A Comprehensive Guide to AS9100 Audit Day Time Calculation

One of the most important tasks when preparing for an AS9100 audit is determining the number of audit days needed. Allocating the right number of audit days ensures that your Quality Management System (QMS) is thoroughly evaluated without overextending resources. However, calculating the ideal number of audit days isn’t always straightforward.

Several factors, such as your organization’s size, process complexity, and risk areas, impact how audit days are calculated. In this blog, we’ll explore how to effectively calculate AS9100 audit days, the challenges that can arise during the process, and how the AS9100 audit days table can help organizations streamline their audit planning for greater efficiency and accuracy.

What Does It Mean by AS9100 Audit Day Calculation?

Audit day calculation refers to determining how many days a certification body needs to complete an audit of your organization's quality management system (QMS). The calculation is based on an AS9100 audit days table, a guideline used by certification bodies to assess the time required for the audit, depending on factors such as your organization's size, complexity, and scope of your QMS.

The audit day table ensures consistency and transparency in the audit process, helping certification bodies allocate the necessary resources and time for a thorough review. This calculation is essential to ensure that the audit is conducted efficiently without missing key areas.

Factors Influencing Audit Duration:

• Size of the organization
• Number of processes and locations
• Complexity of the QMS
• Number of employees
• Risk factors and critical areas to review

How is the As9100 Audit Day Calculation Allocated and Distributed?

The AS9100 audit day calculation is allocated and distributed based on various factors, ensuring that the audit is thorough and appropriately timed for your organization. Typically, the certification body assesses the organization’s size, complexity, and risk factors before assigning a specific number of audit days.

Here’s how the process is generally broken down:

1. Initial Audit Planning: The auditors review your QMS documentation, previous audits, and any historical non-conformities to understand the scope and scale of the audit.
2. Main Audit Areas: Time is allocated based on the complexity and number of processes in your QMS. Critical processes such as product design, supplier management, or production quality control may require more time.
3. On-site Distribution: The audit days are distributed among different areas or departments. This may involve multiple auditors focusing on specific parts of your organization (e.g., manufacturing, procurement, compliance).
4. Audit Closing: Time is also allocated to review findings, conduct interviews, and ensure that corrective actions are discussed and planned.

As organizations evolve and grow, so too must their AS9100 audit day distribution policies. A reevaluation is necessary to ensure that the audit time allocation remains aligned with changes in the organization’s structure, complexity, and risk landscape. Factors like the introduction of new processes, expansion into new locations, or the increase in regulatory requirements can all influence the time needed for an effective audit.

Understanding the guidelines and standards that govern the AS9100 audit days table is important to ensuring the calculation of audit days is consistent and effective. Let’s explore these key principles next.

What Are the Guidelines and Standards for the As9100 Audit Days Table?

The AS9100 audit days table is designed to ensure audits are thorough, standardized, and tailored to the unique characteristics of an organization. The calculation of audit days is guided by several key standards and guidelines, ensuring consistency across the aerospace sector and compliance with regulatory requirements.

1. SAE AS9104A Guidelines for Determining Audit Duration

The SAE AS9104A standard provides clear guidance on determining the duration of audits for AS9100 certifications. It outlines a systematic approach to calculating the number of audit days based on factors such as an organization’s size, scope, number of employees, and processes. The guidelines consider an organization's complexity and risk profile, ensuring that the audit duration is appropriate to assess all critical areas of the quality management system (QMS).

2. IAF Requirements Compliance by Certification Bodies

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) sets out requirements for certification bodies to follow when conducting audits. These requirements ensure that certification bodies assess the audit duration based on a consistent, internationally recognized methodology. Certification bodies are required to maintain objectivity and follow these standardized processes to ensure that audit day calculations are based on objective factors, such as the number of processes and risk levels within an organization’s QMS.

