Product Audit - Explanation and samples of the report - TS 16949

mazura

Registered Visitor
Product Audit - Explanation and samples of the report

Can anyone give some explanation and samples of the report for conducting product audit. Meaning how do I go about it? Our company is the manufacturer of automotive battery. In TS we need to do product audit. from where shall we start the product audit.

please advice.

thanks
 
D

D.Scott

There is no specific report for a product audit. You can use whatever form you like. An audit should look at one specific job or product and follow it from start to finish. Choose one job, get the work instruction and follow it through every step of your system to determine if the planned process is being followed and the requirements/expectations of the process are being met. the audit should cover all steps of the process from receiving raw material through delivery to the customer.

Another variation is to start from the other end (reverse product audit). Get the documented paperwork for a specific lot and work backwards through the system to determine everything had been done and all requirements had been met and documented.

Hope this helps get you started.

Dave
 
S

SilverHawk

Under TS Internal (product) audit - who should conduct this audit??

The QA guys or a separate internal auditors????
 
H

Hisar - 2009

To complete the explanation above, I add some other points. Please prepare the procedure to conduct product audit to explain at which production and delivery stages product audit should be done and their frequency. Establish annual Audit plan and appoint qualified auditor (independent personnel) to do the audit. Ensure what requirements sould be the product fulfilled by each process.

Hisar
 
D

D.Scott

Hisar said:
To complete the explanation above, I add some other points. Please prepare the procedure to conduct product audit to explain at which production and delivery stages product audit should be done and their frequency. Establish annual Audit plan and appoint qualified auditor (independent personnel) to do the audit. Ensure what requirements sould be the product fulfilled by each process.

Good points for your internal audit plan but I wouldn't limit product audits to the planned internal audit program. I would consider these audits to be supplemental to the normal audit schedule. They can be done by the plant/function/department who is in charge of the product to confirm the process is still robust and delivering the expected results. I also wouldn't limit the auditors to "independent" auditors. True, they shouldn't audit their OWN work but people who work in the department certainly understand the process and have a good understanding of the normal product flow.

Product audits are often done in addition to the annual internal audits and are scheduled at the discretion of the department or by need established through customer complaints or C/I. These audits are often a part of a "layered audit" program.

Dave
 

antoine.dias

Quite Involved in Discussions
mazura said:
Can anyone give some explanation and samples of the report for conducting product audit. Meaning how do I go about it? Our company is the manufacturer of automotive battery. In TS we need to do product audit. from where shall we start the product audit.

please advice.

thanks
-----------------------------------
A good guidance can be found in VDA 6.5 - Product audit

Best regards and success,

Antoine
 
V

Valeri

For a product audit, we walk the control plan. My preference is to walk it backwards starting with a couple of containers on the shipping dock and tracing through the process back to incoming material used in production.
 

Jim Wynne

Leader
Admin
Valeri said:
For a product audit, we walk the control plan. My preference is to walk it backwards starting with a couple of containers on the shipping dock and tracing through the process back to incoming material used in production.

Just out of curiousity, why the preference for backwards?
 
D

D.Scott

One reason some people prefer the backwards audit is time limitations. When doing a reverse audit, the test documentation and inspection results are already there so you don't have to wait. I would also be interested in why it is Valeri's preference.

IMO, the forward audit allows a better look at how the process actually works because you follow the part through.

Dave
 
V

Valeri

Yes, the records (including gages, PMs, operator instructions/reactions, testing, set-ups, maintenance issues, etc.) are there (usually) and the operators explain their process. When auditing the system, I don't have the luxury of waiting for parts to be produced; I use the control plan identified in the planning/process design audit and walk it backwards.

Additionally, all plants perform layered audits on every process to make sure it actually works the way it's supposed to. This is where we find the majority of issues - some are systemic - most are not.

When I'm called into a plant to do a product audit, I audit the control plan forward after reviewing the process flow, FMEA, customer requirements and drawings. The longest (worst?) product audit I performed lasted 2 days for each audit. :( You can imagine the results.
 
Top Bottom