To everyone,
Does anybody here use a special instruction to document temporary work instruction in there production area?
Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Raffy
Yes, we allow processes/procedure changes on a "temporary basis" provided the change is submitted via our Continual Improvement Process. Temporary basis is typically 30 days, however if they need 90 days to evaluate the effectiveness of the change that is not a problem. Longer than 90 days could indicate you have other issues adn will alert an Auditor to potential issues with other procedures in your QMS (Quality Management System).
The "change" is tracked via the Continual Improvement Process and reviewed during the ISO meetings for effectiveness. We hold ISO meeting bi-weekly and the Management Review meeting quarterly.
IF it is determined that the change should be perminant, than all documents will be changed to reflect the improvement. IF the change is not effective, close the Continual Improvement and make no document or process/procedure changes. Inform your employees that you are going back to SOP (standard operating procedure). Retrain your employees if needed, keep records of the training. This leaves you with records. Records of attempted continual improvement, and a record of the failed attempt. Edison didn't create the light bulb on the first try. Tracking your failures is highly effective to finding solutions.
By allowing a trial period on a trial project, we can test to see if the requested change is effective or not without disrupting the entire production process. This way we control and limit our exposure to errors and failures. If we have errors we can track them and make adjustments to all affected products.
In some cases you will need metrics to determine if the proposed change is effective or not. If you determine that metrics are needed, you can include them in that departments "Quality Objectives" and make sure it is reported during your ISO meetings.
I hope that answers your question. Please ask if you have questions.