trainerbob,
this is one of my problems (or should i say changellenges)

. i need to push them to the limits as an MR and lead auditor

. i have to admit the management system we have is still unmatured...
I may be wrong here but just felt to share.
Not all goods and services are provided by organizations right from its inception / conceptualization until delivery.
Customer have a lot of input to give and decisions to make on the delivered goods / services. Unless we realize this in a broad business sense and stand up to take responsibility in every little task we do, this design and development will always be viewed as a devil.
If something goes wrong then its very easy to say .... 'We did not design it, and so it is the customer's or design owner's fault'. We make ourselves tiny in this vast and expanding global market if we cannot see design and development within our processes.
Having said that, there are situations where design and development are purely outside the scope and every change has to be routed outside the QMS. One must be able to see this with more clarity and make the assessment.