Suppliers, People, Measuring Equipment
supplier list and evaluation, goods receipt, qualification matrix, briefing and training plan, measuring equipment list and calibration, maintenance and knowledge – with templates and a practice company
- 70–105 min
- 16 modules
- Free certificate
- No account needed
- Updated November 2026
👥 Target group: Quality managers and managing directors of small companies who want to demonstrate clauses 7 and 8.4 with reasonable effort, Purchasing, warehouse, workshop management and HR staff who want to know which list they have to keep
Which legal duty or standard requirement does this training cover?
About this training
Every order needs three things before it starts: material from suppliers, people who can do it, and tools that are right. ISO 9001 regulates this in clause 7 (resources, competence, awareness, knowledge) and 8.4 (externally provided processes, products and services) – and it is exactly in these clauses that most minor nonconformities in small companies lie: suppliers never evaluated, briefing only verbal, calliper never checked, maintenance without a plan. Not because it is not done, but because the record is missing.
This course shows the way with four lists that every company sets up in one afternoon and maintains in two hours a year: supplier list with evaluation on a grade scale, qualification matrix with briefing record and training plan, measuring equipment list with calibration intervals, maintenance plan for infrastructure. In addition goods receipt inspection, outsourced processes, awareness (7.3), organisational knowledge (7.1.6), communication (7.4) – and what the auditor asks at every workplace. At the practice company Brenner & Sohn Specialist Retail (22 employees, two locations, fictitious) you set up all four lists. 16 modules, final test, certificate of participation with a verifiable number.
What this course covers — and what it does not: The course covers clauses 7.1.2 to 7.1.6, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 and 8.4 of ISO 9001:2015 for companies with 1 to 50 employees. Not covered: occupational safety briefings under national law (named only as evidence for 7.2), employment law, occupational risk assessment, measurement technology under ISO 10012 in detail, supplier audits under ISO 19011 (course “Internal Audit”). Calibration intervals are empirical values, not a requirement of the standard; binding are manufacturer specifications, customer requirements and your own risk. Statutory inspection duties and legal metrology differ by country. The practice company is fictitious. This is a translation of the German course for readers worldwide — in case of doubt the German edition applies.
Contents at a glance
- Four lists for clauses 7 and 8.4 — and why most minor nonconformities lie hereOverview: supplier list, qualification matrix, measuring equipment list, maintenance plan as records for 8.4, 7.2, 7.1.5, 7.1.3; the four most frequent minor nonconformities; effort after set-up; link to the order file
- Supplier list: who is evaluated, who is not — and by which criteriaWhat 8.4.1 requires (criteria for selection, evaluation, monitoring, re-evaluation; documented information); delimiting main suppliers (A/B/C); the three criteria reliability, quality, value for money on a grade scale; adding new suppliers; supplier list as template
- The annual evaluation in one hour — and what follows from itFlow of the annual evaluation: data from goods receipt, complaints, deadlines; assign grades; actions from 4; responsible/deadline; result into the management review; supplier talk; re-evaluation after action; example with six suppliers
- Goods receipt: the inspection everyone does and nobody writes downWhat 8.4.2 and 8.6 require: verification of externally provided products before use; extent by risk (visual, quantity, certificate, dimension, sample); the note on the delivery note as evidence; batch recording; complaint to supplier; direct delivery to customers (drop shipping); goods receipt at service providers
- Outsourced processes: contract manufacturer, subcontractor, data centre, haulierWhat an outsourced process is (8.4.1 c, 8.4.2); responsibility stays with the company; control by risk (contract, requirements, verification of the result, evaluation, certificate); information for the provider (8.4.3); typical outsourced processes by sector; entry in supplier list and process map
- Determining competence: the qualification matrix (7.2)What 7.2 requires (determine competence, ensure, actions, effectiveness, evidence); qualification matrix: roles/tasks × persons with levels (briefed, independent, may brief) and mandatory records with expiry; deputies visible; mandatory qualifications (forklift, electrical, first aider, welder, driving licence); set-up in one hour
- Briefing, training plan and effectiveness — the record most often missingBriefing record for new employees (contents, date, two signatures, release for independent work); annual training plan (needs from matrix, annual review, law, projects); effectiveness after three months; filing training records; occupational safety briefings as evidence
