I'm new to the AS9100 standard (but familiar with the ISO 9001 standard).
What is meant by "Configuration Management"?
What exactly should we be managing the configuration of?
Thanks in advance for all the helpful answers!
There are two factors of configuration management which are critical. Everything else pretty much falls into place once you cover those two factors:
- Have a clear understanding of what Configuration Management is.
- Put someone in charge who has a good understanding of the processes, personnel, materials, and tooling required to produce a product or service for final presentation to a customer.
I've written on Configuration Management here in the Cove a number of times. Usually I include this example to illustrate the extent to which simple changes can have ramifications throughout an organization.
The basis of Configuration Management is to do the following, more or less simultaneously:
- go through a formal process of revision and approval when you change any aspect of the part or document
- make a determination about the compatibility of the changed part or document with all the other Associated Documents (a specific term)
- determine if any of the Associated Documents must be revised to be compatible in form, fit, or function with the original changed document
- notify all parties who may be concerned about the change and get acknowledgment that change is implemented and obsolete documents or processes are withdrawn
- monitor the process to ensure all the changes work together
That may seem overly complicated. Let's explore a very simple change and see how the steps above would fit in.
One of my favorite examples I frequently use (to carry a premise of saving on assembly cost) is switching from Phillips Head fasteners to Torx drive or square drive fasteners for more efficient assembly. (Form and Fit of thread profile and length are the same, fastener Function remains - service personnel may need notice to add Torx driver to kit, but can replace with current stock of Phillips head)
On the surface, this is a simple change, but consider:
- organization needs to make a formal document change on the part, checking and approving the change.
- We check the compatibility with the mating parts, but we also have to
- change work instruction, assembly tools, inventory (use up old inventory first?), purchasing (same or different supplier? same or different price?), repair instructions sent to field personnel, pricing on the final product, advertising, etc.
- notify all parties - quality inspectors, assembly workers, quality inspectors at customer, suppliers, inventory clerks, repair stations, decide whether repair stations can continue to repair with Phillips head in inventory or must implement new Torx, decide whether recall is necessary to change out old parts,
- continue to monitor how all parties adapt to and implement change and decide whether further modification of any of the steps is necessary
All of us go through these steps consciously or unconsciously. The key is to do the steps purposefully and consistently and to record the steps as they are completed to assure optimum efficiency. (It would be foolish to scrap or sell off all the old Phillips head fasteners and order in all new Torx ones, only to discover no one had thought to order new Torx drivers.)
The manual method most organizations used BEFORE computers was to keep a list of Associated Documents (about processes, personnel, materials, suppliers, tooling, costs, etc.) with each master file of a product or service provided by the organization.
Special formats for change requests (to revise a product or service master file) contained a "tickler list" to remind folks BEFORE approving such change or revision that those Associated Documents needed to be reviewed for any ramifications.
Depending on how many documents an organization is shuffling, manual management is either a piece of cake or a nightmare.
Let's hear more about your specific circumstances before we build a chronometer if all you really need is a window to look outside to see if it's day or night.
