AS9100d Process Audit Turtle Diagrams and Checklists

AS9100d process audit turtle diagrams and checklists can be an invaluable asset during an AS9100 stage 1 certification audit, helping ensure that your documentation complies with the standard while simultaneously highlighting any non-conformances or potential issues.

A turtle diagram is a high-level map of your process landscape that connects to more detailed procedures, work instructions or SOP's for each process in your organization. A turtle diagram can also identify wasteful practices within those processes.

1. What is the process?

Process mapping helps your company identify key value-adding steps, helping you to improve processes and reduce risks.

Turtle diagrams provide an intuitive visual way to represent your processes. By showing inputs, outputs, criteria and support processes arranged into fields on a visual diagram, turtle diagrams make it simple and effective way to understand and improve them while helping maintain an audit trail.

2. Who is involved?

An effective way of ensuring all parties involved understand their responsibilities within a QMS with a process-orientation is assigning Process Owners as responsible parties for various processes. This method ensures that everyone understands who holds what responsibilities.

Process turtle diagrams provide an effective means of conducting structured analyses, descriptions and assessments of individual processes as well as their interdependencies and connections - which makes following audit trails when reviewing documents easier.

3. What is the output?

AS9100 process audit is an internal evaluation that ensures processes are following according to plan. Companies operating within the aerospace industry need this audit in place in order to guarantee they adhere to high-quality standards.

An audit is also an ideal time to determine whether any previous corrective actions have had the desired impact by reviewing system manuals, procedures, maps, and turtle diagrams.

4. What are the criteria?

International standards such as AS9100 call for a process-oriented approach but do not specify its implementation or how companies should demonstrate they are adhering to it. Turtle diagrams can provide an efficient tool for analyzing, structuring and improving processes as they provide clear overviews of all relevant parameters and their relationships.

Target setting techniques enable the establishment of quantifiable goals and targets, so that it can be determined quickly whether a process is operating effectively.

5. What are the inputs?

Inputs refers to any materials, documents, information and equipment needed for a process and must meet expectations outlined by criteria.

Inputs should also be utilized to identify any waste that may be occurring within the process, which is often missed and can result in substantial cost savings. Any identified waste should be eliminated immediately in order to improve overall performance of the process.

6. What are the resources?

International standards require companies to take a process-oriented approach when developing quality management systems, and Turtle Diagram is an invaluable tool that provides a visual depiction of all parameters involved and their interdependencies and connections.

The secondary lanes of a turtle diagram contain resources necessary for meeting expectations (outputs). This may include equipment, materials and test facilities.

7. What are the objectives?

SMART objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals that describe how an action or process will take place and provide steps required for its completion.

These tools enable auditors to structure, evaluate and structure processes efficiently while quickly highlighting interfaces and interdependencies between these processes at a glance. This makes auditing more efficient while providing insight into what's important within a specific department and its contribution towards meeting business plans and policies of organizations.

8. What are the targets?

Process orientation is of great significance in both ISO 9001 and AS9100 standards, as it ensures all processes focus on meeting requirements while employing clear and structured approaches to deliver quality.

As part of an auditing exercise for your procurement process, for example, it is important to make sure it fulfills its responsibilities properly in order to identify wasteful activities and increase efficiency within internal processes.

9. What are the risks?

An effective QMS audit should involve assessing each process for its risks. This can be accomplished by reviewing previous corrective actions taken against it and looking at processes which aren't audited regularly.

Turtle diagrams provide an effective means of evaluating risk in any process, offering an accessible representation of process parameters, their relationships and interdependencies.

10. What are the controls?

An effective quality audit checklist includes checks for measurable objectives and targets in processes, as well as any past corrective actions taken against these processes to ensure they continue to meet standard requirements.

The Turtle Diagram is an invaluable way of testing key processes within an organization and identifying process owners and key stakeholders as well as their responsibilities and roles.