AS9100 Rev D background
The introduction of the new AS9100 Rev D standard will mean large changes for all aerospace organisations wanting to upgrade from Rev C.
Once an organisation has identified its context, value chain and the processes that support it, all must be continually improved. That means they must be changed and that change must be managed right down to the level of inputs, resources (people, machines etc.), activities, controls, outputs and KPIs. That implies a number of things:
- There must be a system for simply and effectively implementing, recording and managing that change
- Staff must be energised too. Without their engagement, no change will ever be effective.
Knowledge management
Knowledge Management has always been a precursor to the successful implementation of a standard.
In essence it is the first phase, embodying the capture and clarification of the information that is required for operational management. This will inevitably include tacit and explicit knowledge.
Yet knowledge management as an explicit, separate discipline is relatively new and Knowledge Managers are as rare as hen’s teeth. But that should not prevent any organisation addressing the principles as outlined above. The essence is the capture of implicit knowledge—that which is in people’s heads, and explicit knowledge—that which is written down, in a common form that is easily understood by all and made readily available to them. The best format for that is a process, probably written in a plain language style like IDEF0, which also facilitates links to more detail: such as procedures, work instructions and training videos.
The organisation shall determine the processes needed for the quality management system and their application throughout the organisation, and shall evaluate these processes and implement any changes needed to ensure that these processes achieve their intended results.
A Key Performance Indicators (KPI) requirement naturally follows from the High Level Structure. Once you set goals you surely need to measure them.
Once you create a value driven structure (the operational processes which sit under the value chain) you create a natural means to do that. Each level of process detail represents a new possibility for measurement and thus creates a cascade of Key Performance Indicators which aggregate to meet the overall corporate goal.
Conversely without the process structure, the implementation of KPIs is made much more difficult. Simple work instructions and procedures do not allow for any understanding of cause and effect; nor do they facilitate any means of live measurement.
KPIs go hand in hand with the ISO 2015 structure on which Rev D is built.
Want to know more about how Change and Knowledge Management have become vital components of the Rev D change? Then please download our free White Paper for more insight.
