Glossary of Quality and Audit Terms

Terms that feel second nature to industry veterans often become a barrier for newcomers. VDA, CQI, FMEA, PPAP, run@rate… At some point, the challenge is no longer doing the job itself, but simply decoding what everything means.

We created this glossary with exactly that in mind. It goes beyond a standard dictionary: alongside each definition, we briefly explain what the term means in practice and where it comes into play during audits. Simply go to the entry you need and start reading.

The glossary keeps growing. If there’s a term you’d like to see added, just let us know.

Base Year

What is a base year? The year chosen as the comparison reference in a greenhouse gas inventory and…

Details →

CQI

CQI, AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group) tarafından yayımlanan Continuous Quality Improvement (Sürekli Kalite İyileştirme) doküman serisinin kısaltmasıdır. Otomotiv…

Details →

Double Materiality

What is double materiality? The concepts of impact materiality and financial materiality and their place in sustainability reporting.

Details →

Emission Factor

What is an emission factor? The coefficient that converts activity data into greenhouse gas emissions, source selection and…

Details →

Greenhouse Gas Inventory

What is a greenhouse gas inventory? Determining emissions at organization level, boundary decisions and reporting principles.

Details →

Horizontal Deployment

What is horizontal deployment? Applying the solution found in one problem to other products, lines and processes carrying…

Details →

Leading and Lagging Indicators

What are leading and lagging indicators? The difference and balance between in-process early warning indicators and result indicators.

Details →

Process Owner

Who is a process owner? Definition of the role responsible for process performance, with resource and decision-making authority.

Details →

Product Safety

Product safety is managing the design and manufacture of a product so that it does not cause harm…

Details →

Residual Risk

What is residual risk? The level of risk remaining after controls are applied and its acceptance.

Details →

Risk Appetite

What is risk appetite? The level of risk an organization is willing to accept to achieve its objectives…

Details →

Root Cause

What is a root cause? The eliminable underlying cause of a problem and the distinction between occurrence and…

Details →

S-Rating

S-Rating nedir? Volkswagen Grubu’nun tedarikçi sürdürülebilirlik derecelendirmesi ve iş ilişkisine etkisi.

Details →

Scope 1 and Scope 2 Emissions

What are Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions? Definition and difference between direct emissions and indirect emissions from…

Details →

Scope 3 Emissions

What are Scope 3 emissions? The indirect greenhouse gas emissions in an organization’s value chain, their categories and…

Details →

Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

What is an SAQ? The sustainability self-assessment questionnaire used in the automotive supply chain and its evidence expectations.

Details →

Supply Chain Due Diligence

What is supply chain due diligence? The process of identifying, preventing and monitoring environmental and social risks at…

Details →

What Are Cp and Cpk?

Cp shows the potential of the process, Cpk its actual performance. What does the difference between them mean…

Details →

What Are Customer-Specific Requirements (CSRs)?

CSRs are the requirements OEMs define in addition to IATF 16949. Obligations such as CQI assessments and PSCR…

Details →

What Are Pp and Ppk?

Pp and Ppk show process performance, Cp and Cpk capability. Which is used when?

Details →

What Is 8D?

8D is the eight-step problem-solving method widely used in automotive. Its steps and the most frequently skipped points.

Details →

What Is a Common Cause?

A common cause is variation inherent in the process and continuously present. Its difference from special cause and…

Details →

What Is a Compliance Obligation?

Compliance obligations are the legal and voluntary requirements that must be met in an environmental management system. How…

Details →

What Is a Control Chart?

A control chart is the tool that monitors the behaviour of a process over time. The critical difference…

Details →

What Is a Control Plan?

A control plan is the document that defines which characteristic is controlled and how. Its types, content and…

Details →

What Is a Gap Analysis?

A gap analysis sets out, clause by clause, the difference between your current system and the new requirements….

Details →

What Is a Layered Process Audit (LPA)?

LPA is auditing the same point by different management levels at different frequencies. Its difference from internal audit…

Details →

What Is a Nonconformity?

A nonconformity is the non-fulfilment of a requirement. How is a good finding written, and what is the…

Details →

What Is a PSCR?

The PSCR is the representative responsible for product safety and conformity in automotive. Tasks, appointment obligation and allocation…

Details →

What Is a Remote Audit?

With ISO 19011:2026, remote auditing became an integral part of the standard. How are risk, scope and evidence…

Details →

What Is a Second-Party Audit?

