You learned about quality management systems and what it takes to put a quality system into place within the workplace. This week we continue to put systems into place. Thinking about your work place and the tasks that you are required to complete on a daily basis, consider the procedure that is in place. You might find that though there is nothing truly written, your job tasks follow a procedure to ensure that the work is doing correctly. These guidelines are called work instructions and they are important because they ensure that those completing the tasks are doing them correctly. Work instructions are an important part of the quality control process because they provide detailed instructions to the employees stating what is to be done and what the expectations are in regards to the task. It is important to note that work instructions are an important factor of quality management systems such as ISO9000 and Six Sigma.
Materials Selection
As a part of the process, it is important to determine what works and what does not. When you consider products and parts that build the products, it is important to identify the materials and how they are used in the production of the product. This is where lot traceability comes in. Lot traceability aims to match material to the product. For example, you have a toaster that states lot number three on the bar code. You replace this toaster with what looks to be the exact same toaster, but the lot number on the bar code is number six. What you can see from this is that it is the same toaster, however, a different part may have been used somewhere in the production line or it was built at a different time than the first toaster you bought. This is very important in helping to determine defects of a product and which products were affected.
Suppliers
Another big part of the quality process system is the need for third-party suppliers. Suppliers provide the materials needed for building products and providing services. Let’s think about the computer that you are using right now to review this lecture. You may have purchased the computer as a “Dell” or an “Apple” product, however, the parts included in the computer may not have been manufactured by the company from which you made your purchase. There are many components within the unit that were made by third-party suppliers.
Understanding that there must be others involved in the manufacturing end of the process, it is important to know and trust your suppliers. Purchasing a product from a supplier who fails to take pride in their quality process means that the quality of your product will likely decrease. This is something you certainly want to avoid at all costs. Therefore, be sure that you have an established relationship and continue to research the organization to ensure that the supplier has the same ethics and standards that your workplace has. This often will help to ensure that your quality standards are met.
Supplier evaluations can also be helpful in order to ensure quality standards are being met. Be sure that these evaluations are conducted on a regular basis. This will show the supplier that you are serious about your quality standards and will also prevent the use of a product that fails to meet your standards. This is one of the most crucial parts of the process, yet it is also one of the most underused techniques due to lack of time or energy to complete the process.
Chapter 6 will provide you with the information necessary to plan for quality success within the workplace with the use of work instructions and supplier evaluations. Your main objective in finishing the weekly learning is to justify the importance of lot traceability. Upon completing your chapter reading, be sure to review the presentation and video that are found in your learning material.
Resources:
Sower, V.E. (2011). Essentials of Quality. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Work Instructions
Review the article “8 ways electronic work instructions are transforming the shop floor” from this week’s reading assignment. This article discusses the importance of work instructions and how these instructions have improved a company that runs a shop floor environment. Assume that you are a manager for the company in this article. Considering the methods that have been used in the past and that are currently being used as mentioned in the article, explain what you feel the pros and cons are to electronic work instructions. Using outside research, what other work instructions might you introduce to the work place? You should include a minimum of two additional techniques not mentioned in this article. Use your course materials and outside research to generate a solid analysis on why these methods would be helpful. Your analysis should be supported by research.
Directions for obtaining the file: Login to the Grantham University library by clicking on the Resources tab from the main page. You will then log into EBSCOHost. Once you have accessed the database, simply copy and paste the title of the article and press enter to search and you should now have the file accessible to review.
The requirements below must be met for your paper to be accepted and graded:
Write between 750 – 1,250 words (approximately 3 – 5 pages) using Microsoft Word in APA style, see example below. Use font size 12 and 1” margins. Include cover page and reference page. At least 80% of your paper must be original content/writing. No more than 20% of your content/information may come from references. Use at least three references from outside the course material, one reference must be from EBSCOhost. Text book, lectures, and other materials in the course may be used, but are not counted toward the three reference requirement. Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased words, values, etc.) in the paper and list on a reference page in APA style. References must come from sources such as, scholarly journals found in EBSCOhost, CNN, online newspapers such as, The Wall Street Journal, government websites, etc. Sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. are not acceptable for academic writing.