- Have you already read the standard from the first page till the end? – asked me the manager who was responsible for the Quality Management System.
- Well…not all pages…- I admitted.
- Then go away and come back when you did! -he replied. – I will not talk to you before.
Wow, what a rude guy -I thought, but I did not express my feelings.
I recently joined the company as a customer quality engineer and got a list of managers I need to talk as part of my onboarding process.
The” standard” he meant was the ISO/TS16949; now, it is replaced by IATF16949.
I thought he was impolite, and he could be more helpful to a new guy, but anyway, I followed his advice and read through the standard.
For many years I thought he was right – rude, but right. He was sick of explaining everything many times.
Ten years later, I found myself in the same position, responsible for the Quality Management System (QMS).
As it was a greenfield project, the task was also to build the QMS from scratch.
When we worked on the onboarding system, I remembered this unpleasant memory again.
Is it really a fair expectation that an engineer who talks to customers is familiar with the whole IATF 16949? Is it a requirement?
It definitely makes sense, and it is an advantage for sure.
But was this the right answer from the manager?
I doubt it.
His answer just proved that there were some rooms for the QMS improvement.
Why?
- Roles and responsibilities – competence issue
What were the requirements for my position, were they appropriately defined? Was the ISO/TS16949 described as a must?
- Lack of assessment of my competence against the requirement and appropriate action plan.
If the position required that knowledge, why was then not a lack of competence identified and relevant actions defined?
Who should be an expert on the standard? Should all engineers read the norm at home when they can not feel asleep? (They will probably fall asleep in 3 minutes.)
How will they know which part of it relevant’s their job? How can they apply what they learned in their daily work?
There is a better answer.
Engineers do not need to be an expert on the IATF16949. They do not need to know that from their heart.
It is our (who are responsible for the QMS) duty to make sure that the internal procedures are aligned with the standard requirements.
Our duty is that the onboarding system is robust enough and includes all internal procedures (documented processes) necessary to perform the specific job. This is what we should focus on.
Do not expect that everyone knows the standard from their heart.
Have robust QMS, which ensures that our daily work is aligned with the expectations from the norm.
As always, think in system with Pro Automotive.
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