WHAT THE HECK ARE INTERESTED PARTIES?

One of the newest requirements to both ISO 2015 & AS9100 2016 is the whole concept of Context of the Organization. The intent of this requirement is for organizations to take stock of all of the internal and external influences on their business. The thinking is that a company really cannot properly build their QMS until all of these influences are understood.

One of the sub-requirements is to define the “Interested Parties” to the business, and to identify what their needs are. Interested Parties are defined as those that effect your QMS. Conversely, management need not consider entities that do not have an effect on the QMS, although this should be a very short list, because as I preach to my clients, a “B” can be functionally swapped out for the “Q” in QMS as it is actually a Business Management System for the entirety of the organization.

So what do you have to do? Excellent question because any requirement means that something is expected to be done. A simple analysis at the next management review meeting will suffice, using a tool such as my attached Interested Parties Worksheet. Only parties that have an interest in how your company performs need be examined. Once this is done, the management team determines whether any changes to the QMS are needed based on this information, and then duly noted in the management review minutes. Refreshing this activity then becomes an annual exercise.

Contact me to see how I can help you develop your Context of the Organization process for ISO 2015 or AS9100 2016 as painlessly as possible in your company.

920-841-3478

Steve@TheRightApproachConsulting.com