Check AS9100 University sections of your Training Portal regularly
Management Team members and the Management Rep should periodically review ALL sections
of the Training Portal to see what’s new.
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#1- Document Exceptions to Your QMS
Too many companies make exceptions to things under unusual circumstances, but fail to document them. If your procedure says that nonconforming product is to be identified with a red tag, and you decide to allow use of yellow tags due to a temporary shortage of red tags, DOCUMENT who authorized the exception when. An AS9100 auditor has no way of knowing that someone authorized the exception unless it is documented. Management can authorize exceptions to any aspect of their QMS as long as it does not violate an AS9100 requirement. (E.g., even though you could authorize an exception to the type NCP tag your procedure calls out, you could not authorize not identifying NCP at all, since the AS9100 standard requires you to identify it.)
#2- Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot
Too many companies have too many procedures with too many details. Have your team review documents regularly for currency AND for unneeded detail. If your procedure says that documents are to be filed in a folder called “Project Notes” and an AS9100 Auditor finds them in a folder called “Job Notes”, there is a noncompliance. While you might argue that it doesn’t matter which of these folders they are in, the auditor has no way of knowing whether it matters. Don’t have detail in your procedures that you wouldn’t want an auditor auditing.
#3- Don’t use generic logos or statements about your certifications
Companies are receiving NCRs for not mentioning the revision of their standard(s).
Avoid the use of generic logos or statements that do not include the revision date or letter.
Always include the revision of your standard in logos or in statements.
If you use your registrar’s logo, be sure to follow their rules. Your registrar’s rules can usually be found on their web site. AS9100D 4.2 requires you to know the expectations of your interested parties, and your registrar is an interested party.
Also, do not make claims related to your products or services based on your AS9100 certification. You are not allowed to state that your customer can expect on-time delivery, or high-quality products because you are AS9100 certified. It is your Quality Management System that is certified to AS9100, not your products and services.
#4- Make an effort to regularly review your contract with your registrar, and to identify any special requirements.
Registrars not only have requirements related to the use of their logo, but have other requirements that are important for you to follow. For example, registrars require you to notify them of any changes that might impact your QMS. Your registrar should be notified in a timely manner of things like relocating a department to another building.
Violating this could result in a non-compliance against AS9100 clause 4.2. Your registrar is considered an “interested party”, and 4.2 requires you to determine and monitor compliance to the requirements of your interested parties.
#5- Find a way to measure your organization’s compliance
Our AS9100 University president frequently emphasizes that world-class quality management is more than just world-class performance, it is also world-class compliance.
AS9100 companies have traditionally been good at measuring their performance in key areas such as on-time delivery and quality, but have typically not implemented a way of measuring their compliance in key areas.
The next revision to AS9100 may be requiring you to have a ‘maturity model’ that indicates your level of compliance.
If your company needs assistance in this, we at AS9100 University would be glad to help you.