A second-party audit is an audit an organization conducts at its own supplier. When is it needed and…

Details →

What Is a Self-Assessment?

A self-assessment is an organization evaluating its own system against a defined guideline. What are the frequency and…

Details →

What Is a Special Cause?

A special cause is variation outside the normal behaviour of the process. Its difference from common cause and…

Details →

What Is a Special Process?

A special process is one whose result cannot be fully verified by measurement after completion. Why do heat…

Details →

What Is a Surveillance Audit?

A surveillance audit is the interim audit that verifies the system is being maintained throughout the certificate validity…

Details →

What Is a Transition Audit?

A transition audit moves an existing certificate to the new edition of a standard. Can it be combined…

Details →

What Is a Virtual Location?

A virtual location defines digital environments that have no physical address but need to be audited. How is…

Details →

What Is an Audit Programme?

An audit programme is the set of audits planned for a specific period. The new planning elements introduced…

Details →

What Is an Environmental Aspect?

An environmental aspect is the element of your activities that interacts with the environment. Its difference from environmental…

Details →

What Is an Internal Audit?

An internal audit is an organization auditing its own management system on its own behalf. Its purpose, the…

Details →

What Is APQP?

APQP is the framework that plans product and process development in phases. What did the 3rd edition, released…

Details →

What Is Conversion Coating?

Conversion coating is the transformation of a metal surface through a chemical reaction. Although it is the pretreatment…

Details →

What Is Corrective Action?

Corrective action is the system change that prevents a nonconformity from recurring. The process steps and how effectiveness…

Details →

What Is Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)?

Cost of poor quality is the real cost of quality problems to the organization. The four categories and…

Details →

What Is Documented Information?

Documented information is the term that brings the concepts of document and record under a single umbrella. Is…

Details →

What Is DRBFM?

DRBFM is a review method focused on design changes. Its difference from FMEA and when it is applied.

Details →

What Is Electroplating?

Electroplating is the application of a coating to a metal surface using electric current. Which processes fall within…

Details →

What Is Gage R&R?

Gage R&R determines the repeatability and reproducibility variation of the measurement system. How is it done and how…

Details →

What Is Hydrogen Embrittlement?

Hydrogen embrittlement is brittleness in high-strength steel caused by hydrogen absorbed during plating. Baking and control requirements.

Details →

What Is Management Review?

Management review is top management evaluating the system at planned intervals. What are the typical inputs and the…

Details →

What Is MSA?

MSA evaluates the reliability of the measurement system. Its difference from calibration and why it is the precondition…

Details →

What Is PFMEA?

PFMEA analyses failure modes arising from the production process. Its difference from DFMEA and its link with the…

Details →

What Is Poka-Yoke?

Poka-yoke is a mechanism that prevents an error from occurring or progressing. Its difference from error detection and…

Details →

What Is PPAP?

PPAP is the process of demonstrating that the production process can meet customer requirements. When is it required…

Details →

What Is Process Capability?

Process capability is a process’s ability to produce product within tolerance. The conditions that must be met before…

Details →

What Is Product Conformity?

Product conformity is meeting all applicable requirements for a product. Its relationship with product liability and its difference…

Details →

What Is Recertification?

Recertification is the audit at the end of the certificate cycle covering the entire system. Why is it…

Details →

What Is Risk-Based Thinking?

Risk-based thinking is the approach that spreads risks and opportunities across every stage of the system. Is a…

Details →

What Is Root Cause Analysis?

Root cause analysis is the work of finding the actual source of a problem. 5 Whys, fishbone, 8D…

Details →

What Is the Context of the Organization?

The context of the organization is the internal and external issues that affect the results of the management…

Details →

What Is the Harmonized Structure (HS)?

The harmonized structure is the common clause skeleton of ISO management system standards. How does it make building…

Details →

What Is the Life Cycle Perspective?

The life cycle perspective is evaluating environmental impacts from raw material to end of life. Is a detailed…

Details →

What Is the PDCA Cycle?

PDCA is the continual improvement cycle at the foundation of management systems. Its four stages and its relationship…

Details →

What Is the Process Approach?

The process approach is managing activities as a system of interrelated processes. How does it differ from department-oriented…

Details →

What Is Traceability?

Traceability is the ability to trace a product’s history and distribution. Why does the batch size decision determine…

Details →

Who Are Interested Parties?

Interested parties are those affected by the organization’s decisions or who affect the organization. Who counts, and how…

Details →

No matching terms found.