Taking Ownership of Calibration
When I stepped into the Continuous Improvement Technician role, one of my biggest responsibilities became making sure our tools stayed compliant with ISO 17025. That meant tracking calibration dates, scheduling with external vendors, and making sure nothing slipped through the cracks before an audit.
At first, it felt like juggling — dozens of tools across different teams, each with their own schedules, vendors, and certificates. If one piece of equipment went overdue, it could throw off an entire audit trail.
The Vendor Coordination Challenge
Most of the calibration work wasn’t done in-house. We relied on accredited external vendors, which meant I had to coordinate shipments, turnaround times, and paperwork. Sometimes a tool would sit longer than expected at a vendor lab, or certificates would come back missing details.
“It wasn’t just about shipping tools out — it was about making sure they came back on time, documented correctly, and ready for the next inspection.”
Learning to build relationships with vendors was part of the job. Clear communication, double-checking certificates, and keeping receipts organized became just as important as the calibration itself.
Building Better Tracking
To keep everything straight, I started improving our tracking process. That meant:
- Maintaining a live inventory of every calibrated tool
- Logging vendor receipts and certificates in one place
- Setting up reminders for upcoming due dates
- Flagging overdue items before they became audit risks
It wasn’t fancy — mostly Excel and careful organization — but it worked. The difference showed up during audits, when instead of scrambling for missing paperwork, I had everything ready to go.
What I’ve Learned Along the Way
- Process matters: Even simple systems like Excel can keep you compliant if you stick to them consistently.
- Communication is technical: Talking with vendors clearly is as much a skill as managing the tools themselves.
- Audits test discipline: It’s not just about passing — it’s about showing you have control over the process every day.
- Ownership builds confidence: Taking responsibility for calibration taught me how much impact one role can have on compliance.
Looking Ahead
Managing calibration and vendors under ISO 17025 has been a crash course in compliance, documentation, and discipline. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s given me a better understanding of how quality systems function in practice — and how much detail matters.
Every tool calibrated on time, every vendor receipt checked, every audit passed is proof that the process works. And for me, it’s proof that I’m learning to think not just as a technician, but as someone building processes that hold up under real-world pressure.