Guides
Questions quality managers actually ask.
For independent shops of 15–200 people. We are a quality team, not software and not a staffing firm. No fake testimonials or invented metrics.
Should I hire an AS9100 consultant, use a big firm, or stand it up in-house?
AS9100 consultant vs doing it yourself
DIY works if you have a trained internal auditor, spare hours, and no registrar or customer visit coming. A national firm is usually too much overhead for a 15–200 person shop. A lead-auditor consultant who does the work — not a portal — is the usual fit.
Does my shop need AS9100D, or is ISO 9001 enough?
Do I need AS9100, or is ISO 9001 enough?
ISO 9001 is the base quality system. AS9100D adds aerospace and defense requirements on top. Flight hardware and most prime aero work is AS9100 territory. Some ground-support or non-flight work can stay on ISO 9001 if the contract says so. Read the PO, not a blog.
Should I run AS9100 or ISO internal audits myself, or hire an independent auditor?
Internal audit: in-house vs a consultant
In-house works when the auditor is trained, independent of the process, and has time to write findings the owner can close. Most small shops fail one of those three. An outside lead auditor is for independence and for getting the audit done before registrar week, not for a dashboard.
Do I need a full-time quality manager, or can I outsource training, NC-CAPA, and document control?
Full-time quality manager vs an outsourced quality team
Keep a quality manager — or the owner wearing that hat — accountable for daily MRB, shipping quality, and the signatures. Bring in Stratos for the specialist load: gap work, NC-CAPA backlog, audit prep, document control, training. We sell capacity and audit readiness, not a staffing firm and not a QMS app.
If you do not need us, we will say so, and you do not log in.
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