Corrective Action for a Recurring Nonconformance

[Ronen E]

Ronen: You missed the bit about mapping the process! I'll almost guarantee that's where the problem will manifest itself...

Didn't miss anything:

I agree <...> on first understanding what's going on.

I just don't like fancy wording.

 

[Chennaiite]

1 and 3 are errors that honestly any Human being on Earth can commit (at least it sounds like one). In a manually controlled process, identical parts and identical part numbers are always prone to wrong shipment even in Utopian society. Therefore, jumping to solution I think is not a bad option. I think you did the right thing by separating these items far apart in different location. Other things to consider are red alert sticker at the location of these items, special checks before boxing, storage and dispatch or any other reinforced controls for screening wrong shipment. If affordable, something in the lines of Bar-code control can help.

 

[qpled]

1 and 3 are errors that honestly any Human being on Earth can commit (at least it sounds like one). In a manually controlled process, identical parts and identical part numbers are always prone to wrong shipment even in Utopian society. Therefore, jumping to solution I think is not a bad option. I think you did the right thing by separating these items far apart in different location. Other things to consider are red alert sticker at the location of these items, special checks before boxing, storage and dispatch or any other reinforced controls for screening wrong shipment. If affordable, something in the lines of Bar-code control can help.

I agree with all of the above and also recommend using a description as well as a part number if possible - on labels and/or part of a barcode. When we have parts with similar part numbers I highlight them (bright yellow highlighter used on the labels) during receiving/inspection so that they stand out more than the usual part numbers.

 

[Michael_M]

This will get me a starting point. I was working on the premise of putting all three issue into a single CA (that may or may not have multiple reasons).

 

[Golfman25]

Ok, question. You had 3 issues in 9 months. You need some perspective. Out of how many shipments?

This is probably one of our more frequent problems (which isn't frequent at all). But when we really looked at it, we where amazed we didn't have a bigger problem. We have an environment with similar parts and similar part numbers. Most issues are caused by rushing, not paying attention, truncating numbers, etc. We check and double check. Sometime people just mess up.

 

[AndyN]

Ok, question. You had 3 issues in 9 months. You need some perspective. Out of how many shipments? Most issues are caused by rushing, not paying attention, truncating numbers, etc. We check and double check. Sometime people just mess up.

I'm thinking you might be missing the point! Let's put this in the context of, say, Ford replacement parts. BANG! You go to jail for that many shipments being wrong!

Most issues are caused by WHAT? Checking and double checking is inspecting quality into the situation. Do McDonalds inspect and double inspect burgers before they hand them over? All kinds of things COULD go wrong, but rarely do, for thousands of deliveries a day (using 16 yr olds).

As I mentioned earlier: Get the team together and draw out the process and see where things can go wrong (no fancy names here) and it will be very apparent. Trust me on this one - I led the fix on just this same issue!

 

[Steve Berian]

We have a corrective action to an issue that has happened multiple times. Apparently my 'whys' are not addressing the actual issues so I will ask for your help. I want to fix this problem.

I know I will not be able to put enough information in one post to answer the question so I will refer back often and answer any questions (sorta like the 5 whys).


Problem: Shipping the incorrect part number to the customer.


System: We Manufacture parts and then deliver on a Kanban system (100% of all parts ship to a customer). We have the parts in our stock room and ship to the customer upon receiving a signal that the parts need to ship. For the most part, the 'stock room' is the shipping department. We do have additional part locations and all finished goods have a 'bin' location in our ERP computer system (E2 shop system). Parts are manufactured in-house and placed in stock where they wait to ship. The parts are 'pre-packaged' in shipping lot qty while they wait to be shipped.

If you can help steer me in the right direction (either by providing answers or asking questions), it would help.

If you think you have, or you find out that you have a "Human Error" problem {from 5 Whys?, or Process charting analyses}, I have a document that may help you understand how to fix it. Please see attached file.