Understanding The ISO/TS 16949:2002 Standard 

5.2 Customer Focus  

Top management shall ensure that: 

        Customer requirements are determined and met 

        Aim is to enhance customer satisfaction (also see clause 7.2.1 and 8.2.1) 

Key Explanation Points and Tips: 

Þ      Organizations depend on their customers. Accordingly, you must understand current and future needs of customers; develop customer focused processes; establish customer goals and objectives; measure customer satisfaction against these goals and objectives; have customer focused internal and external communications; and ensure that your personnel are competent and trained in understanding and achieving customer requirements. 

Þ      As this standard represents specific automotive OEM’s, your QMS must provide objective evidence that your QMS processes can identify and manage these requirements and that customer-specific requirements are effectively implemented.  Review specific requirements at OEM customer or IATF websites. 

Þ      You must communicate your OEM’s current and future product programs within your own organization as well as flow them down the supply chain in terms of sub-products, price, timing, delivery communication and support.  

Þ      You must have an effective communication process between your customer and your organization, for discussion, review, timing, action and responsibility on the above issues. 

Þ      You must have an effective process for communication and review of the above requirements to relevant personnel or departments within your own organization. 

Þ      It is top management role to provide the leadership and commitment of time and resources to ensure this happens. Auditors will be looking for evidence of this. 

Þ      Clause 7.2.1 gets further into the details of understanding and processing customer requirements. Clause 8.2.1 sets requirements for monitoring and measuring customer satisfaction.  

Þ      Clause 5.2 provides the top management’s overall responsibility for customer relationship management (CRM), while clause 7.2.1 provides the front end and clause 8.2.1 provides the back end, of the underlying and detailed activities of CRM. 

Þ      You will notice that customer focus can be included in the following processes – business planning; communications; sales and marketing; and customer satisfaction feedback. 

Þ      Clause 5.2 does not require a ‘documented’ procedure. However, you must identify and document (e.g. process map; process flow diagram; etc.) the processes listed in the paragraph above as part of your QMS (see clause 4.1). You must also identify what specific documents are needed for effective planning, operation and control of these processes (see clause 4.2.1d). Examples f such documents may include – a documented procedure; business plan; statement of customer related policies and objectives; etc.