3. Introduction to IAQG 9104 Standards for Aerospace Certification Management

The International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) has established the IAQG 9104 series of standards to regulate and manage the certification process in the aerospace industry. These standards specifically address how certification bodies should allocate audit time, ensuring that all aerospace-related organizations meet the rigorous quality standards required for AS9100 certification. IAQG 9104 emphasizes the importance of auditing processes that directly impact product safety and quality, such as risk management, manufacturing controls, and compliance with aviation-specific regulations.

Example Audit Day Table

These guidelines and standards provide a structured approach to determining the number of audit days needed for a comprehensive and effective AS9100 audit. The next session will elaborate on the different types pd audit calculation tools used and the methods.

Understanding AS9100 Audit Day Calculations: Types, Tools, and Methods

When preparing for an AS9100 audit, it’s important to know that not all audits are created equal. The duration of an audit depends on several factors, including the type of audit being conducted and the methods used to calculate the required audit days. Whether it’s an initial audit, surveillance audit, or recertification audit, each type requires a different approach to time allocation. In this section, we’ll explore the various audit types and the tools and methods used to calculate audit days, ensuring that your organization is fully prepared.

Different Audit Types and Their Time Calculations

AS9100 audits can vary greatly in terms of scope and complexity depending on the type of audit being performed. Here’s a breakdown of the most common audit types and how they impact the calculation of audit days:

1. Initial Certification Audit
   This is the first audit conducted when an organization seeks AS9100 certification. It typically requires the most time, as auditors need to assess the entire quality management system (QMS) to ensure it meets all AS9100 standards. The number of days required for an initial certification audit is calculated based on the size of the organization, the complexity of its processes, and the number of locations involved.
2. Surveillance Audits
   Surveillance audits, conducted at regular intervals (usually annually), focus on ensuring that the QMS remains compliant with AS9100 standards. Because they usually focus on specific areas or non-conformities identified in previous audits, they tend to require fewer audit days than the initial certification audit. The duration is often determined by the number of changes in processes or systems since the last audit.
3. Recertification Audits
   After three years of maintaining AS9100 certification, a recertification audit is required to confirm that the organization continues to meet the standards. Recertification audits are typically more comprehensive than surveillance audits but less involved than an initial audit. Audit days for recertification are based on the level of change in processes or systems over the certification period.
4. Special Audits

Special audits are sometimes required if significant changes occur within an organization, such as mergers, acquisitions, or major process overhauls. Depending on the scope of the changes, these audits may involve more detailed reviews and, therefore, require more audit days. Certification bodies will adjust the time accordingly based on the scale and complexity of the changes.

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Certification bodies adjust audit days to accommodate new or revised standards, such as AS9100 updates. This includes reevaluating audit time requirements, training auditors on changes, and adjusting for organizational shifts, such as expanded locations or processes. These adjustments ensure a comprehensive audit that reflects the latest standards and organizational complexity.

Tools and Methods for Calculating Audit Days

Accurately calculating the required audit days for an AS9100 audit is essential for ensuring its efficiency and thoroughness. Various tools and methods are used to determine the optimal time allocation, but the AS9100 audit days table is the most widely used resource.

1. The AS9100 Audit Days Table
   This table, used by certification bodies, provides a standardized framework for calculating audit days based on factors such as organization size, number of processes, and audit type. It allows auditors to estimate the time needed for the audit based on previous experiences and established industry best practices.
2. Risk-Based Approaches
   Some auditors apply a risk-based approach to determine audit duration. In this method, areas with higher complexity or greater risk are allocated more audit time. For example, if an organization has high-risk processes, such as critical supplier management or complex production processes, the audit duration for those areas will be extended.
3. Customizable Calculation Tools
   Many certification bodies use customized audit time calculation tools that incorporate factors like the number of shifts, multi-location operations, and the involvement of subcontractors. These tools consider the organization's specific needs to create a tailored audit plan that ensures adequate coverage while being efficient.
4. Usage of the AuditCalc Tool and Its Limitations

Certification bodies widely use the AuditCalc tool to calculate audit days based on specific factors, such as organization size, number of employees, and process complexity. This tool provides a structured approach and offers a quick estimate of the time required for an audit based on predefined criteria.

