What should I do first when I take over a calibration program?

Read the calibration procedure, find the register and the certificates, and walk the site to check that the register matches what is in use. Then take overdue instruments out of use or calibrate them, because they may be measuring product today. Intervals and procedures can wait until the urgent items are handled.

How do I find every instrument that needs calibration?

Start from the register and walk the site: inspection areas, machines, toolboxes, cribs, receiving and maintenance. Include anything used to accept or reject product, including gages that employees or customers own. Mark instruments that do not need calibration clearly, so nobody uses them to accept product.

What should I do with gages that are past their calibration due date?

Take them out of use or calibrate them before their next use, and find out whether they were used while overdue. If the calibration finds a gage out of tolerance as found, determine whether its earlier results were adversely affected, as ISO 9001 clause 7.1.5.2 asks. In practice that means checking the product it measured since its last good calibration. Do not just move the due dates.

Do I need to recalibrate everything when I take over a calibration program?

No. An instrument with a complete, traceable record that is still within its interval keeps its calibration. Recalibrate instruments with no record, with records you cannot trust or with a passed due date, and anything in use that was not on the register.

Can I change the calibration intervals I inherited?

Yes, as long as each change has a documented basis and no customer requirement, regulation or method standard sets the interval. ILAC-G24 / OIML D 10 describes how to choose a first interval from factors such as the uncertainty needed, the manufacturer's recommendation, drift and use, and how to review intervals from calibration results. Change intervals as your records give you reason, not all at once.

What records does a calibration program need?

A register of the instruments with their ID, location, interval and status. A record or certificate for each calibration, with as-found and as-left results and traceability. The certificates of your reference standards, procedures for in-house work, and the assessment and action for any instrument found out of tolerance. AS9100 adds the equipment type, the calibration or verification method and the acceptance criteria for each item on the register.

Compliance and audits

Taking over a calibration program: a plan for the first weeks

9 min read Published November 7, 2026 Updated November 9, 2026

When you take over a calibration program, first find every instrument used to accept product and check that each one has a current, traceable calibration record. Deal with overdue and out-of-tolerance instruments next, then review intervals, procedures and reference standards.

On this page

Start with what you are responsible for

Before you change anything, find out what the program is supposed to be. Read the calibration procedure in your quality system. Find the register, whether it is a spreadsheet, an old database or a binder. Then collect the rest.

The calibration procedure and the work instructions it refers to.
The register or equipment list, and any older copies of it.
Where the certificates and internal calibration records are kept.
The outside labs you use, open purchase orders and anything away for calibration now.
Customer requirements that touch calibration, such as accredited calibration or notification terms in quality agreements.
The last internal and external audit reports, with any open findings on calibration.
The date of the next audit.

Tip: If the person who ran the program is still around, ask for an hour of their time. Ask what is not written down: which gages live where, which labs are slow and which instruments have a history.

Find every instrument

The register is a starting point, not the truth. Walk the shop and the lab and compare what you find with the list. Look in inspection areas, at machines, in toolboxes and cribs, in receiving and in maintenance.

ISO 9001 clause 7.1.5.2 applies to measuring equipment where traceability is a requirement or where the organization considers it essential to confidence in the results. In practice that covers anything used to accept or reject product. Gages owned by employees or customers count when they are used that way, and IATF 16949 names them in its calibration records clause, 7.1.5.2.1.

Expect some of these.

Instruments in use that are not on the register.
Register entries you cannot find. Mark them missing until you know where they are.
Two instruments with the same ID, or instruments with no ID at all.
Instruments that do not need calibration but are not marked. Label them clearly, for example as reference only or not for product acceptance.
Gages away at a lab or put in storage.

Check the records and certificates

For each instrument on the corrected list, find its last calibration record and check it.

The certificate or internal record names this instrument by its serial number or ID.
The calibration date and the due date follow the interval on the register.
As-found and as-left results are recorded, not only a pass.
The certificate states how the results are traceable and identifies the reference standards used.
For in-house work, the reference standard was itself in calibration on that date.
For outside labs, the lab is on your approved supplier list, and its accreditation covers the calibration where your requirements call for it.

Tip: Keep a gap list as you go. Ask the lab that did the work for a copy of any certificate you cannot find. If there is no evidence that an instrument was calibrated, treat it as not calibrated until it is.

Deal with overdue instruments first

Overdue instruments come first because they may be measuring product today. Take them out of use or calibrate them before their next use. Do not move their due dates to make the list look clean.

For each one, find out whether it was used after it went overdue. If the calibration finds it in tolerance as found, you have evidence that its measurements in that period can stand. If it is out of tolerance as found, ISO 9001 clause 7.1.5.2 asks you to determine whether earlier results were adversely affected and to take appropriate action. Write down what you decided and why.

As-found and as-left readings

Look at the out-of-tolerance history

Go back through the records for instruments found out of tolerance as found. For each one, look for the assessment of earlier results and the action taken. A failure with no assessment is still open.

Look for patterns too. An instrument type that fails again and again may need a shorter interval, better handling or a different instrument. If the old records hold no as-found data, you cannot tell. Fix that for the future by asking your labs for as-found and as-left results.

