Not enough time to treat NC

[Graciel]

Have you guys ever found yourselves so busy that you can't take care of all non conformance treatment?
For example, for some companies,the time to find a root cause is 7 days. But when you have a short team and many issues, this is not always possible.
Have you guys been through this?
Tks.

 

[Steve Prevette]

Unfortunately, where I used to work there was a common lament - "We have all the time in the world to fix things, but no time to prevent the problem in the first place". If the problem has shut down production, believe me, "they" find the time to fix the problem.

 

[Bev D]

Most of us have been in this situation or have seen it numerous times. (Lack of resources and ineffective Corrective Action systems) We’ve worked hard to change this deplorable situation in our own work and through educating others. This topic has been a recurring theme over the decades that this forum has existed. I realize that misery loves company but there are two reponses to this situation: drag others down into your pit of despair OR look for people who can help you out of it. So, rather than asking if others have shared your experience, let’s do something positive: do you have a specific question regarding how to get out of it?

I would also note that a simple search will turn up hundreds of threads regarding the topic…and even some browsing of recent threads will reveal some very interesting discussions…

 

[Matt Swartwood]

Absolutely. I use the analogy "too busy mopping the floor to turn the leaking faucet off". You have to divide and conquer. Grab assistance from team members (outside the Quality team even). Methods personnel, manufacturing engineers, and project engineers are typically very good problem solvers. Production folks know most of the time unseen and undocumented failure modes too. They appreciate being heard. Get them involved in solutions and see how fast the culture will change. They will openly communicate concerns and in a lot of cases have great suggestions for prevention. Use 80/20 philosophy for prioritization. Focus on critical things and don't sweat the small stuff (at first).

In any case, you must find time to implement a proactive approach. Otherwise, you will continue in the never-ending reactive cycle.

 

[Mike S.]

I've fought this to one degree or another for my entire career. I'm sick of fighting it, and I am in fact fighting it just today. Aside from isolated pockets of excellence there are many, many examples running the gamut from mediocre to miserable.

 

[Randy]

Have you guys ever found yourselves so busy that you can't take care of all non conformance treatment?
For example, for some companies,the time to find a root cause is 7 days. But when you have a short team and many issues, this is not always possible.
Have you guys been through this?
Tks.

Internal or external 3rd party? Emphasis and potentialities change.