Scope — supplemental (IATF only)
Plain-language summary
IATF closes the scope loopholes: supporting functions — on site or remote (head office, design centres, distribution) — must be inside the QMS, and the ONLY permitted exclusion is product design (8.3), never manufacturing process design.
What the clause is really asking
Automotive customers learnt that problems hide in 'out of scope' corners. If a corporate office buys your materials or a remote centre does your engineering, those activities affect your product and must be audited as part of your system. And you may only exclude product design if you genuinely have no design responsibility — process design is always yours.
What auditors look for
Auditors check the audit programme covers remote/support functions, look for interface agreements describing what HQ does for the site, and test design exclusions: build-to-print status confirmed in customer agreements, and no DFMEA/product-spec decisions actually being made in-house.
Typical evidence
Scope statement naming remote support functions; internal audit schedule covering them; interface agreements; customer confirmation of build-to-print status where 8.3 is excluded.
How to comply — recommendations
List every function that touches your QMS regardless of geography, and get remote functions into the audit plan (remote audits are acceptable). If you claim no product design, keep written evidence the customer owns the design and that you only industrialise it.
Common nonconformities
Corporate purchasing selecting suppliers but audited by nobody; design exclusion claimed while local engineering modifies product characteristics; remote warehouse missing from the audit programme.
Related clauses
Builds on ISO 9001 4.3
Qlause provides interpretive guidance only and is not a substitute for the standard. Refer to your licensed copy of ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 for the authoritative text.