The following five best practices will help your organization oversee and ensure a consistent

level of quality throughout the outsourcing activities:

1. Keep Record of ISO Certifications

Suppliers should be considered an extension of the company. This means they all need to be
evaluated, audited and monitored. A best practice for supplier management is to keep a
record of the supplier’s International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certificate on
file.

2. Understand Supplier's Quality Processes

Supplier qualification method has multiple phases, including learning about the company's
operation and quality procedures. Reviewing the supplier's quality manual can be helpful
with this part of the qualification efforts. The supplier's quality manual reveals important
information about the company's quality processes and operational policies. For instance,
you can learn:
 The supplier's step-by-step quality procedures.
 Who is empowered/authorized to shut down production.
 Who is involved in discussing and making decisions about procedures, materials or
productivity issues.
 The company's change management processes.
 Understanding how suppliers work presents opportunities to help all supplier
organizations improve their capabilities and increase the quality of their output.
3. Supplier Questionnaires
Supplier questionnaires can help establish transparency in the contract. This is useful for
creating a risk control plan and determining the specific inspection methods to employ for
each supplier. The questionnaire can reveal information about:

 Raw material traceability.

 Incoming product inspection approaches — critical for preventing the use of
materials that might be out-of-specification.
 The equipment and processes the supplier uses to perform final inspections.
4. Collect Objective Data on Supplier Performance
A formalized supplier performance scorecard helps you track and evaluate supplier quality,
performance and compliance. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date supplier data helps with:
 Monitoring supplier processes.
 Discovering inconsistencies and other issues with suppliers’ internal systems.
 Finding solutions to production issues before they become defects.
 Keeping your approved vendor list (AVL) comprehensive and current.