“I’m outta here,” said an AS9100 audititor to me recently.  What’s going on?  Read on:

Let’s look at what is happening with AS 9100 which is titled Quality Management Systems (QMS) – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations.  This Standard is being used in place of MIL-Q-9858A (Quality Program) and MIL-I-45208 (Inspection and Test) which both were canceled in 1996 by the US government.

So what QMS requirement do you see on your customer’s contracts?

The Boeing Company is no longer using D1-9000A as their QMS for their suppliers and is now using AS 9100.  NASA uses AS 9100 as a requirement for their Key Suppliers and AS9003 for their other suppliers.  AS 9003 does not require registration so no big dollar expenses.  We will discuss AS 9003, which is similar to MIL-I-45208, in a later article.

RISK HEART BURN
AS 9100 is now revision “C” which includes Risk Management requirements.  And, this is causing heartburn to aerospace auditors and registered companies.  

Major OEM’S (Original Equipment Manufactures) and other Customers around the world are now requiring their Suppliers to be registered to AS 9100C.  Registered means that you have a Certificate which confirms that your Organization is Compliant.  If not registered then your QMS only has possible Conformance.  There are organizations that claim that they are Compliant but their QMS has not been audited by a Registrar and paid many dollars for this assessment that they must pass before they have a Certificate.

Risk Management (RM) will be added to other Quality Standards, like ISO9001, ISO 13485 (Medical) and more at next revision of these Standards.  So your organization needs to fully understand what Risk Management is about and prove to your customers that you have RM systems in place and working consistently.

So, are you prepared and have RM integrated into your QMS?

RUMORS OF CONCERNS
Let’s look at one impact of the new concern for risk management.  From reliable sources, I’ve heard that Boeing and AirBus have commented at AAQG (Americas Aerospace Quality Group) meetings that the Registrars Assessments to AS9100 are too soft.

This is just one rumor that we’ve heard.  As a result of this a change has taken place with the Auditors that work for the Registrars.  If the Auditors writes OBSERVATIONS or OPPORTUNITIES for IMPROVEMENT in their Registration reports and the Registrar that they work for can tie the OBSERVATIONS or OPPORTUNITIES for IMPROVEMENT to a clause in the A S9100 Standard then they will change these to MINOR FINDINGS or MAJOR FINDINGS and penalize the Auditor by not allowing them to do any AS 9100C assessments for one year.

What this has caused is that the Auditors are no longer writing OBSERVATIONS or OPPORTUNITIES for IMPROVEMENT.  So be prepared for Minor Findings which must be responded to with acceptable corrective action before a new certificate can be issued by the Registrar.

Don’t forget that the Assessment Report is put into OASIS (Online Aerospace Supplier Information System) and can be looked at by your current and future customers around the world.  The FAA can review these Assessment Reports at any time that they want.

Are the rumors true?  Maybe or maybe not?   What we do know is that there is always a grain of truth in rumors and these beating drums should be listened too.

KEY QUESTIONS FOR YOUR SURVIVAL?

• Are you prepared for the next AS 9100 Registrar Assessment?  
• Do you know and understand Risk Management? 
• Have you integrated Risk Management into your QMS, which includes your Quality Manual?  
• Do all your employees know what RM is and contribute to the success of RM?  
• Has your organization done a pre-assement to AS9100C or do you plan to have a consult with a different pair of eyes and experience that performs this task?

THE RISK TO THE PROFESSION
If what I’m hearing is true, then there is a huge risk to the aerospace auditing profession that needs to be addressed.  On a personal level, I am surprised at what is happening to the Auditors that work for Registrars if they write an Observation or Opportunity for Improvement that can be tied to a Clause in the AS9100C Standard.

This has created a shortage of Assessors so AS9100B certificates are being suspended until the Registrar can visit the client and perform an AS9100C Assessment.  If it is true that more clients are failing the old AS9100B requirements than AS9100C new Risk Management Clauses then is there a need for better understanding of Risk Management?  Still time to learn and make sure that your QMS includes all the Risk Management Clauses and your people understand fully what Risk Management really is and the requirements are documented plus training of people and suppliers.

I am surprised because in order to do AS9100C assessments you must pay a lot of money to take a class and then pass the final class exam.  What I am hearing is that 40% are failing the final exam and 30% are saying goodbye and had enough.  

One person I interviewed said: “I’ve had enough of this, I’m outta here.”

Not good for the profession.  Not good for quality auditing.  Not good for aerospace.

Bio:
Bill Walker CQA and CMi  is a trained lead auditor and supply development and training expert.  Bill is going to examine the changing world of quality management, assurance, and control in the next few pieces.  

These questions and other will be addressed in upcoming columns.  This is the first in a series of information articles about what is happening in our business world that could affect your business.  Also there is the opportunity to ask questions which may be included in future articles.  If you have comments or questions, please contact me. See below for contact information.He would like to hear from you.  Bill can be reached at billwalker64@comcast.net or 425-774-2123.