SOP naming conventions

First, I would like to point out that you do not need to change your documentation to meet the structure and terminology of the AS9100 Rev D standard. This is clearly outlined in Annex A1 which states “ there is no requirement in this international standard for its structure and terminology to be applied to the documented information of an organization’s quality management system&rdquo. It goes on to clearly state that “Organizations can choose to use terms which suit their operations (e.g. using “records”, “documentation” “protocols” rather than “documented information”…). So, in short, the standard clearly states that you do not need to re-number procedures or change your terminology to comply with AS9100 Rev D.

My advice to you would be to not re-align your documentation to the numbering of the standard, and instead go with your thought of e.g. OPP001 is for purchasing. You can then number them in any order that makes sense for you (such as in the order that they appear in your overall process flow), and file them again in an order that makes sense (not even aligning to the standard if this does not help you). The idea of the standard is not to force you to confuse your staff with numbering and terminology changes that do not make sense to them, but to allow you to make the system work for you, yet make it flexible enough that any organization can use it. It is also a good time to purge any documents that are really not helping your QMS succeed if it is no longer a requirement of the standard.

To make sure you are not missing any mandatory documents from AS9100 Rev D, see the whitepaper: AS9100 Rev D List of Mandatory Documents, https://info.advisera.com/9100academy/free-download/as9100-rev-d-list-of-mandatory-documents