AS9100 Clause 7.1.3 – Infrastructure

AS9100 7.1.3 Infrastructure is a clause in the AS9100 aerospace quality management system standard that requires organizations to determine, provide and maintain the infrastructure necessary for the operation of its processes and to achieve conformity of products and services. This clause also requires organizations to ensure that the infrastructure is adequate, appropriate and effective.

The infrastructure of an organization consists of the physical and non-physical resources that are necessary for the organization to operate effectively. These resources include:

• Buildings and facilities: The buildings and facilities that the organization uses to operate its business.
• Equipment and tools: The equipment and tools that the organization uses to produce its products or services.
• Information and communication technology (ICT): The ICT systems that the organization uses to manage its information and to communicate with its customers and suppliers.
• Transportation and logistics: The transportation and logistics systems that the organization uses to move its products and materials.
• Support services: The support services that the organization uses to maintain its infrastructure, such as cleaning, security and catering.

Organizations need to ensure that their infrastructure is adequate, appropriate and effective. This means that the infrastructure needs to be sufficient to meet the organization’s needs, it needs to be appropriate for the organization’s activities and it needs to be effective in supporting the organization’s processes.

There are a number of things that organizations can do to ensure that their infrastructure is adequate, appropriate and effective. These include:

• Conducting a risk assessment to identify the infrastructure that is critical to the organization’s operations.
• Developing a plan to maintain the infrastructure.
• Implementing the plan and monitoring its effectiveness.
• Reviewing the infrastructure on a regular basis to ensure that it is still adequate, appropriate and effective.

By taking these steps, organizations can ensure that their infrastructure is supporting their quality management system and helping them to achieve their quality objectives.