Product Audit Scoring - Using a Point System for Product Audits

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Hi all,

Is anyone out there using a point system for product audits? We started doing that this year, and it seems the right thing to do for us. It helps getting attention to the results and above all it will help us to spot trends.

We start out with 1000 points awarded for a flawless product ( Including risk for personal injury, packaging, paperwork, marking and all we could think of ).

Anything undesirable that turns up in the audit means that points will be deducted.

If for instance, we find that the product would probably be rejected if delivered we pull 250 points. Risk for personal injury means 500 points deducted. A very slight deviation from spec ( border line case ) means 5 points deducted.... and so on...

Opinions? Ideas? Comments?

/Claes

 

[Al Dyer]

I would just hope that the product was pulled from possible distribution to the customer under any circumstance.

5 Points for a borderline?? I don't know if I would like to cover that bet.

Maybe more info? Would a "maybe" be shipped under certain circumstances?
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Considering all product pulled if any failure found, how can you put a rating on a part that is bad, whether marginally or a full blown mistake?

Sounds like qualification as opposed to quantification based on specification.

Sorry Bob, your part was more out of spec than Bill's so we will have to let you go????

Process-Process-Process

 

[E Wall]

I think the key to remember is any audit scheme should be 'objective' not 'subjective'.

I am a bit confused about the purpose of the audit. Is this system used in lieu of final product testing? As it is described, to me this seems more like a department audit...not a product audit. More information would help...

We use final product testing where bad material is scrapped, questionable material is segregated for testing and status, and the recorded information is used to analyse scrap (along with cause) by department with qa and mgmt. The qa auditors perform department process audits each shift. This is augmented by a monthly department audit, where there attention to detail, timliness of paperwork completion, safety, housekeeping, etc.. are reviewed.

Back when we had profit sharing...the department audit scores were averages for the plant and we were awarded so many pennies per hour based on the score.

It is monday, and I'm fighting a head cold with meds that may be clouding my ability to reason...so if I have confused the issue...My appologies. Otherwise, I'll check later for more info.
Eileen

 

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Yes, you are right of course... I was a bit vauge there.

So: We pull a finished product (ready for delivery) back to have a look at it. And this has nothing to do with final testing. We simply use it to see that the previous processes including final testing performed as they were supposed to. Anything wrong, and it stays right here, of course.

As for borderline I mean if you find something on the tolerance limit, not out of tolerance. ( Maybe I goofed the translation there ). The points are merely a way of putting figures on findings, so we can follow trends.

/Claes

 

[Sam]

If it works for you, Do it.
Ford has a similar process with Q!. Start with a 1000 points, get below 800 and your Q! status is revoked.
Chryaler uses PPM; greater thabn 50PPM and your status starts to decline.
Rating projects are only good for one thing,as you said to establ;ish a trend. Beyond that they are of little value.

 

[E Wall]

Originally posted by Claes Gefvenberg
So: We pull a finished product (ready for delivery) back to have a look at it. And this has nothing to do with final testing. We simply use it to see that the previous processes including final testing performed as they were supposed to. Anything wrong, and it stays right here, of course. /Claes

Sounds like you have a winner then! Sounds very similar to our monthly department audits. Where we use a 1-3 score and calculate the % scored out of the possible you use the 1000 pts. Do you audit each department (if this is applicable to your processes) where components are manufactured/machined and readied for the next process? or is this one final product station audit only?

Also, I didn't notice a frequency listed...how often do you do this?

Thanks for sharing Claes

 

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Thank's for your comments,

Do you audit each department (if this is applicable to your processes) where components are manufactured/machined and readied for the next process? or is this one final product station audit only?

This is a final product audit only, and we do it once a month. ( We produce stainless steel coils and plates )

Rating projects are only good for one thing,as you said to establ;ish a trend. Beyond that they are of little value.

I think there is one more point of value, actually: It creates an interest in the organisation. I may have rambled about this before: We eagerly discuss quality related topics among ourselves, but often forget to spread the word. We need to take a closer look at the PR aspect.

/Claes

 

[johnnybegood]

I was having the similar idea to introduce score for meeting compliance. But I am looking at activities rather then product. I thought of using NCR as a measurement for a production line. We have 15 lines running on 4 crew 12 hrs rotation. The whole idea is to use NCR to drive for compliance and ownership. The more NCR one line get the less profit sharing the line (employee) will get. Of course we have other measurement like productivity, housekeeping, product quality and NCR is just another measurement. In order to achieve this I am drafting out the audit criteria and frequency of audit. I will get the line managers to do the audit. Just wonder if anyone have done this before. If we cannot measure we cannot improve.

 

[E Wall]

Choices and Preferences

We chose to use the department monthly audit rahter than NCRs because it offered the same high focus in the departments while reducing "non-value added paper-pushing". This was actually comments by the QA Manager.

We use the NCRs to drive product quality issues more than anything else. Just a choice/preference the company made. We are finally starting to use it for process issues as well, but driving the program to the next level takes time. Again, I want to stress that everything that needs to get done is getting done, just there may be timeliness issues.

Since we address all critical functions every shift the thought was to create interest (just as Claes stated) in doing the mundane tasks that are required (paperwork, housekeeping, etc...) as well as a way to measure (fairly) each departments results. The overall goal is to make it an ingrained habit/activity that is done without conscious thought...Don't think twice about when to do something...do it Now!

Eileen

 

[johnnybegood]

Hi all,

I am almost finish drafting out the audit criteria/checklist. While I am doing this in the morning a question pop out. If a production operator is found operating a machine that is PM over due, should the NCR be issued to the operator or the Technician that forgot to carry out the PM? FYI the Technician reports to the Maintenance dept. while the audit criteria/checklist is design for Production. Pls. advised.