Document Disposition - Is a Control Plan a Record or Document

[Jim Wynne]

Re: Document disposition (Control plan is a record or document)

If you are in automotive (TS-16949), some customers have a retention requirement. It is a customer requirement, not the standard. For AIAG PPAP, it is the life of the part, plus service life , plus 1 year. Control Plans, FMEAs, etc. are a PPAP record, and must be retained, even when they have been revised.

A minor correction: the PPAP manual calls for PPAP records to be "...maintained for the length of time that the part is active...plus one calendar year." (My emphasis.) This means that if, for example, the part becomes inactive in January of 2010, the records must be maintained until the end of 2011 (the next calendar year).

Also, speaking directly to the OP's question, the manual also says:

The supplier shall ensure that the appropriate PPAP records from a superseded part PPAP file are included, or referenced in the new part PPAP file.

(Emphasis in the original.)

Even if a change in a PPAP document doesn't trigger a new submission, the records should be maintained as described above.

 

[brahmaiah]

Re: Document disposition (Control plan is a record or document)

There is a major risk in destroying documents, regardless of what a standard or customer might tell you!

Without knowing how changes are recorded - for example on the document or on a change notice, it is inappropriate and misleading to be telling people that the 'best thing to do' is to destroy documents and keep only latest!

Consideration has to be given to knowledge preservation, the type of market the company serves etc. What would happen if a customer orders an 'old spec' or replacement product and wants it tested etc. to the (now obsolete) spec?

You are introducing a fear complex into the system by emphasising necessity of preserving obsolete documents.The organization should use its discretion in preserving obsolete papers.It should not be bound to preserve obsolete documents.If you are an MR you will know what nuisense these obsolete documents can cause to the system. There is also a possibility of their inadvertant use by staff besides space problem to locate them.
So preserve documents if they are CSR or positively required for future use.
V.J.Brahmaiah