Configuration Management Simplified - Complying with AS9100 Clause 4.3

S

speck

Configuration management seems to be a great big black hole that everything seems to fall in. We are exempt from 7.3 and only heat treat customers product. Justification is we develop the process to manufacture the product not the product itself. We only have 1 single part number for a company that we cannot validate through final inspection. As far as configuration management I am very confused as to what else is involved aside from document control and process change control and what the requirements are. Much has been written about this but most applies to D & D also. The general consensus seems to be if you have a good document control system in place then don't make C.M. overly complicated. I guess I just don't know how to ask a specific question because I don't know where to start with making sure we are compliant to 4.3 or not.
 
S

speck

Thanks for the input. I read that several times before I posted. Am I on track by saying CM is nothing more than document and record control, redeveloping the control plan or heat treat processes, notifying proper parties, proper first article inspection, and then monitoring the change for proper validation. I think I am trying to overthink this a bit too much.
 

Wes Bucey

Prophet of Profit
Thanks for the input. I read that several times before I posted. Am I on track by saying CM is nothing more than document and record control, redeveloping the control plan or heat treat processes, notifying proper parties, proper first article inspection, and then monitoring the change for proper validation. I think I am trying to overthink this a bit too much.
Close, but not quite. The folks in aerospace and electrical engineering (somewhat in software) make a big deal out of compatibility with ALL Associated Dociuments (read Processes, such as interchangeability; inspection tools, instruments, tolerances; etc.)

For example, if you heat treat widgets for customer A and also heat treat gizmos to the same spec for Customer B, do they both fit in same pan or rack? Same dwell time? Does either customer have a requirement to keep Rockwell points away from certain area of the part?

The customer -specific instructions and requirements are part of the so-called Associated Documents. Depending whether you use gas or electric furnace, is there any fluctuation in energy supply which might affect your process? (I recall an instance in the 60's when the local gas company in Long Island City suddenly began delivering gas with a lower BTU per cubic foot than previously, without notice, causing a lot of fouled up heat treating for at least one company.)

My consistent thesis is good CM requires the input of a person knowledgeable about all the possible "What ifs" which can affect the organization's product or service and makes provision to check the interactions if any one of the factors fluctuates or changes. I do not think it is a "clerk job."
 
S

speck

Thanks again. Mr. Lamen is a nice man and his terms are someone I can relate to. This helps a lot. Seems though that this is a sticky area even for some experience people. I'll chew on this example and relate to our production processes.
 
S

speck

"In Laymen’s terms" or AS9100 for dummies, whatever you would like to call it. Less inexperienced people like me aren't quite as technically savvy yet or good spellers apparently.:bonk:
 
M

Mr. K

So I'm reviewing the concept of configuration management and I stumbled upon this thread. I'm trying to dust off an oldie'.

My question pertains to the domain of configuration management. As Wes describes configuration management above, it would seem that configuration management also includes the specific configuration of production realization processes and their supporting documentation. However, wouldn't that be covered by the requirements pertaining to the Planning of Product Realization and Project Management?

I'm trying to do the best I can to delineate the boundaries of these broad quality concepts. Would my interpretation be incorrect?
 

Wes Bucey

Prophet of Profit
So I'm reviewing the concept of configuration management and I stumbled upon this thread. I'm trying to dust off an oldie'.

My question pertains to the domain of configuration management. As Wes describes configuration management above, it would seem that configuration management also includes the specific configuration of production realization processes and their supporting documentation. However, wouldn't that be covered by the requirements pertaining to the Planning of Product Realization and Project Management?

I'm trying to do the best I can to delineate the boundaries of these broad quality concepts. Would my interpretation be incorrect?
In general, yes. The Associated Documents tell the tale (as Mr. Lamen (referred above) might say, "the Devil is in the details."

Not every product or process is as complicated as aeronautical engineering - sometimes it's pretty simple, that's why I said in Post 4:
"My consistent thesis is good CM requires the input of a person knowledgeable about all the possible "What ifs" which can affect the organization's product or service and makes provision to check the interactions if any one of the factors fluctuates or changes. I do not think it is a "clerk job." "
 

Big Jim

Admin
Sometimes categories overlap.

AS9100C 7.5.3 Identification and Traceability includes the phrase "The organization shall maintain the identification of the configuration of the product in order to identify any differences between the actual configuration and the agreed configuration".

This thread dates back to before I started hanging out here and I have not gone back to read all the posts so forgive me if I repeat something here.

Configuration management got moved out of Section 4 when AS9100C was released. It got moved to 7.1 (production planning). Configuration management isn't really fully contained here either, as is shown from the citation above from 7.5.3.

The very most basic definition of configuration management, in my opinion, is that it is revision level control. If you substitute revision level control everywhere that configuration management shows up, it helps to understand it more easily.
 
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