Official Clarification of ECO, PDR, PCR Acronym Definitions

[daraghofla]

Hi all
I am looking for the exact definition of:
(i)PCR (process (or product) change requests
(ii)PDR (process (or product) change requests.

I have "googled" but have been left with a feeling that there is no official line to take and you can pretty much make up your own definition and that you can also go as far as using your own preferred make-up of the acronym.

Surely, with quality's propensity for standardisation, there is an official line to take???

Can anyone help?

Best regards,
Daragh from Ireland

 

[Wes Bucey]

Hi all
I am looking for the exact definition of:
(i)PCR (process (or product) change requests
(ii)PDR (process (or product) change requests.

I have "googled" but have been left with a feeling that there is no official line to take and you can pretty much make up your own definition and that you can also go as far as using your own preferred make-up of the acronym.

Surely, with quality's propensity for standardisation, there is an official line to take???

Can anyone help?

Best regards,
Daragh from Ireland

Sadly, you are learning the idiosyncrasies of abbreviations and acronyms. Lewis Carroll, in his children's books about Alice and her adventures, has one character say [paraphrased] "words mean exactly what I intend them to mean . . ."

For a list where you can pick a definition which comes closest to what you intend an acronym to mean, consult http://www.acronymfinder.com/ and then, hopefully, you will add that definition as a note to your readers exactly what you mean.

For a bit of whimsy:

an excerpt from
6. Humpty Dumpty
Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll


'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master — that's all.'
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. 'They've a temper, some of them — particularly verbs: they're the proudest — adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs — however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'
'Would you tell me please,' said Alice, 'what that means?'
'Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. 'I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'
'That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
'When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'I always pay it extra.'
'Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.
'Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night,' Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side, 'for to get their wages, you know.'
(Alice didn't venture to ask what he paid them with; and so you see I can't tell you.)
'You seem very clever at explaining words, Sir,' said Alice. 'Would you kindly tell me the meaning of the poem called "Jabberwocky"?'
'Let's hear it,' said Humpty Dumpty. 'I can explain all the poems that ever were invented — and a good many that haven't been invented just yet.'
This sounded very hopeful, so Alice repeated the first verse:

''Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.'
​

'That's enough to begin with,' Humpty Dumpty interrupted: 'there are plenty of hard words there. "Brillig" means four o'clock in the afternoon — the time when you begin broiling things for dinner.'
'That'll do very well,' said Alice: 'and "slithy"?'
'Well, "slithy" means "lithe and slimy". "Lithe" is the same as "active". You see it's like a portmanteau — there are two meanings packed up into one word.'
'I see it now,' Alice remarked thoughtfully: 'and what are "toves"?'

'Well, "toves" are something like badgers — they're something like lizards — and they're something like corkscrews.'
'They must be very curious-looking creatures.'
'They are that,' said Humpty Dumpty; 'also they make their nests under sun-dials — also they live on cheese.'
'And what's to "gyre" and to "gimble"?'
'To "gyre" is to go round and round like a gyroscope. To "gimble" is to make holes like a gimlet.'
'And "the wabe" is the grass-plot round a sun-dial, I suppose?' said Alice, surprised at her own ingenuity.
'Of course it is. It's called "wabe" you know, because it goes a long way before it, and a long way behind it —'
'And a long way beyond it on each side,' Alice added.
'Exactly so. Well then, "mimsy" is "flimsy and miserable" (there's another portmanteau for you). And a "borogove" is a thin shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking out all round — something like a live mop.'
'And then "mome raths"?' said Alice. 'I'm afraid I'm giving you a great deal of trouble.'
'Well, a "rath" is a sort of green pig: but "mome" I'm not certain about. I think it's short for "from home" — meaning that they'd lost their way, you know.'
'And what does "outgrabe" mean?'
'Well, "outgribing" is something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle: however, you'll hear it done, maybe — down in the wood yonder — and, when you've once heard it, you'll be quite content. Who's been repeating all that hard stuff to you?'
'I read it in a book,' said Alice. 'But I had some poetry repeated to me much easier than that, by — Tweedledee, I think.'

 

[daraghofla]

Hi Wes
A most eloquent answer. the excerpt seemed almost like a satire for jargon.
Judging by the sheer quantity of acronyms, I think it's safe to say whatever the hell I please when describing PDRs and PCRs.

Back to the jibbidee-joo

 

[Graeme]

Hi all
I am looking for the exact definition of:

Daragh,

I agree with Wes - they mean whatever you want them to mean. For that reason, I always include definitions -- in the document -- of acronyms that either are not widely understood outside the industry, or which have common alternate meanings inside or outside the industry. The people who work with you may "know" what it means, but what about a customer, supplier, outside auditor, or regulatory official? As Wes mentioned, http://www.acronymfinder.com/ is a great resource.