However, AuditCalc has its limitations. It may not always capture the nuances of every organization, particularly those with unique or highly complex processes. The tool relies on inputs that are not always flexible enough to account for sudden changes in organizational structure or risk profiles.

While calculating AS9100 audit days is essential for a successful audit process, it’s not without its challenges. Now, let’s explore the key difficulties faced by certification bodies and organizations when calculating audit days.

What Are the Challenges in Calculating Audit Days?

Calculating the correct number of audit days for an AS9100 certification is essential for ensuring a thorough and efficient audit process. However, several challenges can arise when trying to determine the optimal audit duration. These challenges can impact both the certification body and the organization undergoing the audit. Let’s take a look at some of the key obstacles involved in calculating audit days.

• Organizational Complexity: Assessing complex processes and multiple locations can complicate accurate audit day calculations.
• Changes in Standards: Revisions to AS9100 standards require recalculating audit days to cover new or updated requirements.
• Limited Flexibility of Tools: Some tools, like AuditCalc, may not fully capture unique or evolving organizational factors.

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• Subjectivity in Risk Assessment: Determining risk levels can vary, affecting how much time is allocated to certain audit areas.
• Inconsistent Data Input: Incorrect or inconsistent input data can lead to inaccurate audit day estimates.
• Resource Availability: Limited auditor availability can impact the ability to adjust audit days in response to organizational changes.

Given these challenges in calculating audit days, a more streamlined, adaptable solution is needed to ensure accuracy and efficiency. BPRHub can play a key role in helping organizations manage their audit planning process. Let’s explore how BPRHub can assist in building a robust AS9100 audit days table.

Why Choose Bprhub to Build the As9100 Audit Days Table?

Accurately calculating audit days and creating a detailed audit days table is crucial for ensuring a thorough and efficient AS9100 audit. However, as we've seen, challenges such as organizational complexity, changing standards, and inconsistencies in tool usage can complicate the process. BPRHub can help organizations overcome these challenges by offering a streamlined, flexible solution for calculating and managing audit days. With BPRHub’s cloud-based compliance management platform, organizations can automate audit planning, track audit durations in real time, and ensure consistency across multiple audits. BPRHub’s data-driven approach removes uncertainty, ensuring the right resources are allocated to meet AS9100 requirements efficiently.

For a seamless and efficient AS9100 audit day calculation experience, choose BPRHub.

FAQ’s

1. What is an AS9100 audit day calculation?
Ans: An AS9100 audit day calculation determines how much time certification auditors need to thoroughly review an organization’s quality management system (QMS) to ensure it meets AS9100 standards. The calculation depends on factors like organization size, complexity, and risk.

2. Why is the AS9100 audit days table important?
Ans: The AS9100 audit days table provides a standardized guideline for certification bodies to allocate the right amount of time for audits. It helps ensure that audits are consistent, efficient, and comprehensive while covering all necessary areas of the QMS.

3. How does the initial certification audit differ from surveillance audits?
Ans: The initial certification audit is more comprehensive, covering the entire QMS to ensure it meets AS9100 standards. Surveillance audits, conducted regularly after certification, focus on maintaining compliance and often require fewer audit days since they target specific areas or past non-conformities.

4. How does BPRHub help with audit day calculations?
Ans: BPRHub's Audit Hub streamlines the audit day calculation process by offering a flexible, scalable solution that integrates seamlessly with different modules. This helps ensure that audit days are allocated accurately and adapt to organizational changes and complexities.

5. What factors influence the number of audit days?
Ans: Audit days are influenced by the size of the organization, the number of employees, the complexity of processes, risk factors, and the scope of the audit. Changes in processes, locations, or standards also play a significant role in determining audit duration.

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