- Awareness (7.3) and communication (7.4): the two clauses without a formWhat 7.3 requires (policy, objectives, own contribution, consequences of nonconformity — know, not recite); how the auditor checks it (employee question); meeting routine as evidence; 7.4: what, when, with whom, how, who — internal and external communication as a table; minutes line instead of minutes
- Measuring equipment list: which instruments require inspection — and which do not (7.1.5.1)What 7.1.5.1 requires (suitability, maintenance, evidence); three classes: inspection equipment at the check point (inspection required), workshop measuring equipment (checked internally), aids (no inspection required, marked); measuring equipment list with number, location, interval, method, last/next inspection; identification; employees' own instruments; software as measuring equipment
- Calibration and traceability: external, internal, and what happens when “unfit” (7.1.5.2)When 7.1.5.2 applies (traceability required or considered essential); external calibration (accredited vs. manufacturer calibration) and what the certificate must contain; internal check against traceable reference with check instruction; identification and protection; procedure for unfit measuring equipment: retrospective evaluation of measurements; exclusion of 7.1.5.2
- Infrastructure and maintenance plan: machines, vehicles, IT, buildings (7.1.3, 7.1.4)What 7.1.3 requires (provide and maintain); maintenance plan as a list: equipment, interval, type (manufacturer, statutory inspection, electrical, vehicle inspection, backup), responsible, last/next; statutory inspection duties (electrical equipment, forklifts, ladders, pressure equipment); IT: backup and restore test; work environment 7.1.4 in one paragraph
- Organisational knowledge (7.1.6): what is gone when the foreman leavesWhat 7.1.6 requires (determine knowledge, maintain, extend on changes); kinds of knowledge in a small company (customer knowledge, process knowledge, supplier knowledge, empirical values); three tools: wiki/project folder, deputy with induction, knowledge list with holder and safeguard; succession as a risk
- What the auditor asks at workplace, warehouse and office — 30 questions on clauses 7 and 8.4The audit method (workplace → list → evidence) for suppliers, people, measuring equipment, equipment; typical questions from audits with evidence; the six most frequent minor nonconformities; answer in five minutes with the four lists
- Case study: Brenner & Sohn Specialist Retail — four lists for two locationsPractice company Brenner & Sohn Specialist Retail (22 employees, two locations, retail with installation service, fictitious): classify and evaluate a supplier list with twelve suppliers; qualification matrix for warehouse, sales, installation; measuring equipment list with exclusion decision; maintenance plan with vehicles and IT; three hidden gaps; model solution
- Records: the four lists through the year — and what flows into the management reviewMaintenance calendar of the four lists; link to management review (9.3.2 c 7 suppliers, c 1 customer satisfaction, d resources), risk analysis, action plan; retention; checklist for your own lists
- Procedure in our companyProcedure in our company: contact person for quality questions, location of the manual, templates and records, approvals, fixed dates and next steps in the company
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to evaluate every supplier?
No. Evaluated are the suppliers whose products or services influence the quality of your output (8.4.1) – in a small company the five to fifteen main suppliers. Office supplies and electricity are not. The supplier list names who is evaluated and who is not.
Is a verbal briefing enough?
The briefing yes – the record no. Clause 7.2 requires documented information as evidence of competence. A briefing record with contents, date and two signatures is enough and is the most frequently missing record in small companies.
Do I have to have all measuring instruments calibrated?
Only those whose result demonstrates the conformity of the product (inspection equipment at the check point) – and even those only externally if traceability is required or you consider it essential. Workshop measuring instruments are checked internally against a calibrated reference; aids (folding rule for rough dimensions) are marked as “no inspection required”.
What is an outsourced process?
A process that belongs to your output but that someone else does for you – contract manufacturing, subcontractors, data centre, calibration laboratory, haulier. It remains your responsibility: you select the provider, evaluate him, verify the result and tell him what you expect (8.4.2, 8.4.3).
How much time does clause 7 cost per year?
After set-up typically two to three hours: supplier evaluation one hour, qualification matrix and training plan one hour, measuring equipment and maintenance plan 30 minutes – plus the briefing per new employee.
Is the course free?
Yes, like all courses of the QM-Guru Academy. No registration; the e-mail address is used only to deliver the certificate.
Which edition is this?
The English-language edition of our German course "Lieferanten, Mitarbeiter, Prüfmittel", written for readers worldwide; statutory inspection duties and legal metrology are described in general terms – check the rules of your country. The downloadable templates are currently in German; English versions will follow. In case of doubt the German edition applies.