The AS9100 Standard in 2016 and Beyond

A Standard Specifically for Aerospace

The AS9100 is the first international standard, which defines the ways through which the aerospace manufacturers can improve their Quality Management System. The standard was developed to improve the production quality in the aerospace industry by providing outstanding service and customer satisfaction. It follows the rules defined by its predecessor, which is the ISO 9001 standard meant for defining ways to improve the quality management systems.

There are several benefits which could be availed through the AS9100 standard as it gives consistent verification methods along with easy audit procedures. The standard was released in October 1999 by the European Association of Aerospace Industries in Europe and by the Society of Automotive Engineers in America. Different versions of the standard were also released in Asia and Japan which provided corporate benefits to the aerospace organizations all over the world.

The AS9100 standard defines ways on how to address issues in the Quality Management System and provides methods to bring up a solution for them. Basically, the main methodology behind this standard is to improve the performance of aerospace systems and make them follow the same steps for monitoring quality of manufacturing aerospace technologies. The experts who have documented this standard along with the representatives who provided an authentication believe that the principals given by the AS9100 standard are vital to ensure process, product, quality and service safety. All of the quality management systems are meant to address the basic requirements of the customers and the AS9100 standard defines the approaches which must be followed to create a robust quality management system. This system should contain realistic methods on how to handle complex processes within the organization.

Similar to its Predecessor, ISO 9001

The requirements and clarifications provided in the standard are followed mostly from the ISO 9001 standard, but some improvements are made in the AS9100 standard which are beneficial for the aerospace manufacturers. The best practices are outlined along with ways to manage the quality management for your organization. Mostly, the standard focuses on key areas such as process, performance service and quality management. It is also required for the organization to develop a document consisting of work process and it should be maintained regularly. Planning the product realization is mandatory for an efficient and effective process.

The standard focuses on detailed supplementation in the development and design processes. You are required to maintain the verification of quality management as your product is being manufactured. The Process data must be saved for future audits to avail the AS9100 certification. The standard covers the planning required for development activities and ensure to maintain quality of the product being manufactured. It is essential to develop notes for design and development verification to show what the areas of emphasis where during the work process.

AS9100 “D”?

Very soon we will be in the newest phase of AS9100, rev D. Business that wish to maintain compliance will need to revisit the standard to make sure they meet the new requirements.

Are Consultants Necessary for Implementation?

Larger businesses and corporations typically have the resources to hire quality managers with necessary auditing experience, but consulting for AS9100 is available for small businesses that wish to implement the standard and do so cost effectively. Training programs (see video) are also available for companies wishing to find the least expensive option.

Continuous Improvement is Never Out of Style

Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) is really a continuing work to further improve goods, products and services or procedures. These attempts can look for increasing development or a breakthrough in advancement all at one time.Continuous improvement is really a long-term process to increase your organization when it comes to consumer benefit and total satisfaction, high quality, speed to offer, overall flexibility and lower cost. Nowadays in this economic system, many companies are considering short-term approaches simply to endure.

One of the most commonly used resources for this improvement is actually a four-step good quality model—the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) pattern, often known as Deming Period or Shewhart Cycle:
Plan: Determine the opportunity and prepare for change.

Do: Put into practice the progress on the small-scale.

Check: Use information to examine the effects from the change and find out whether or not this created a variation.

Act: When the transform was productive, carry it out on the larger size and constantly evaluate your effects. When it failed to perform, start the routine all over again.

Other traditionally used types of constant enhancement or such as Six Sigma, Lean, and Total Quality Management (TQM) focus on worker participation and working together; testing and systematizing procedures; and lowering alternative, faults and never-ending cycle periods are also other options that can be used by companies.

How it affects companies

One of the greatest goals of continuous improvement would be to improve the abilities and capacities of most workers to allow them to successfully take part in problem solving on the job. Companies realize that improving the competencies of the people could make your company accomplish much better and actually the most significant areas of improvement.This is encouraging these companies to determine their achievement when it comes to becoming client driven instead of cost centered. The list below provides how it can help a company.

a. Huge companies interact all employees to use proper good quality and company enhancement systems throughout their respected company departments, using the one particular typical purpose of making sure development brings value, minimizes any margin of error and aims to consistently develop ability. A great deal on this continuous improvement involvement, procedure concentrates on lean management exactly where improved consumer experience, performance and value are important to achievement.

b. Companies realize that increasing towards the problem of implementing lean ideas demands skilled individuals and creating a self-sustaining pool of lean industry experts to handle in advance
the change in which it should give emphasis on.

c. the idea of economic quality is really a powerful and obvious relevant technique that is easy to understand to everyone within and all of the people outside the business,

d. this is simply not about documenting proper objectives. It is about calculating and keeping track of the achievements of goals. You have to determine ideal consequences and essential overall performance indications.

