howste said:
Well, it was a great learning experience. I held an opening meeting with the GM, Accounts Manager and the DOM. We went over the agenda I had given them on Monday and then spent the first half of the day in a question and answer session.
There was a bulletin board in the office with some planning on it for combining all of their procedures into ten. They set up Quality Team to write and review them, but said they were not ready for me to look at them. I asked the GM if they had a Quality Policy or business statement, he said not as far as he knew. It was the same answer from the other two managers. I looked around the GM's office walls and there were no posters, or certificates. Later that day I went to the CAD area to talk with them about their process and noticed on the wall there was a huge poster with the word "Quality" followed by a policy statement. That same poster was found throughout the plant. I pointed it out the GM and asked did you know that was there, he said it was new to him.
I asked if he had appointed a Management Representative and at that moment picked the DOM for the job. The DOM took me around the plant and explained their processes from start to finish. I found they are functioning just fine and the personnel understood their objectives for their jobs, but there were no documented quality objectives.
Their job packets were very detailed and seem to be effective, but the verification activities are not being carried out. No sign offs or missing ones. If an instruction hits the floor calling for white ink on a clear laminate, the operator can cross it out and write black. I asked how do they know it should be black? He said because he was trained and had done it that way for years. I asked how they make sure the instruction gets changed? He said he calls engineering, gets approval for the change to black and sends the job packet along to the next step. Later I asked to see training records, there are none. The GM said they have on the job training but no one keeps records of it and there are no job qualifications or descriptions. I asked how they decide the qualifications for a position when they hire someone? He said they haven't had to yet. I followed the job packet through production to shipping and back to planning, where I asked how are the changes to the instructions formalized? The DOM said that is a problem because alot of the time it doesn't because they are so busy it gets filed without making the changes. While talking to the CAD manager, I asked him to walk me through their Design and Development process. It is evident that they do reviews, verify and validate but there are no records kept exept of the final drawing and they do keep a change record...I take that back they have a change record form but it was blank.
Later I asked the DOM to show me how they handle purchasing. He said anyone in management can order stuff, they just do it on the computer and the program assigns a P.O. number with some other information on it. There is not just one purchasing person.
I asked how do they verify what was ordered to be what they wanted. He took me to the shipping and receiving manager who told me if the packing slip matches the purchase order and the count is right it is good to go. He initials the paperwork and enters it into stock on the computer and then places the parts in the controlled stock room. I asked him how he handles nonconforming product? He said what do you mean? I said if a part comes in and it is white when the purchase order says it should be black what do you do? He said he calls the manufacturer and sends the parts back. I asked if there are any procedures for this and he said not that he knows of but thats just the way they do things. We made it back to the GM and I asked if they had meetings to discuss operations and such? He said they hold monthly meetings but they don't keep minutes or attendance records but they will put together an agenda sometimes. I asked how long they keep records? He said I think for about 5 years or so. They keep them in filing cabinets and then throw them away. and so on and so on and so on.....
At the end of the day, the GM told me he wants to be certified by May. I told him they are on the right track and that I would have a report for him by Friday. He said that would be great that they would not even have time to read it until next week any way.
So I finished the report and sent it to them yesterday. I didn't want to call because there was another consultant doing a Gap Analysis Thurs. and Fri.
I really am happy and relieved that they didnt pay me for that because it was not good enough to me. To be totally honest... I feel this project is way to huge for a first timer and I wouldnt want to be responsible for making that deadline in May.
It was a great learning experience, but I would much rather audit than do consulting work!
OK now I am ready for feedback!
