under the heading 4.1 of ISO 9k:2k there is a NOTE that states that the key processes should include management activities, provision of resources, product realization and measurement.

Is this a statement of scope?

What are the key processes your company has chosen?

Our scope is what we do....manufacture xyz.

Our key processes are those large activities that allow us to implement, maintain, control and improve our Business Management System. Look at the Clause titles of ISO 9001:2000 and think about how they tie into your Organization. Think about the relationship of these processes - their interactions.

Maybe someone will recognize these from www.isoman.com

Sales and order service
Purchasing and material control
Production and shipping
Accounting and financial control
Management and administration

it includes management activity, resource provision, product realization but not measurement, unless you include measurement of process and product in management and administration.

any thoughts?

Without including the diagram, I can try to explain our process thusly:

Level 1 Processes - Main production processes such as Sales, Purchasing, Manufacturing, QC (i.e., testing), Shipping
Level 2 Process - Support processes such as HR, Maintenance, IS, H&S, Finance
Level 3 Process - Business Management System overview which provides the tools to the other 2 levels.

Fits nicely with the Clauses and with a PDCA methodology.

Roxane,

do you measure all the processes in level I II & III?

Roxane,

do you measure all the processes in level I II & III?

Monitor and measure, yes. Every department has Key Indicators - this is part of our Routine Management. Of course, let's use Customer Complaints as an example, if we had 30 Customer Complaints in 2003 and set a goal of 15 for this year's Key Indicators, one will go to view the Action Plan for the Improvement Project to attain this goal. As I've explained to people, that magic wand everyone seems to think I have, has been retired. :magic:

RCBeyette,

your explanation is fine. could it be said that you have seven processes identified and controlled?

What is routine management. is it logging or actively writing down key indicators?

When do you review key indicators, and what process results in an action plan for continual improvement?

could it be said that you have seven processes identified and controlled?

To look at our individual process maps, we have 16 processes (in no particular order):


Quality Assurance - Business Management System
Rolling Mill
Information Systems
Quality Control
Environment
Stores
Melt Shop
Corporate
Purchasing
Raw Materials
Customer Requirements
Plant Engineering
Maintenance
Shipping/Warehouse
Recruitment, Retentation and Development
Roll Shop

What is routine management. is it logging or actively writing down key indicators?

The monitoring and measuring is an aspect of routine management. Routine Management is a methodology by which the focus is placed on day-to-day activities, ensuring that they are performed in a standardized way.

Think of it as such...you have documented processes...why? Is it not to ensure that the people who follow the processes, do so in a correct and consistent manner? Once the process is deemed correct, it becomes the Standard to which everyone conforms.

Many people have heard of PDCA...Plan Do Check Act. However, there can be no improvement if there is no standardization first. A Standard is a level of performance you are capable of consistently achieving. If you do no know what you can do, you can not improve.

Key Indicators allow us to determine what we are capable of achieving. Once we know that, during our Annual Action Plan cycle, we will focus on areas to improve. Once the goal is achieved, a new "Standard" is developed...and the improvement cycle begins again.

Routine and Improvement Management are concepts practiced in our South American facilities and within my location. Our newest members to the family are just learning these methodologies now and, I admit, they can be difficult concepts to understand.

When do you review key indicators, and what process results in an action plan for continual improvement?

Key Indicators are reviewed once a month at all levels. The Management level focuses on a wide spectrum of items. Departments focus on those items important to them. And Crews focus on how they contributed to the Department's results.

I think I explained the CI question of yours above.

thank you very much for your insightful input. I have the production process mapped out, utilizing PDCA. I'm nailing it all down right now in Word for use in the shop.

I think this will work very good for production employees, management, auditors, and it shows how to measure and analyze the process for continual improvement.

Your explanations are very charming. I look forward to discussions in the future.

would it be reasonable for a small contract manufacturing company sans design to register with only four key processes identified?

straight from the iso. management activities, resource provision, production of product, measurement analysis and improvement

epankam

I viewed your attachments and they are delightful and colorful.

Well done.

Cindy

would it be reasonable for a small contract manufacturing company sans design to register with only four key processes identified?
I suppose it would, considering the fact that those processes not only could have sub processes, but also themselves could be considered sub processes of one main process: Providing the market with this or that, whatever your product is.

/Claes

The monitoring and measuring is an aspect of routine management. Routine Management is a methodology by which the focus is placed on day-to-day activities, ensuring that they are performed in a standardized way.

:agree:
This cannot go without comment. As part of their normal job, management must constantly be monitoring, measuring and analyzing their processes. This occurs at all levels of management. the only question is how formal does this monitoring, measuring and analysis have to be? The answer is found throughout Clause 8, specifically 8.2.3 and 8.4 (IMNSHO)

I suppose it would, considering the fact that those processes not only could have sub processes, but also themselves could be considered sub processes of one main process: Providing the market with this or that, whatever your product is.

