registration purposes.
This is a great tool when tackling the concept of configuration management, a lot of emphasis is placed on this process in the AS9100 certification standard. Using this document along with the assistance of a business management consultant, can reduce the time it may take to plan and implement this process.
Quality Management Software
With the size and complexity of some supply chains, it is no wonder that organizations struggle with how to implement and control this process. Many small business owners have been asked to provide proof of this control by their customers. The question is, how?
If you are struggling with how to manage your supplier management program there are now software applications that can assist you with this task. For example, CIS Software can eliminate the time and money of issuing Supplier Report cards or Performance Reviews. Watch this YouTube video for some great information on how to better manage this process. CIS Software
What Is The Objective Of the AS9100 Rewrite?
The objectives of AS9100:2009 are to:
- Incorporate ISO 9001:2008 changes
- Expand the scope to include aviation, space, and defense as well as land and sea based systems for defense applications
- Ensure alignment with IAQG strategy (On-Time and On-Quality Delivery performance)
- Adopt new requirements based on stakeholder needs
- Improve existing requirements where stakeholders identified a need for clarification, including when a documented quality management procedure is required
There are major changes to the AS9100:2009 release that affect how companies implement AS9100 for the first time or upgrade from a previous version of the standard:
- A customer focus on On-Time and On-Quality Delivery performance in the Aerospace, Defense, and Space Industries, which will directly impact the implementation as a whole.
- A significant focus on Planning and Project Management including characteristics flow down
- A significant increased role for risk management and mitigation
- Changes companies need to focus on from ISO 9001:2008
- A major change in the auditing from a “checklist focus” to Performance Auditing from AS9101
The Goal Of The AS9101 Rewrite
The AS9101 rewrite goal is to provide requirements on process auditing and development of the AS9100 audit approaches and tools that focus not only on conformity, but also on effectiveness of a quality management system (QMS). The AS9101 proposal is to develop an enhanced audit process for evaluating process-based management systems that aligns with ISO 17021 and consists of:
- Process-based information gathering.
- Assessment or analysis and audit planning.
- Development of performance-based and process-oriented audit methods and techniques.
- The ability to capture objective evidence of process conformity and effectiveness.
The AS9101 Rev D has aligned itself with the process approach for quality management systems as indicated in the 9100-series of standards. There are four basic questions asked when evaluating quality management systems which is linked to each process which is being audited:
- is the process identified and appropriately defined?
- are the responsibilities assigned?
- are the procedures implemented and maintained?
- is the process effective in achieving the desired results?
AS9100 CLAUSE 6.3 INFRASTRUCTURE
Essence of the clause:
Your company must determine and your business management system must provide for and maintain the infrastructure needed to produce a quality product or service.
Who’s most involved: Management (of almost every department)
Buildings, workspace, equipment, hardware, software, and supporting services must be provided to the extent necessary to produce a quality product or service. These facilities must also be maintained, usually through a preventive maintenance program. (See Clause 7.5.1)