Standardised work, set-up & restart verification (IATF only)
Plain-language summary
Operators work to standardised instructions they can actually use, in their language; every job set-up gets verified (first-off/last-off comparison where applicable); after any shutdown, verify before running.
What the clause is really asking
Standardised work documents must be communicated to and understood by the people doing the job, legible, in appropriate language(s), and available at the workstation. Set-up verification with documented first-piece approval (retain last-off for comparison where applicable), and documented verification after planned or unplanned shutdowns to ensure conformity before production resumes.
What auditors look for
Auditors ask the operator to show their instruction and explain it (language test included), check first-off records against the actual changeover times in the planning system, and probe the Monday-morning/post-load-shedding question: where is the restart verification record?
Typical evidence
Workstation instructions in floor language; first-off/last-off records; set-up verification sheets; restart checklists with records.
How to comply — recommendations
Visual instructions with photos beat text walls — and translate the safety-critical lines into the floor's languages. Make restart verification a standard checklist hung on the machine: power cut, tool change, weekend — same five checks, signed.
Common nonconformities
Instructions in English only where the floor speaks isiXhosa/Afrikaans; first-off records missing for changeovers the schedule shows; production restarted after load-shedding with no verification.
Related clauses
Builds on ISO 9001 8.5.1 (see Example row)
In the book
Chapter 8 — Operation — Where the Product Is Won or Lost treats this clause family in full: what it is really asking, what auditors look for, the evidence that satisfies, how to make it work on a real floor, and where companies stumble. This IATF requirement is covered in the Automotive Edition, in the same six blocks as the ISO clause around it.
Resources for this clause
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Qlause provides interpretive guidance only and is not a substitute for the standard. Refer to your licensed copy of the relevant standard for the authoritative text.