Need to supercharge your quality program or management system? The American Petroleum Institute (API), has the petro for your QMS. API has developed several specifications that are sure to supercharge your quality management system and take it to the next level.  API is the sole trade association that represents all aspects of the oil and natural gas industry within the United States for over 75 years.  While API’s primary focus is national, the organization is recognized globally.  Similar to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), API develops standards that are specific to the oil and gas industry.

ISO has been developing global standards for over 65 years for many industries, ranging from: agricultural, construction, engineering, environmental, medical and information technology, among many others.  ISO is the world’s largest standards developing organizations and is made up of 163 member countries throughout the world.

ISO is widely known to be the authors of ISO 9001 Quality Management System Requirements, which was first published in 1987 and was based upon UK Standard BS 5750 and has become the staple and foundation of many standards today.  API authors API Specification Q1 (API Spec Q1) Quality Programs for the Petroleum, Petrochemical and Natural Gas Industry and API Specification Q2 (API Spec Q2) Quality Management System Requirements for Service Supply Organizations for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Industries.  API Spec Q1 was first published in 1984.

There are many commonalities between ISO 9001, API Spec Q1 and API Spec Q2.  In fact 90% of the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 are part of API Spec Q1 and API Spec Q2, but the API specs include several requirements that are sure to supercharge your quality management system.  These requirements are not currently required by ISO 9001:2008, but as the next revision of ISO 9001, which may be 2013-2014 will be more risk management focused, organizations may want to consider adding these requirements.  This article will focus on several of the biggest concepts of the API specifications Q1 and Q2 that are different than ISO 9001:2008.

Control Features

One of the biggest concepts introduced by API in API Spec Q1 is the concept of control features.  API defines a control feature as, “the organization’s documented method to perform an activity under controlled conditions to achieve conformity to specified requirements.”  For example in ISO 9001:2008, clause 4.2.3 Control of Documents, organizations are required to have a documented procedure for controlling the documents that are part of the quality management system.  

API Spec Q1 has the same requirement, but also requires a “control feature” to be used to actually identify the documents required and the current revision status of each document.  Another example is ISO 9001:2008, 6.2.2 Competence training and awareness.  ISO 9001:2008 requires that the necessary competence for personnel will be determined, employees evaluated and made aware of the relevance of their activities.  API Spec Q1, takes it a step further by requiring a “control feature” for actually identifying training needs and then for providing the actual training.  API Spec Q1 also requires that the frequency of the training be identified. 

Below are a couple of additional ISO 9001:2008 clauses where control features are required by API Spec Q1:

• 7.1.1 Planning of product realization,
• 7.2.2 Review of requirements related to the product,
• 7.3.1 Design and development planning,
• 7.4.1 Purchasing process,
• 7.4.3 Verification of purchased product,
• 7.5.1 Control of production and service provision,
• 7.5.3 Identification and traceability,
• 7.5.4 Customer property,
• 7.5.5 Preservation of product,
• 7.6 Control of monitoring and measuring equipment,
• 8.2.4 Monitoring and measurement of product, and
• 8.4 Analysis of data.

The concepts of “control features” is a good one and I believe it does add value. Where ISO 9001:2008 provides guidance on what an organization should establish, API has taken it one step further and provides guidance on establishing “control features” to achieve it. This will definitely supercharge your QMS. Another requirement that I like about API Spec Q1, is that it requires organizations to maintain responsibility for their outsourced processes.

Maintaining Responsibility of Outsourced Processes

All organizations outsource a portion of their processes to another organization when providing their products or services to their customers. This may be in the form of raw materials, manufacturing, testing, inspection, packaging, transport and even labor. Many times organizations believe that their subcontractor is responsible for the outsourced process, but forget that they are the ones that must ensure their customer’s requirements are met. When an organization outsources a process to another party, the organization is the customer to the company providing the outsourcing activity. The responsibility of meeting the requirements of the end customer (your customer) still remains with the organization.

ISO 9001:2008 specifies that an organization shall ensure control over such processes. API Spec Q1 specifies that the organization shall maintain responsibility for product conformance to specified requirements when processes are outsourced. Ensuring control and maintaining responsibility are vastly different in concept. I can ensure control of an outsourced process by performing inspections at my supplier’s facility, but when I maintain responsibility, I may really want to understand my supplier’s inputs and outputs to their processes that may impact my product or service quality to my end customer. Maintaining responsibility involves taking more of an active role, while only ensuring control can be accomplished in passive methods. Taking the responsibility approach is sure to add fuel to your QMS and produce less supplier errors, which will improve your overall customer’s satisfaction. API also has something specifically for service organizations. Have you ever wondered about how to manage those pesky nonconformities that slip by and make it to your customers?

Field Nonconformities Analysis

One clause that I really like in API Spec Q1 is 8.3.2, Field Nonconformity Analysis. This is a great clause that can supercharge your QMS. This clause requires organizations to have a procedure to identify, document and report field nonconformities or product failures. Upon being reported, the nonconformity is required to be analyzed to determine the root cause. This is starkly different from ISO 9001:2008 clause 8.3 Control of Nonconforming Product. ISO 9001:2008 clause 8.3, focuses on detecting nonconformities prior to delivery or use, which is great and very preventive, but in the real world this is not always possible. Nonconforming product or services will unfortunately make it through all the inspections and controls and make it to the customer. This is where API Spec Q1 picks up. API recognized that there will be some nonconforming products or services that will make it to the end customer and it requires organizations to have a method to have them reported and analyzed. With API organizations are not only investigating what went wrong internally, but now we need to determine how the nonconformity got by the various inspections and made it to the customer and other external factors that may have contributed to the failure, including the customer. This is very big distinction and in my opinion adds a lot of value for organizations.

Conclusion

In conclusion ISO 9001:2008 is a great and proven standard and has stood the test of time, but in the effort of continual improvement there are some great aspects of API Spec Q1 and API Spec Q2 that will definitely add value to your organization’s quality management system. Maybe your thinking that since your QMS is not based upon API Specs that these additional requirements don’t apply to your organization. Let’s not forget that quality management systems are developed to assist organizations to reduce their business risk and improve their operations, so look into supercharging your QMS with these additives and take your organization to the next level.