In December of 2022, IATF published CB Communique 2022-03 – AIAG VDA Harmonized Approach to FMEA to outline details for new IATF ADP mandatory training and quiz requirements for CB auditors. New AIAG/VDA harmonized approach to FMEA training and quiz modules were made available for CB auditors starting on December 7th of this year and the message announcing the communique states that all active auditors must complete the first initial take of the training and quiz by March 7th, 2023.
You’ll recall that we reported that Ford recently updated their CSRs to require foundation FMEAs and the use of FMEA software, effectively paving the way for the requirement to transition to the harmonized approach, but when IATF was asked in a joint panel with several OEMs at the AIAG Quality Summit in Novi, MI in October whether there had been a date for conversion from AIAG 4th edition to the harmonized format, they were mum, saying only, “Each OEM will need to determine the appropriate usage of the AIAG/VDA FMEA standard according to their own product development processes before being deployed to their supply bases.” They did also note during this Q&A, however, when asked if we should be looking forward to more core tools being revised to align with VDA, “AIAG is currently looking at revising several core tool documents and at the possibility of doing so jointly with the VDA. Stay tuned for further information.”
Indeed.
The communique discusses the required training as part of the Auditor Development Process (ADP) as focusing on the following:
- Introduction
- Overview and differences
- 7 step approach
- How to audit Process FMEA
- How to audit Design FMEA
- How to audit FMEA Monitoring & System Response (MSR)
The communique notes that the AIAG/VDA harmonized FMEA training material will be presented automatically for new auditor candidates and that they must demonstrate successful completion of the training material and quiz – passing with a score of 80% or higher – as part of the mandatory pre-study within the ADP before being accepted onto a New Auditor Training event – auditors who have not completed these requirements by the deadline will be subject to deactivation. Likewise, auditors will have a total of 4 opportunities to receive a passing mark on the quiz, the initial take and 3 additional retakes; if they do not score 80% or above within those total 4 opportunities, their credentials will be subject to deactivation.
While IATF has been fairly tight-lipped with any real details about official moves to the AIAG/VDA harmonized format for FMEA or whether we should expect similar changes for other core tools, the initial move made early in the year to adopt some of the VDA FMEA principles into their CSRs and the new communique requiring IATF CB auditors to complete training and pass a quiz on the harmonized FMEA methods by the end of Q1 next year certainly illustrate a likely scenario of what to expect in the near future. You can download the communique below or directly from IATF.