Controlling Manufacturing Documentation Changes

[TacitBlue]

Hi There,

Can changes to manufacturing order documentation be classified into minor and major?

Whereby major changes necessitate approval, but minor changes do not.

Minor changes, for example, could include correcting typos, spelling, formatting mistakes, inserting previously omitted Tool#, Specification#, Part/Assembly# in the MO, but major changes would alter the form, fit, and function of the MO.

I suppose the objective is to streamline the controlled changes process so that approvals are focused on the critical few (major) rather than the insignificant many (minor).

Curious to know your thoughts. thanks.

 

[Jen Kirley]

Hello TacitBlue,

Yes I agree with the concept of minor and major document changes, but I don't agree with Tool#, Specification#, Part/Assembly# in the MO (what is an MO?) because those affect process while a typo, spelling and a broken hyperlink do not.

I would be careful about the formatting though, because formatting changes can affect how well people still understand the document. Punctuation can even (potentially) change the meaning of a passage, so I would be careful with that too.

 

[Quality-Nation]

Whereby major changes necessitate approval, but minor changes do not.

Someone “owns” documents. If someone changed a document I own - for any reason - how would I know about it, to update the master? You are opening up the organization to a lack of control. Maybe you should look at your document control process and discover why you are trying to circumvent it…

 

[ChrisM]

Yes you can split changes into "major" and "minor" but each type of change will still require approval. The approval process and level of authority required to grant approval may differ, but even a minor change still requires some form of approval even if it is just to confirm that it is a spelling correction, for example.