Part 3: Automotive Restart: IATF 16949® and Managing Change

On the road to recovery, changes will occur, and Part 3 of the five-part series considers the ISO 9001 and IATF 16949® requirements and managing changes.

As mentioned in Part 2 of this series – Customer Satisfaction, disruptions due to the pandemic and affecting restart could include:

1. Supply chain disruptions and limited allocations from the supply base
2. Possible disruptions from employee safety and health requirements
3. Volume reductions from the customer base that may result in a disrupted production and supplier delivery schedule
4. Changes to internal processes based upon all the above conditions (including changes to cell headcount and workflow, changes to cycle times, changes to cell layouts, changes to inspection and/or mistake-proofing processes, etc.)

If any or all these conditions occur, the ISO 9001 and IATF 16949® standards address identifying and managing the changes.  The most important aspect of change management is considering and planning for the changes before they occur.  Optimize the planning by using a cross-functional team to ensure a higher level of success when implementing any changes.  Significant change management can be accomplished using the same project management techniques employed for new launches or product changes.

IATF 16949® and Change Management

Consider the following ISO 9001 and IATF 16949® requirements for a quality system, process and/or product changes.  A key consideration to note; all of these requirements have a common theme, which is risk management when planning and implementing changes.

1. ISO 9001 section 6.3 when implementing quality system changes that may not be part of the product realization process
2. IATF® section 8.5.6.1 when implementing product realization changes (including supplier changes)
3. IATF 16949® section 8.5.6.1.1 when implementing product realization changes that are planned to be temporary in nature
4. IATF 16949® section 8.3 encompasses product and process design and the resulting output if a change occurs (including updates to control plans, FMEAs, work instructions, inspection plans, drawings, specifications, BOMs, etc.) as well as any PPAP requirements from suppliers and to customers
5. ISO 9001 and IATF 16949® 9.1.2 reminds us not to forget customer satisfaction while planning and implementing the changes
6. IATF 16949® 9.3.1.1 increased frequency of management reviews based on risk to compliance with customer requirements resulting from internal or external changes impacting the quality management system and performance-related issues.
7. All applicable CSRs for managing and communication changes, especially customer acceptance of the changes.

Automotive Restart: Part 4

Part 4 of this series will include an overview of contingency planning to ensure the plan is current with the challenges that may be present during the automotive restart period.

SimpleQuE strives to be an informational source that provides value to our customers by examining some of the challenges identified by the automotive industries and provide insight into the IATF 16949® requirements to help your organization maintain compliance during this unusual and complex time. 

Understand Your Options

Get Advice From An Expert

MAQMSR vs IATF 16949®

Automotive Restart: The Road To Recovery Series

Full Automotive Restart Five-Part Series Links:

• Automotive Restart: The Road To Recovery (Intro)
• Automotive Restart: Remaining Compliant to IATF 16949®
• Automotive Restart: Customer Satisfaction
• Automotive Restart: Managing Change
• Automotive Restart: Contigency Planning
• Automotive Restart: Employee Safety

We Can Help: IATF 16949^® Experts a Click Away

If you’re searching for an IATF 16949:2016 consultant, our team at simpleQuE is well-positioned to support your IATF 16949® and MAQMSR consulting (Minimum Automotive Quality Management System Requirements), certification, maintenance, training and internal auditing needs. Our consultants are qualified, certified, and are experts on the automotive standards, customer-specific requirements, and AIAG or VDA core tools. In addition, many are current or former 3rd party auditors who bring valuable insight because of the knowledge gained from auditing for certification bodies.

SimpleQuE also offers a full line-up of IATF 16949 training courses which includes AIAG and VDA Core Tools, Root Cause Analysis and Problem Solving, Requirements and Implementation.  With IATF® also putting a major focus on internal auditor competency, it is essential to have IATF 16949® Internal Auditor Training. Our IATF 16949® auditor training utilizes the process audit approach. Contact Our IATF® consultants to learn more about the customized services offered to match your certification and training needs.

Obtaining and maintaining IATF 16949®, and meeting all of the related Customer Specific Requirements (CSRs), is difficult, which is why we’ve created free IATF 16949® tools, checklists and resources for your use. 

This series of articles was written for simpleQuE by Robert (Bob) Dornhecker, a simpleQuE consultant who specializes in ISO 9001 and IATF 16949® quality system development, auditing and training. He also performs third-party audits for Certification Bodies including EAGLE Certification Group. With over 30 years of combined experience in auditing, manufacturing and certification, Bob has an extensive quality background.  Additionally, he has taught and facilitated many quality related training classes for clients and has provided support to companies securing their own ISO/Quality Management Systems certifications.

SimpleQuE is not associated with the IATF®, IAOB, ANAB®, IAQG®, and is not a certification body. SimpleQuE is an independent consulting, training, and second-party auditing service provider that assists a company on a path for the company to obtain and maintain certification through accredited certification bodies.