/Claes

Agreed, Claes. At the highest level, I think most companies have two basic processes.

1. Determining customer needs, wants, expectations, etc (Sales)
2. Meeting those needs

Each of them will/can have countless number of sub-processes. The biggest problem is deciding how low to go. Each job could be looked at as a separate process, and that could add a considerable amount of complexity to your QMS.

would it be reasonable for a small contract manufacturing company sans design to register with only four key processes identified?

straight from the iso. management activities, resource provision, production of product, measurement analysis and improvement

As Claes indicated, only if you recognize that there may be associated sub-processes for these key ones. Where will you account for understanding Customer requirements?

:agree:
This cannot go without comment. As part of their normal job, management must constantly be monitoring, measuring and analyzing their processes. This occurs at all levels of management. the only question is how formal does this monitoring, measuring and analysis have to be? The answer is found throughout Clause 8, specifically 8.2.3 and 8.4 (IMNSHO)

I know with us the process is very formal. The intent is for all locations within the family to do this same way - we may not measure the same items, but the process should be consistent. This facilitates the communication between - helps us to all speak the same language.

I'm trying to get a sense of the extent of this process control.

we're a small (15-20 person) contract manufacturing shop of mainly screw machines. we don't design any products. we have a few key customers and lots of bread & butter. Some customers are fairly sophisticated TS-16949 organizations. the personnel here are very well trained, know their jobs and they know the process.

I'd like to try using four key processes: provision, production, measurement, management.

I'd like to see if this seems reasonable to quality management professionals:

I've mapped out the production process briefly for use in PPAP and such, and identified four key indicators of this process' performance.
1. % orders completed on time (measured)
2. % orders rejected (measured)
3. Setup time (monitored)
4. Amount of scrap (monitored)

Does this sound properly done? Will the remaining processes require more or less monitoring and measurement?

I'm trying to get a sense of the extent of this process control.

You need to determine what works best for you.

we're a small (15-20 person) contract manufacturing shop of mainly screw machines. we don't design any products. we have a few key customers and lots of bread & butter. Some customers are fairly sophisticated TS-16949 organizations. the personnel here are very well trained, know their jobs and they know the process.

We do no design, as well. Our requirements are stipuated either by the Customer or by ASTM/CSA specifications. We have many customers and provide products to a niche market - we make the products other companies won't. We have not, however, extended ourselves too heavily into the automotive market. Our personnel are well-trained, thanks to experience and a very structured training programme...they know what they do, how to do, and, perhaps the most important, why they do it.

I'd like to try using four key processes: provision, production, measurement, management.

It's a good start...but don't be too adverse to recognizing that there may be sub-processes. Trying to document four main processes may be more cumbersome than you initially think, that's why we had it broken down into levels.

We have an over-all process map that explains those levels I talked about earlier. But each of those processes has their own sub-process map. Below that, you'll find work instructions, operational controls, one-point lessons, job aids, etc.

I've mapped out the production process briefly for use in PPAP and such, and identified four key indicators of this process' performance.
1. % orders completed on time (measured)
2. % orders rejected (measured)
3. Setup time (monitored)
4. Amount of scrap (monitored)

So let me ask you this....WHY? Why those four items? What do you wish to gain from the information collected on them? What potential improvements do you foresee based on the data collected? Are these performance indicators relatively stable (i.e., providing similar numbers consistenly)?

Out of curiousity, what is the difference between "% orders rejected" and "Amount of scrap"?

Does this sound properly done? Will the remaining processes require more or less monitoring and measurement?

Your organization needs to decide what data means the most to them. There is no rule that says how many items you need to measure or even what those items must be.

To give you an idea, however, I work in a steel mill with approximately 280 people (at this location). I am but one person in my department and I have around 15-20 items to measure. Our production areas (there are two of them) have around 40 each. Administration has between 40-50 - this includes Purchasing, Information Systems, Accounting, and Raw Materials. Shipping has around 20. Engineering has around 10. Environment has around 20. Human Resources has around 30.

Each of these areas has deemed these numbers of items to be key processes to their functionality. At a glance, once can look at the key indicators and see how the department performed their routine aspects in a month and how they are doing year to date. Trends are seen, as well.

I may as well disclose the map as it stands

the partiality to 4 processes is due to my recent infatuation with the PDCA cycle. Plan do check act, provisions production measure manage.

the one thing I want to avoid is making any of this process control cumbersome, but of course I don't want to pay it lip service just to satisfy the auditor.

Our production process is very simple, regular, and well-known throughout the organization. It would begin to be interruptive to measure more than these four things. % on-time production, % orders rejected, setup time (monitored and measured, but since there is such a great variation in time to setup with level of difficulty or work, I call it only monitored not measured) and amount of scrap. the amount of scrap is just setup pieces and in-process scrap made for any of various reasons, something we will measure and monitor. i.e. junk not sent to customer

I don't know. I could re-think the whole architecture of the QMS or see where this goes.