Most supplier scorecards I review answer one question very precisely: how bad was last quarter? Delivery in percent, ppm, number of complaints. All useful. All late. By the time a ppm figure turns red, the parts are already in your stock or at your customer.
What the standards require
ISO 9001:2015 clause 8.4.1 requires criteria for the evaluation, selection, monitoring of performance and re-evaluation of external providers. The IAQG’s IA9100 Key Change Summary (November 2023) strengthens clause 8.4 with direct and sub-tier control. Neither standard prescribes which indicators to use. That choice is yours — and it decides whether monitoring warns or just records.
Lagging indicators (keep them)
On-time delivery, defect rate in ppm, number of customer complaints, cost of nonconformance. They show results. They do not show where the next problem comes from.
Leading indicators (add them)
From my own supplier audit experience, these five move before the ppm does:
Age of open corrective actions. A SCAR open for more than 60 days without effectiveness evidence is a risk, not an administrative backlog.
Repeat findings. The same root cause category twice in twelve months means the first fix did not work.
Key personnel changes. Quality manager, lead inspector, special-process operator. Ask for notification in your quality agreement.
Sub-tier changes. New heat-treat or plating source without notification. You only find out if you ask.
Late or incomplete paperwork. Certificates of conformity arriving after the parts, or with gaps. Paperwork discipline drops before product discipline does.
How to use it
Do not build a 40-line scorecard. Pick three leading indicators, define the threshold that triggers a conversation, and review them monthly for your top-risk suppliers.
Three actions
1. Add „age of open SCARs“ to your scorecard this month.
2. Put personnel and sub-tier change notification into your quality agreements.
3. Review leading indicators monthly for your top ten suppliers by risk, not by spend.
Sources
- ISO — ISO 9001:2015, clause 8.4.1, iso.org
- IAQG — IA9100 Key Change Summary, clause view (November 2023), iaqg.org