Review the intervals

Check that every instrument has an interval and that someone can say where it came from. ILAC-G24 / OIML D 10 lists the factors behind a first interval. They include the uncertainty needed, the manufacturer's recommendation, wear and drift, how much and how hard the instrument is used, the environment and the results of intermediate checks. The same document describes methods for reviewing intervals from calibration results.

Do not rewrite every interval in your first weeks. Change one when the records give you a reason, write the reason down and keep the results that support it. ILAC-G24 recommends keeping calibration results as history for these decisions.

Check procedures and reference standards

In-house calibration rests on your procedures and your reference standards. Check each of these.

A written procedure for each type of in-house calibration that names the reference, the test points, the method and the acceptance criteria.
Training records for the people who do the work.
Each reference standard on the register with its own interval and a current certificate from a competent lab, usually an accredited one.
Reference standards whose uncertainty is small enough for the tolerances you check with them.
Under IATF 16949, a defined scope for the internal laboratory, as clause 7.1.5.3.1 requires.

Tip: A reference standard found out of tolerance puts in doubt every calibration it was used for since its last good calibration. Check that your records let you trace those calibrations. If they do not, start recording the reference standard on every in-house calibration.

Fix the causes, not only the backlog

Once the urgent items are handled, ask why each gap appeared and fix the cause. A register kept by one person, certificates filed without review and no warning before due dates each leave their own kind of gap. The controls below address them.

A status label or other identification on each instrument, since ISO 9001 clause 7.1.5.2 asks for equipment to be identified so its status can be determined.
A step that recalls instruments before they are due. AS9100 asks for a process to recall equipment for calibration.
A review of each certificate when it arrives.
One place for the register and the records, with an owner and a backup person.

Your first weeks, step by step

Read the calibration procedure and the last audit reports.
Collect the register, the certificates and the list of outside labs.
Walk the site and reconcile what you find with the register.
Take overdue instruments out of use or calibrate them, and check whether they were used while overdue.
Check each instrument's last record for identity, dates, as-found and as-left results and traceability.
Find the assessment for every out-of-tolerance result, and start one where it is missing.
Check the reference standards, the procedures and the approved labs.
Review intervals where the records give you a reason.
Fix the causes of the gaps and set a date to check the program again.

How Axiospec handles a program you inherit

Axiospec is calibration management software. Send us your register and records in any format and we load them for you at no cost, on every plan. You can also import a spreadsheet yourself and import past calibrations for instruments already in the register.

Once the records are in, the register filters show what needs attention first: overdue, failed and quarantined instruments, and those with an out-of-tolerance impact not recorded. A failed calibration in your imported history counts until its impact is written, even when a later calibration passed. The filters also show instruments due soon, those with no due date and your reference standards. A reference standard shows the instruments it was used to calibrate, for calibrations logged in Axiospec with that standard picked from the register. Each instrument can carry its procedure, and an out-of-tolerance result can carry its impact assessment. Axiospec does not set your intervals or decide whether earlier results were affected. Those decisions stay with you.

It is free for up to 50 active instruments. A new workspace runs Professional for 45 days with room for 1,500.

Common questions

What should I do first when I take over a calibration program?: Read the calibration procedure, find the register and the certificates, and walk the site to check that the register matches what is in use. Then take overdue instruments out of use or calibrate them, because they may be measuring product today. Intervals and procedures can wait until the urgent items are handled.
How do I find every instrument that needs calibration?: Start from the register and walk the site: inspection areas, machines, toolboxes, cribs, receiving and maintenance. Include anything used to accept or reject product, including gages that employees or customers own. Mark instruments that do not need calibration clearly, so nobody uses them to accept product.
What should I do with gages that are past their calibration due date?: Take them out of use or calibrate them before their next use, and find out whether they were used while overdue. If the calibration finds a gage out of tolerance as found, determine whether its earlier results were adversely affected, as ISO 9001 clause 7.1.5.2 asks. In practice that means checking the product it measured since its last good calibration. Do not just move the due dates.
Do I need to recalibrate everything when I take over a calibration program?: No. An instrument with a complete, traceable record that is still within its interval keeps its calibration. Recalibrate instruments with no record, with records you cannot trust or with a passed due date, and anything in use that was not on the register.
Can I change the calibration intervals I inherited?: Yes, as long as each change has a documented basis and no customer requirement, regulation or method standard sets the interval. ILAC-G24 / OIML D 10 describes how to choose a first interval from factors such as the uncertainty needed, the manufacturer's recommendation, drift and use, and how to review intervals from calibration results. Change intervals as your records give you reason, not all at once.
What records does a calibration program need?: A register of the instruments with their ID, location, interval and status. A record or certificate for each calibration, with as-found and as-left results and traceability. The certificates of your reference standards, procedures for in-house work, and the assessment and action for any instrument found out of tolerance. AS9100 adds the equipment type, the calibration or verification method and the acceptance criteria for each item on the register.

Put it into practice

Got a gage list? Send it over and we load it for you, usually in a couple of business days. Free on every plan. Then log every calibration to a tamper-evident audit trail and produce records on demand.

Create your account

Axiospec is a documentation and workflow tool. It helps you keep clean, traceable, audit-ready records. Certification depends on your own processes, scope and assessor.