Hey All
sorry if my question may seem kinda far, but.. its easy for me to recognize the metrics required for QC processes and total organization performance than the other specific sectors in the organization, like storage :mg: ,Research and Development and HR :eek: , any help?

Thanx for all!

As much of our product is shipped very soon compared to it's finish date, we don't have metrics for storage. We are also design exempt. So, I'll focus on HR. Our Human Resources Department, which covers areas such as Health & Safety, training, payroll, and employee orientation has Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as:


# of late pre-starts (employees that transfer positions and have incomplete training) - late = training > 30 days
# of late orientations (for new employees) - late = training > 90 days
# of payroll errors
# of documents with outstanding training (HR documents only - QA tracks all departments)
# of open Employee Requests (this is our electronic suggestion box) Open > 30 days (HR based)
# of medical aids
# of lost time accidents
Accident severity
Accident frequency
Job fairs planned vs. attended


This is just a partial list of their KPI's.

We maintain a recording of 4-5 years of past data, the current year's goal, the goals for the next 2 years, and the fields for the results of each month this current year on a KPI sheet.

Currently, we use a "stoplight" colour system - meaning if we are on target, we enter the value and colour the field green. If we are off target, we are yellow. If we are off target for three months in a row, the third consecutive month is coloured red.

This allows us to visually see trends.

We have also recently implemented a new methodology where for every yellow and red, there is to be information on Fact, Cause and Action - in other words, what happened, why did the process go out of control resulting in a value outside of the goal and what are we going to do to get back under control.

Sometimes, we realize, there is no action for us to take....some things are just outside of our control, but this forces us to really think about the situation and take action where practical.

Please find a few metrics in non manufacturing areas


1. Percent of certified suppliers: Certified suppliers require, at the minimum, supplier’s process has been certified to the point that there is no incoming material inspection required.

2. Percent reduction in supplier base: This measurement is utilized to review improvements in quality of source of supplier.

3. Percent increase in inventory turnover: Inventory turnover is looked at as a measure of material throughput. The measurement is completed by compiling the annual's cost of sales and dividing it by current total inventory.

4. Percent increase in dollars of product output per employee: The measurement is a measure of productivity. It determines how effectively people and resources are being used in the production of the product. The calculation would be annual's sales divided by total number of employees.

5. Percentage reduction in cycle Time: The reduction in cycle time is measured by product line. The measurement is the ratio calculated by dividing actual cycle time by the theoretical cycle time.

6. Percent increase in number of jobs mastered per employee: The purpose of increasing the number of jobs mastered per employee is not only for improvement in flexibility, but to help facilitate the habit of improvement. This is accomplished by continuously providing a "different set of eyes" engaged in the process.

7. Percent increase of process capable equipment: The first step must be to establish that the equipment is statistically in control, and then measure process capability. The measure is percent of machines or processes at CP = 2.0.

8. Percent increase in overall equipment effectiveness: Machine effectiveness is availability (hours running divided by scheduled run hours) time’s performance (actual machine cycle or rate divided by theoretical machine cycle or rate)

9. Percent reduction in warranty costs: Measure and track monthly by product line in dollars as percent of sales and as percent of operating cost. Utilize trend charts.

10. Percent increase in on-time delivery: Measurement shows whether the product was shipped to the customer in the time frame promised. Actual measurement is orders shipped on time divided by total orders shipped.

11. Percent of management time spent on leading or fostering innovation: Percent Time This is measured individually from personal calendars and estimates; summarized weekly and reported monthly.

Do I need metrics for every QMS process to meet ISO9001:2000 4.1? Can I have defined objectives (not necessarily measureable), inputs, outputs, activities and resources?

Do I need metrics for every QMS process to meet ISO9001:2000 4.1?
Not necessarily, especially when you consider that many metrics can cover more than one process. Tracking supplier nonconformances, for example, could tell you how well your Purchasing group performs supplier selection and evaluation. But it can also tell how well you perform design reviews (proper dimensioning and tolerancing up front can prevent a lot of nonconformances), and how well your corrective action process is working (if the trend in nonconformances is reducing, it may be a good indication that the CARs are working).
Andy