Acceptance without a doubt for continuous improvement and having quality with an idea, are the procedures that may be followed by small and big companies. These will make an effective individual that makes them a dedicated employee in a company.

What is quality assurance?

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Quality assurance is the process designed to give both management and the customer the confidence that your organization will deliver the quality product or service the customer expected.

Quality assurance entails the processes of conducting tests on the product or service to maintain consumer safety and satisfaction. Business or engineering academic backgrounds are the base for a quality assurance specialist. The QA specialist focuses on developing management and process procedures that your business implements within your quality management system to make sure that production of goods are safe, useful and produced in a cost-effective and timely manner.

Two questions you want to ask yourself

Would you pay an organization for good or services if you lacked trust in the company?

If you lost confidence in that company, would you keep paying them?

Of course, you wouldn’t. Your business would go out of business if you kept that organization because your customers would lose confidence in you.

How do you build confidence?

In line with the popular television ad that asks, “What’s in your wallet?” you need to ask yourself, “How do I build customer confidence in my product or service?”

Looking at the three facets of assurance you can see where on a continuum your business falls in creating customer confidence.

Process assurance

Companies verify their product with project reviews and development processes development to see that these processes are properly documented and followed.
Product assurance. Companies are able to demonstrate that the product is built that complies with the customer’s requirements. They do this by verifying that every product complies with its specification and by validating that the end product meets the customer’s requirement. For example using ISO 9001 terminology this set of procedures falls under verification and validation.
Quality system assurance. Companies demonstrate that the quality management system conforms to established best practice using either ISO 9001 or some other standards required by the customer. This is done using QMS audits and process improvement initiatives.

Quality assurance benefits

Quality assurance is proactive, supporting the idea that defective products are the result of defective processes. By fixing the processes, the business will improve the product or service quality. This mindset yields these real benefits:

Attract and keep customers

A successful organization that can produce objective evidence of consistent production of a quality product or service is more likely to be a commercial success. One fundamental way this is demonstrated is by having an ISO 9001 certification.

Find and correct non-conformances quickly. QA identifies process problems and starts corrective procedures quickly before a defective process produces a defective product.
Management confidence. An effective quality assurance function provides management and customers with confidence that the business’s quality management procedures are in place and operate as they should.

Management consultant Peter Drucker once said, “…the only thing that happens naturally in an organization is the descent into randomness.” Quality assurance is not a natural function of a business and so must be creatively proactive to prevent entropy.

Quality assurance creates effective communication

The QA system must have a sound communication strategy in place in order to be able to communicate to clients/customers, management/staff and governing agencies. This strategy needs to be one that minimizes the amount of time spent clearing up any misunderstandings or the need to repeat information to various entities.

For example if a local board of regulations is concerned about your quality assurance systems, you will be able to show within a timely manner with documentation proving that you are complying with requirements.

Your QA department might consider publishing organizational press releases to educate the public on your programs, products and services. This will also lead potential customers toward having confidence in your products/services and your business.

Conclusion

Quality assurance is the process designed to give both management and the customer the confidence that your organization will deliver the quality product or service the customer expected. Using ISO 9001 certification is an excellent way to ensure confidence.

Original post can be viewed at isocertsolutions.com.

How to Evaluate ISO 9001 Consultants

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Evaluating ISO 9001 Consultants doesn’t have to be an arduous process provided you know what to look for. If you determine that it would make sense for your organization to hire a third party to help you facilitate your ISO 9001 registration, then following these tips will help you identify the right person or group to help you not only complete the paperwork but also to implement a successful quality management system that benefits your organization from soup to nuts.

First, be sure to pick someone with an excellent track record. You want someone that is proven and that can deliver a binder full of references, or better yet if you can have a peer of yours refer you to someone that they worked with, then all the better.

Second, make sure that whomever you investigate can prove that they possess the necessary background and set of resources to deliver according to your unique needs. Oftentimes, consultants are notorious for showing up with premade spreadsheets that they try to apply to every scenario. Do they take the time to understand what makes your organization unique?

You also want to make sure that personalities match. There is a human factor at play in every instance so be sure that you can get along on a personal level with this person. Your organization has a culture and it’s important that this consultant realize this so that they can enact a quality management system that your people will embrace. If they are perceived as an outsider, it can undermine the whole entire system. So make sure that this person fits in with your company and commands the respect of your employees.

Selecting the best ISO consultant as your quality management partner can be the difference between having a successful system or one that utterly fails. A consultant who extensively understands the your business, has thorough expertise of registration requirements and process, and who has solid relationships with registrars can help you avoid expensive mistakes and circumvent barriers on your roadway to ISO certification and registration.