Employee competence is a critical factor in the success of an organization and in the efficiency of a quality management system. Ensuring that employees obtain specific competencies related to their duties can reduce turnover rates, potential risks, and boost the overall effectiveness of the QMS.  

As stated in the standard, the organization is required to:

Determine the necessary competence of person(s) doing work under its control that affects the performance and effectiveness of the quality management system

This requirement emphasizes that every individual who is relevant to the quality management system process possesses the competencies that are necessary for their role. The organization should determine what the competency requirements should be for each role that is involved in the QMS process.

Ensure that these persons are competent on the basis of appropriate education, training, and or experience

After the organization determines the competencies that each role is required to have, they need to compare the individual to these requirements in order to identify any gaps between the individual and the competencies that they need to have. Once identified, the organization should provide the proper methods to close these gaps. 

These methods can include:

§  On the job training

§  Independent study

§  Certification acquisition

§  Coaching and counseling

§  Experience

§  Education

The method used will vary and be dependent on the type of job and the organization’s needs.

Where applicable, take actions to acquire the necessary competence, and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken

Once action has been taken and the gaps are closed, the organization should evaluate that the employee competency goals have been met. While there are many ways to evaluate competency, the best way is a demonstration of the skills or knowledge that the employee was required to obtain. If the employee is able to demonstrate their tasks and abilities while under observation, then they can be deemed competent. Depending on the organization and the tasks, this observation can last anywhere between an hour to a month. Other ways of evaluating competency include inspection of the individual’s work, tests and examinations, or performance reviews. 

Retain appropriate documented information as evidence of competence

Lastly, it is important to keep records of all competency activities. The ISO 9001/AS9100/AS9120 requires the organization to retain documents that pertain to this process as evidence of competency. While the organization can choose to have multiple documents for each role or a singular document, it is always preferable to have fewer documents. Additionally, it is usually better to have electronic or digital records for quick and clear access to documents. Electronic documents are also better for analyzing data and identifying progress in competency gaps. Overall, electronic documents are also much less costly than administering paper records.