ISO 9001:2015 Clause 7.2 focuses on “Competence,” emphasizing the importance of workforce skills and knowledge to support the quality management system (QMS).
What Clause 7.2 Competence Entails
- Determining Necessary Competence: The organization must identify the specific skills and knowledge required by the individuals whose work impacts the quality management system’s performance and effectiveness.
- Ensuring Competence: The organization needs to ensure that these individuals possess the necessary competence based on their education, training, or experience. This could involve training, mentorship, reassigning roles, or hiring new personnel to meet the required competency levels.
- Actions for Acquiring Competence: When necessary competence is lacking, the organization must take suitable actions to acquire the needed skills and close the competence gap identified. This may involve training programs, mentorship, hiring, or other methods to enhance the skills and knowledge of its workforce.
- Evaluation of Actions: The company should assess the effectiveness of these actions to ensure that they contribute to improving and maintaining the required competence levels.
- Documenting Competence: Documenting the competence levels within the organization is necessary for demonstrating compliance. This documentation could include completed training, certifications, performance appraisals, or other acquired skills and knowledge as evidence of competence and maintained as documented information.
Examples of Applicable Actions
Applicable actions to ensure competence include providing internal training and mentorship programs, altering job roles, hiring new employees, or contracting external individuals with the required expertise.
Example Clause 7.2 Competence in an Organization
First, an employee training program should be created, and second, a training program evaluation should be conducted to demonstrate the training program’s effectiveness.
Employee Training Program
An engineering firm identifies the need for its employees to acquire new skills related to the latest design and simulation software. The organization comprehensively assesses the skill gaps and competence needed for the staff to operate and manage the new software efficiently.
Based on this assessment, the firm arranges specialized training sessions and certifications for its employees. The training program covers the software’s functionalities, applications, and potential benefits for project development.
Training Program Evaluation
After completing the training, the organization evaluates the employees’ competence through practical tests and simulations. Those who pass the evaluation are certified competent in using the new software. The company then maintains records of these certifications as evidence of the employees’ acquired competencies, ensuring that the staff is proficient in utilizing the software effectively to contribute to the company’s objectives.
ISO 9001:2015 Clause 7.2 Competence
Clause 7.2 Competence ensures that the individuals within the organization possess the necessary competence, which is vital for effectively maintaining the quality management system and delivering products and services that meet the required standards. This is about more than training. The organization must identify what skills are needed to provide quality and then take action to acquire and maintain those skills continuously.
