My product is a project to drill a well.
Let me know what the Cove interpret as a "non conforming product" (remember ISO 9000:2000: product has 4 generic categories) in this case.
Regards,
Reinaldo Ramirez

An excellent question. It's even more interesting in a service supplier such as insurance.

First, what are the stated requirements for your product? What is it supposed to do? If you guarantee it in one or more ways, what exactly are you guaranteeing? This is a physical product so we should be able to easily define what you consider "conforming" product.

I have some slides somewhere where I deal with this. The first thing I do when I get involved in an implementation is get them to define their product(s) (even if it's a service organization). From there we define requirements. From there we define what non-conforming product is.

There may be some slides on this in this Powerpoint (.pps) presentation Implementing a Quality Assurance System (http://elsmar.com/Imp/)

I think nonconforming product in the service world would revolve around what the requirements of the contract are. In the case of a well driller specifics such as well location, size, depth, cost and project timing are all items that can result in the driller not meeting the terms of the contract. (I'm thinking a water well, but for other things the same might apply)

In the product world, nonconforming product is product that does not conform. But to what? To the specifications (contract). Service applications are no different. If I want a 6" well here, and you drop a 4" well over there, then you have just made 'nonconforming product'.

Just my thoughts

db said:

I think nonconforming product in the service world would revolve around what the requirements of the contract are.
Not necessarily. There are internal processes which often are a business function and not a contract requirement. An example would be answering phone calls within 15 seconds. You're not guaranteeing this to your customer but establish it as an in-house process measureable to ensure customer satisfaction. Only one of many. Bottom line is product and customer requirements are not always the sole source of defining nonconformances within a business. Don't let a paradigm trap you.

Yep, Marc you are absolutely correct (as usual). Internal requirements are just as important as external ones. :agree:

Contemporary comments? What is a nonconformance when the product is a project to drill a well? Brain exercise...

Contemporary comments? What is a nonconformance when the product is a project to drill a well? Brain exercise...Ok, let's see: What would the customer requirements be?

Access to enough water of a quality fit for your needs (as an example, we use lots of water from a nearby river for cooling. It's good enough for that purpouse, but I would certainly not drink it)?

Basically, anything negating the (agreed) requirements could be a noncom.

/Claes

I guess we would have to ask what the well is required to deliver... Water? Oil? Gas?

If I may add. A non-conformance could also be based on an internal requirement. Perhaps you are using the wrong cutter. It would still do the job, but it wears out quickly, and needs to be refitted. That increases your costs, and the profit for the job erodes.

The important thing is to identify the requirements (external and internal) and then follow the definition of an nonconformance: a non-fulfillment of a requirement.

Ok, let's see: What would the customer requirements be?

Access to enough water of a quality fit for your needs /Claes

Yes this would be the yield of the well. Volume, usually gallons of product per minute per foot of product column in the well.

Nearly every part of the well installation process could affect the yield, such as type of bit used, screen selection, screen filter material, and well development method, etc. I am assuming the product is water.

With the proposed well parameters, make the well schematic and then list all processes @ set control points in the well schematic including services that will be provided.

If the process or service does not meet required parameters per schematic is a good start.:mg:

I may just be having one of my lazy days, but why reinvent a well-drilling contract or even "industry standards?" I know for a fact many states in the USA have very specific rules and regulations about drilling for various types of substances (water, gas, oil, geothermal, etc.)

These often include very specific safeguards against contaminating the underground supply, the type of casing to use, etc. Other regulations cover labor safety and prevention of contaminating above-ground environment.

My point is: why not research to see who else has already done this and learn from their successes and failures?

I may just be having one of my lazy days, but why reinvent a well-drilling contract or even "industry standards?" I know for a fact many states in the USA have very specific rules and regulations about drilling for various types of substances (water, gas, oil, geothermal, etc.)

These often include very specific safeguards against contaminating the underground supply, the type of casing to use, etc. Other regulations cover labor safety and prevention of contaminating above-ground environment.

My point is: why not research to see who else has already done this and learn from their successes and failures?

Yes the regulations are gimmies, I am not talking about HS or E and all the equipment has industry standards, but if your drilling mud is not performing, too heavy not heavy enough, part the casing becasue of a thread problem, wrong liner hanger or packer was put in or the slips did not work in that casing, your sssv does not test, your pipe gets stuck in the hole,the logging was bad and the formation is 100ft from where it should be, perforating guns do not go off or measurements were wrong and they shot holes too high or low, all of this cost's rig time, of the tune of $200,000 a day and that is a low figure.

And this is a small list of nonconformances that happen every day while drilling a well.

Research is a good Idea, but if you are drilling a well you have become a competitor to other well drillers, so information is scarce unless you have your own well logs from previous wells your company has drilled, and that is how you get your parameters to build the well schematic.:magic: