TWallace said:
This is the way the IATF is requiring that 3rd party auditors be trained so it makes sense to me to follow somewhat of a turtle diagram plan in defining processes in order to expedite the audit process.
TWallace,
The operative word here is "plan"...organizations should use the turtle diagram to PLAN how your process will be layed out. The problem is, many companies, misguided by their Certification Bodies, AND AIAG training, for that matter, have generated almost useless, cryptic models, that no one can possibly follow to implement a process. The process model should be a self-explanatory model, which, in the absence of the document champion, should be implementable and auditable by company employees at large.
I have seen processes defined by a single "Macro turtle" which does not constitute a process. In fact if we must use this "misleading" turtle analogy, it's really a convoy of turtles...that is, several linked activites, each with individual inputs, outputs, responsibilities...etc and finally, not
fixed but
potentially changing associated metrics or measurables, which must be assessed and reviewed for continued suitability at regular intervals.
I'm digressing from the original topic, but...to finish my thought... once processes are capable and stable, you can discontinue monitoring, or change the measurable which you are monitoring. For this reason, I don't include the metrics in my "process flows", or as part of the "turtle". They're managed through a "
Metrics Dashboard" database (copyrighted P. Ravanello) which is Management's repository and access portal to all "performance gauges" in the company. Because they are subject to change, I don't want to include them in my Process Flow Charts, which would require that they be subject to potential frequent revision. I just reference the "
Metrics Dashboard" in my Flow Charts.
AIAG needs to re-think their training...and upgrade it to include some "best-in-practice" models which they should solicit from the Certification bodies (with the approval of the authors, of course).
Patricia Ravanello