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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U N E 2 0 1 6
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FEATURE
A. It is recommended that you inform PRI in advance if
you will be using sample aerospace parts.
Q. Do you know the scope of accreditation (i.e., pro-
cesses andspecifications) forwhichyouwant tobeaudited?
A. It is important to know the scope of accreditation
beforehand, as youwill be required to define the scopewhen
scheduling the audit, as well as verify it at the beginning of
the official audit.
Q. Do you already have quality system approval
(e.g., AS/EN/JISQ 9100 and AS/EN 9110; ISO/IEC 17025)?
A. If you do not have an acceptable quality system
approval, a standard audit process adds AC7004 (Aerospace
Quality Systems) to the scope of accreditation. In this case,
Nadcap auditors include a one-day quality system audit as
part of the official audit process to verify that you adhere
to this specification. If you already have acceptable quality
system approval, you must provide evidence of such when
scheduling, or at the start of the official audit. If you are
unable to provide documentation, the auditor performs the
quality system audit.
Q. Is there sufficient time between scheduling the
audit and when the audit takes place to prepare for and
perform an internal audit?
A. The accreditation process requires an internal audit
(a form of self-assessment used to measure strengths and
weaknesses against Nadcap audit requirements[1]) with
results submitted at least 30 days prior to the official audit.
However, it is recommended that the internal audit is con-
ducted from three to six months prior to the official Nadcap
audit. It is also important to factor in sufficient time to not
only prepare for and conduct the internal audit, but to also
identify the ultimate root cause and implement a corrective
action for each NCR.
CONCLUSION
These are just a few helpful guidelines to consider
before and during scheduling of an official audit. While this
is just the initial step on the road to accreditation, the more
prepared you are from the very beginning, themore success-
ful you will be once the process is underway. Subsequent
articles in this series will discuss details regarding the inter-
nal audit process, common NCRs, the official audit process,
and auditor interactions.
Reference
1. What is Auditing, Amer. Soc. for Quality, 2013,
For more information: Nathan Durham is an electrical solu-
tions manager. For technical information, contact
r 844.464.7736 (select 1), Ipsen USA, 984
Ipsen Rd., Cherry Valley, IL 61016, .