Configuration Management - Part history - How to record changes

[abak]

Hello,

I'm seeking for some document and good idea to present a part history. At my company there is producing a part that has a lot of changeovers (material, project, dimensions and related deviations) and to better control the situation we need improve the state of changes to be available for all responsibles.
Have you any idea of recording the changes. How can I introduce the document and then what is the way of monitoring that?

Hope You will help me
Thank You

Aleksandra

 

[lindal]

I'm not entirely sure, and I don't use this method myself, but doesn't AutoCAD LT have a feature that will do all this on your part drawing? I believe it is capable of tracking the changes by date and time. You would still need to have evidence of the review and acceptance of release and changes though.

Is anyone else aware of this, or am I just talking out of my a**?

Quote taken from AutoCAD LT Today program:
"CAD managers can use this feature to communicate with their design team and provide links to block libraries, CAD standards, or other files and folders available on the company intranet"

 

[Cari Spears]

I don't know anything about CAD (but I can ask one of our guys here) but I do know that we do this in the upper left corner of our engineering drawings (Revision Level with a description of change and the date. EX: REV. C - OAL was 1.500 - 12-02-04 ) Sometimes we keep a historical reference copy of the last revision level when the changes are numerous - but usually the brief description of the change is adequate. We require the use of our PO Change Notice for engineering drawing revisions, and this form describes in detail the nature of the change, why, and who intiated and authorized the change. (Lots of organizations call it an Engineering Change Notice - but we use our form for all changes to the contract, including but not limited to drawings.) All PO Change Notices are filed with the PO in the Job Files in the front office - if the change affects the drawing, then a copy of the PO change notice is also maintained with the master copy of the drawing.

In case of a language/acronym thingy: PO = Purchase Order = Contract

Aleksandra - do you use customer supplied drawings, your own drawings, or both?

 

[Wes Bucey]

Cari and Linda are definitely on the right track, aleksandra.

The term for the process you are trying to get under control is
"Configuration Management." You should Google that term for other insight into the process.

The basis of Configuration Management is to do the following, more or less simultaneously:

1. go through a formal process of revision and approval when you change any aspect of the part or document
2. make a determination about the compatibility of the changed part or document with all the other Associated Documents (a specific term)
3. determine if any of the Associated Documents must be revised to be compatible in form, fit, or function with the original changed document
4. notify all parties who may be concerned about the change and get acknowledgment that change is implemented and obsolete documents or processes are withdrawn
5. monitor the process to ensure all the changes work together

That may seem overly complicated. Let's explore a very simple change and see how the steps above would fit in.

One of my favorite examples I frequently use (to carry a premise of saving on assembly cost) is switching from Phillips Head fasteners to Torx drive or square drive fasteners for more efficient assembly. (Form and Fit of thread profile and length are the same, fastener Function remains - service personnel may need notice to add Torx driver to kit, but can replace with current stock of Phillips head)

On the surface, this is a simple change, but consider:

1. organization needs to make a formal document change on the part, checking and approving the change.
2. We check the compatibility with the mating parts, but we also have to
3. change work instruction, assembly tools, inventory (use up old inventory first?), purchasing (same or different supplier? same or different price?), repair instructions sent to field personnel, pricing on the final product, advertising, etc.
4. notify all parties - quality inspectors, assembly workers, quality inspectors at customer, suppliers, inventory clerks, repair stations, decide whether repair stations can continue to repair with Phillips head in inventory or must implement new Torx, decide whether recall is necessary to change out old parts,
5. continue to monitor how all parties adapt to and implement change and decide whether further modification of any of the steps is necessary

All of us go through these steps consciously or unconsciously. The key is to do the steps purposefully and consistently and to record the steps as they are completed to assure optimum efficiency. (It would be foolish to scrap or sell off all the old Phillips head fasteners and order in all new Torx ones, only to discover no one had thought to order new Torx drivers.)

 

[abak]

I don't know anything about CAD (but I can ask one of our guys here) but I do know that we do this in the upper left corner of our engineering drawings (Revision Level with a description of change and the date. EX: REV. C - OAL was 1.500 - 12-02-04 ) Sometimes we keep a historical reference copy of the last revision level when the changes are numerous - but usually the brief description of the change is adequate. We require the use of our PO Change Notice for engineering drawing revisions, and this form describes in detail the nature of the change, why, and who intiated and authorized the change. (Lots of organizations call it an Engineering Change Notice - but we use our form for all changes to the contract, including but not limited to drawings.) All PO Change Notices are filed with the PO in the Job Files in the front office - if the change affects the drawing, then a copy of the PO change notice is also maintained with the master copy of the drawing.

In case of a language/acronym thingy: PO = Purchase Order = Contract

Aleksandra - do you use customer supplied drawings, your own drawings, or both?

Linda and Cari,

Thank you a lot. I suppose that maybe in the nearest future in my company there will be a good start of good idea. With the help of that we will be able to control all changes design, new approvals and Control Plans.

But for now we can not use AutoCAD features because we produce only according to design made by another company. We receive drawings from our customer or another company and entering to the drawing and reference standards we create all adequate documents.
The problem is beginning from the start of new production. Sometimes there are a lot of changes that are concerning to the current production. To prevent from the defects on production line and to any claims we introduce any tools, control instruction, actions etc. I am conscious of Control Plan importance in that case but to acquire data and next to update the Control Plan we would like to introduce the document of all changes notation preparing by all responsible departments that have any proposals to improve the process.

Wes,
Thanks for your informations. I think it is the source to start the analyse of creation new document. I will try to open some base and... focus on subsequent work.


Has anyone any experiences - Benchmarking is the best solution

Bye, Aleksandra