IA Catchword- series 2

1. Authority for clearing the product when NC's are observed is not defined

First of all, it is necessary to define as to what constitutes a product NC. NC is observed, when the specified acceptance criteria are not met. Once the NC is identified, there are 4 ways by which this NC is disposed off/ cleared. They are Rejection to take the product out of the line altogether, Rework to the extent that it can be brought back to meet the specified acceptance criteria , Regrade to a lower quality category with a different acceptance criteria, if there is a provision to do so or Accept the product without doing Rework at a lower quality level. In all these cases, there is a degradation of quality to the customer and /or business profits. In order that occurrence of such an NC is made known to the concerned Top Management, it is necessary that specific authorities are defined in each of the above cases. It could be even the customer, whose concurrence is obtained before the product is released. The causes of the NC are also important to be identified, to ensure that correct decisions are taken.

2. Causes of Non Conformity not established

Once the Non conformity is observed, the first task is to always clear/dispose off the same, to ensure that the process moves on unhindered. Since the standard looks for recording such nonconformities, data is generated, identifying the NC's observed and the actions taken to dispose of the same. Over a period of time, the collected Nc's are to collated (Bunched) in a meaningful manner to identify the root causes of such NC's. This bunching is done in a systematic manner, using various tools, such as 7 tools of Quality Control. Ultimately, establishment of causes of NC, leads to one or many of the following -Men, Equipment, Money, Method, Materials, Measurement, Environment, Specification, etc., Again, during collation, care shall be taken to identify and prioritize clearly, the underlying causes and to eliminate the trivial many to selected few. The effectiveness of such an analysis depends on use of sound technical concepts, in addition to system tools.

3. Check

Check/Verify- is a standard Auditing phrase and is a part of the PDCA Cycle. Checking as per the standard means- monitoring, measuring processes and product against policies, objectives, and requirements for the product and reporting the results. One shall has to keep in mind that checking/verification is done against the requirements of the standards, procedures, records, etc., in order to ensure completeness, integrity, and effectiveness of the process.

To be continued…………………