An ISO/TS16949 Registration Maintenance Diary

[Icy Mountain]

We just finished Periodic Audit #3 by DNV. Before I post the results I have some humor:
The first day of the audit (Tuesday), I had to leave my auditor with my boss while I went through a "Health and Wellness" screening, one of our insurance company's way of finding issues early in order to hold down costs.

Part of the screening included a blood pressure check and mine was 138/80. The current guidelines put anything between 130 and 140 as "pre-hypertensive" so you get urged to see your doctor for preventive action. I pulled out my Red Cross card and pointed out that over the last 12 months, I have 6 blood pressure data points from screenings before a blood donation with an average of 120/78, 114/74 min and 130/80 max (ever the quality engineer).
Nurse: Icy, what would you say is causing today's reading?
Icy: Let's see, I stayed up until 2AM last night eating chips, drinking beer and watching my beloved Buckeyes get creamed in the Championship. I got up at 6AM and I have had 3 cups of coffee instead of the usual one so I could be alert since I am in the middle of an ISO/TS external audit. AND, right now the auditor is talking to my boss and I am not there to make sure that doesn't go into the weeds.
Nurse: Well, considering all of that, I'd say you handle stress in your life pretty well.

[Icy Mountain]

My registrar's auditor (a.k.a. He Who Makes Coffee Nervous) responded with this Draft Report:

In Reply to Parent Post by Health Advisory: Audits raise blood pressure. 1/9/2007 AP-wire Rjk

Scientific evidence now proves that audits raise blood pressure significantly. Be advised for your own safety when involved in this potentially dangerous activity. The US Center for Disease Control offers the following precautions if and when you are involved:

1) Avoid conflict and any excess stimulation with the auditor.

2) Emergency equipment such as portable cardiac defibrillators and oxygen are advised before, during, and after audits.

3) Remain calm and utilize the Socratic method of answering a question with a question to always seek the truth.

4) Do not schedule health fairs during audits as this causes high blood pressure and emotional stress for employees.

5) Drink plenty of fluids, avoid bright lights, and stay out of the heat during all interrogations.

6) If you do not know the answer to a question, remain silent.

7) Calmly mention the fact that you are sick with a highly contagious virus as you are introduced to the auditor.

8) Seek first aid immediately if needed.

9) Wear suitable personal protective equipment and attire.

10) Remind the auditor of their obligation to the health, safety, and well being of humanity.

[Jim Wynne]

In Reply to Parent Post by Icy Mountain

My registrar's auditor (a.k.a. He Who Makes Coffee Nervous) responded with this Draft Report:

I'd like to know what constitutes "stimulation with the auditor" and then how to tell when it has become excessive.

[Icy Mountain]

Management Review in December 2006 went smoothly and there where only extremely positive indicators for the QMS.

Two day Periodic Audit on January 9 & 10, 2007 results:
Over a dozen positive indicators
Three Opportunities for Improvement all related to adding detail to objective evidence/records of the QMS
One Finding:

In Reply to Parent Post by ISO/TS 16949:2002, Section 4.2.3

A documented procedure shall be established to define the controls needed
f) to ensure that documents of external origin are identified and their distribution controlled

Evidence: Found TS customer's shipping and packaging specification at different revisions in Order Review vs. Shipping. Could not locate process notice called out on the purchase order.

Rebuttal:
This is a minor finding. There have been no complaints about and/or violations of the current revisions of either of these documents. Our system has been adequate from our registration until now and we have checked externally controlled documents, and specifically the shipping document, at every internal and external audit.

On the gripping hand:
This is a clear cut Document Control finding. The biggest problem here is that sub-paragraph f) is covered in the manual and our system has executed properly until now. As the findings get fewer and ever more detailed, it gets more difficult and detailed for me to implement system corrective measures. I thought that these doggone findings would get easier to response to, not harder.

[Icy Mountain]

In Reply to Parent Post by Jim Wynne

I'd like to know what constitutes "stimulation with the auditor" and then how to tell when it has become excessive.

Stimulation: The auditor, who is from "that state up north", begins to sing "Hail to the Victors" with the single Michigan fan on your production floor.
Excessive: We can hear them in the Operations Director's office

[Icy Mountain]

In Reply to Parent Post by Icy Mountain

One Finding:
Evidence: Found TS customer's shipping and packaging specification at different revisions in Order Review vs. Shipping. Could not locate process notice called out on the purchase order.

Here's another funny story. It turns out that the second piece of evidence, the "process notice", is the generic form number for the customer's Purchase Order itself. We were actually holding it in our hand! Well of course we meet that specification, we'd get killed if we didn't review and execute purchase orders properly. No wonder we didn't know the number, our customer has told us a million times, "You must meet the requirements of our Purchase Order", but not once have they said "You must meet the requirements of Form123". I don't know how I'm gonna answer this one...

[Icy Mountain]

Answering the process notice portion turned out to be really easy. I contacted my auditor and explained the situation and the notice in question was removed from the evidence list.

As for the finding:
We regularly check our customer's "what's new" page and update our files. We do a compare against the previous revision to see what has changed (if anything), and adjust our system accordingly. Of course, the customer gives no notice or clue what requirements may have changed. In the case of some of the larger tomes (100 pages +), we were not updating the paper copy in shipping after this review when only the phone number of the receiving clerk in Sri Lanka had changed.

Solution:
Paper copies at point of use eliminated. Computer shortcut to the documents on the customer's website installed at point of use.

[Icy Mountain]

Based on the above response, Periodic Audit #3 is closed.

And now for something completely different...
I got an email today that starts off: "Congratulations on achieving supplier status at Big Three Automotive Customer."

Now the fun really begins!