4 February, 2004

Takao Ogawa (JACB)

Is the rule for WDI-certification man-day, really unnecessary?

  1. The basis to ensure the impartiality and transparency of the third party certification system is implementation of certification/registration based on the unified rule.

·In IAF･TC held in Slovakia in September 2003, there has been an argument about severe deviation for man-day Guideline determined in IAF Guidance 62*. (Document TC/36/03)

·Although the main point of this document is that the certification/registration for the matured organization is not restricted by IAF Guidance 62, it is not acceptable as IAF for the reasons as follows.

  1. The reduction rule for certification man-day in the cases concerned with maturity, has already been indicated in IAF Guidance 62.

·In IAF Guidance 62 Annex 2, “maturity” was listed as one of the 8 requirements which enables to decrease the certification man-day.

·In the above Annex 2, 30% man-day decrease at the maximum is possible under the condition in the fulfillment of all 8 requirements. This means that the contributing rate of “maturity” as one of the 8 requirements, is not relatively high.

(Contributing rate is estimated around 1/8 to 1/3, the certification man-day for the highly matured organization is calculated as △30%×1/3=△10% in supposing 1/3.)

  1. The certification man-day for surveillance has also already been determined in Guidance 62.

·It was obviously written in IAF Guidance 62 that “surveillance is 1/3 of initial audit, and renewal audit is 2/3”. In the renewal audit, certification body must conduct audit toward QMS of the organization, to ensure the fulfillment of requirements in ISO9001 standard, and the effective operation of them.

·Fundamentally, renewal audit shall need the same certification man-day as the initial audit, in the case of surveillance, 2/3 of initial audit (renewal audit) in addition to the said 8 requirements is demanded in IAF Guidance 62. That is to say the guideline for certification man-day in IAF Guidance 62 Annex 2 is the standard which has already include the maturity of organization.

  1. WDI shall follow the rule of IAF Guidance 62.

·Although the document TC/36/03 quoted in the aforementioned 1. mainly described that “WDI is exempted from the application of guideline for certification man-day indicated in IAF Guidance 62 Annex2”, it shall be said the distortion of IAF Guidance 62 as described above.

[Results]

The third party certification system is able to receive trust under the condition that all the certifications/registrations are conducted under the unified rule throughout the world. Therefore, in case WDI as one of the certification methods, is recognized that it may deviate from the scope of IAF Guidance, the continued existence of the third party certification system on the whole may be exposed to danger.

(The point mentioned above is same to Guide 66 and its Guidance document.)

*:IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 62-Issue 2