I recently had occasion to look up an acronym that is common within the industry I am currently working in. For "CMM", acronymfinder.com has 72 active definitions and 250 archived definitions. Some of the ones relevant to my current industry are:

component maintenance manual
controlled maintenance manual
coordinate measuring machine
Capability Maturity Model®
​

and probably others. So even within one regulated industry one acronym can mean different things.

Just be like Humnpty Dumpty - define how you use it and make sure the definition is visible and known.

Graeme

 

[Wes Bucey]

Daragh,

I agree with Wes - they mean whatever you want them to mean. For that reason, I always include definitions -- in the document -- of acronyms that either are not widely understood outside the industry, or which have common alternate meanings inside or outside the industry. The people who work with you may "know" what it means, but what about a customer, supplier, outside auditor, or regulatory official? As Wes mentioned, http://www.acronymfinder.com/ is a great resource.

I recently had occasion to look up an acronym that is common within the industry I am currently working in. For "CMM", acronymfinder.com has 72 active definitions and 250 archived definitions. Some of the ones relevant to my current industry are:

component maintenance manual
controlled maintenance manual
coordinate measuring machine
Capability Maturity Model®
​

and probably others. So even within one regulated industry one acronym can mean different things.

Just be like Humnpty Dumpty - define how you use it and make sure the definition is visible and known.

Graeme

Thanks, Graeme, for the comment I've highlighted in red. It's important the definition be close to the acronym. The U.S. government includes a page in its longer documents which gives a complete glossary of any and all abbreviations and acronyms used within the document. It might not be a bad habit to adopt for any organization which uses acronyms.

 

[daraghofla]

My current approach is to place the acronym constituent words within commas on the first few occasions that the acronym appears. I can see now that an "acronym definitions" section in the document would be more professional.

I had also wrongly assumed that process/product deviation documents were common within quality circles. Effectively, they're a lower level of ECO (engineering change order).

What do you guys use when a non-effecting mistake has occurred to the product (e.g.:-the product the customer receives has a different capacitor brand within it's make-up which you have tested and know will not compromise the product. However, it's still not exactly the same as the initial "customer qualified" sample)?

 

[Jim Wynne]

My current approach is to place the acronym constituent words within commas on the first few occasions that the acronym appears. I can see now that an "acronym definitions" section in the document would be more professional.

Spelling out an abbreviation on first use in a document isn't less professional than using a glossary, but it should be limited to shorter documents and ones where there are only a few potentially confusing abbreviations in use.

I had also wrongly assumed that process/product deviation documents were common within quality circles. Effectively, they're a lower level of ECO (engineering change order).

Even when commonly understood abbreviations are used (RFQ for request for quotation comes to mind) you still shouldn't assume that everyone will know what you're talking or writing about.

What do you guys use when a non-effecting mistake has occurred to the product (e.g.:-the product the customer receives has a different capacitor brand within it's make-up which you have tested and know will not compromise the product. However, it's still not exactly the same as the initial "customer qualified" sample)?

If the wrong component was used inadvertently, it's called a nonconformity.
The words "deviation" and "waiver" are often used in this context, with the latter being used before product is manufactured (the customer is asked to waive the requirement) and the former being used when it's discovered that specifications haven't been met and permission to ship is sought from the customer. This is a good case in point for your general question, because sometimes "deviation" and "waiver" are used in opposite from how I described them above, and sometimes they're used interchangeably.

The whole point is to make sure that people know what you're talking about if there's any chance for misinterpretation.

 

[daraghofla]

If the wrong component was used inadvertently, it's called a nonconformity.
The words "deviation" and "waiver" are often used in this context, with the former being used before product is manufactured (the customer is asked to waive the requirement) and the latter being used when it's discovered that specifications haven't been met and permission to ship is sought from the customer. This is a good case in point for your general question, because sometimes "deviation" and "waiver" are used in opposite from how I described them above, and sometimes they're used interchangeably.

The whole point is to make sure that people know what you're talking about if there's any chance for misinterpretation.

Ok, a deviation should be accompanied by an internal NCR/CAPA whereas a waiver is standard and above board. Makes sense and takes away the convoluted acronyms that serve only to confuse.

This is advice I will take.
Cheers Jim

 

[Jim Wynne]

Ok, a deviation should be accompanied by an internal NCR/CAPA whereas a waiver is standard and above board. Makes sense and takes away the convoluted acronyms that serve only to confuse.

This is advice I will take.
Cheers Jim

I just realized that in the post you responded to I inadvertently used "former" when I should have said "latter" and vice-versa. I edited the post to correct the error, but perhaps I should have asked for a deviation first.

 

[daraghofla]

I just realized that in the post you responded to I inadvertently used "former" when I should have said "latter" and vice-versa. I edited the post to correct the error, but perhaps I should have asked for a deviation first.

We'll be up in front of Humpty Dumpty ourselves if we're not careful