Process oriented basics are not common sense until they run over you or you are trained and educated in their tenets.

Basics Categories: How to Begin, Where to Start, How to Create a Plan, How to Create an Expert, SPC Definitions, Necessities

Process oriented basics:

  1. The Customer establishes the definition of quality.
  2. If measurements are not performed, then improvements cannot be made.
  3. Do it right the first time according to the established process oriented work instruction!

Click here for guide about how to begin a quality improvement project using process oriented basics and At-PQC™ templates.

Click here to learn more about the quality management system processes.

Click here to browse an 8-Step QMS Implementation Plan using process oriented basics on this page.

How to create a new quality control plan using process oriented basics.

The simplified approach to process oriented basics:

  • Clearly understand Customer requirements, make sure the requirements can be met, keep the Customer informed and track Customer satisfaction;
  • Collect information, determine its meaning and make improvements;
  • Control and maintain necessary measurement and test equipment and use the equipment in the appropriate work environment;
  • Control Customer property to prevent damage;
  • Create and maintain a satisfactory workplace, prepare people for the job and provide resources for the system;
  • Define a policy, provide a vision and demonstrate commitment;
  • Define and measure important product, process and service characteristics against requirements;
  • Determine process functions and interactions ahead of time, then control the processes;
  • Determine the root cause of problems, fix the cause of the problem and verify the corrections are permanent; practice, practice, practice continuous improvement using process oriented basics;
  • Establish the responsibility for providing products and services and keep everyone informed;
  • Examine internal operations and report the results to management;
  • Identify good and bad items, preserve good items, keep bad items away from good items and determine what to do with bad items;
  • Keep track of delivered products and services and ship only what was ordered; know what you need to purchase and check-out your Suppliers;
  • Know what you are designing and create a design plan, identify measures for the success of the plan and review the design as it progresses, verify the design does what it has promised and control changes;
  • Make instructions available to Operators, keep the instructions up-to-date and maintain necessary records of activities;
  • Say what you do and do what you say (the founding principle of process oriented basics;
  • When the product can’t be checked then check the process to ensure it remains capable;
  • Write down the important functions, match the spec to the task and organize your system to achieve.

Process Oriented Basics Starts at Contract Review

quality control management

An ISO 9001 pedigree helps businesses to achieve process oriented basics by:

  • Enhancing Customer satisfaction
  • Managing processes effectively
  • Meeting Customer and statutory-regulatory requirements
  • Skipping the bulk of the Customer romance phase to enable focus on the contract and your price and delivery

8-Step overview of implementing process oriented basics using At-PQC™ kits:

  1. Tailor QMS-00 to display Company business information then read the manual and note each referenced document.
  2. Skim each referenced document and note each additional reference then skim those documents (and applicable forms and procedures). Significant documents in the kit have now been skimmed or read except non-referenced documents, which are value-added and should be archived until needed.
  3. Open file named “schedule-to-qms-registration-rev-orig.doc” then prorate the dates to define your Company’s improvement schedule. The first informal basic quality control management meeting should establish the goal of compliance to the QMS and its schedule. The Company can immediately demonstrate their commitment by sharing the tailored manual and schedule with Customers.
  4. Skim the Quality Systems Assessment form then complete the first half of the assessment, which is to identify Company policies, procedures and forms that comply with the standard. Add references to existing policies, procedures and forms to supplement the first half of the assessment.
  5. Complete the second half of the assessment, which is to add testimony and references to “records” that identify where in the production process the Company complies with the standard. References may include but are not limited to testimony from employees and/or specific references to work records such as purchase order numbers, part numbers, inspection and production records, change orders, contract reviews, management reviews, training records, etc. (this is pure application of process oriented basics)
  6. In parallel with steps 4 and 5, facilitate a basic quality control management meeting to establish the goal of compliance with the new QMS and its implementation schedule. Use form named Management Meeting Report to create meeting minutes. Record something in each section – especially closure of action items. Actions from management meetings should be tracked because they become evidence of continuous improvement and demonstrate application of process oriented basics for your management plan.
  7. Facilitate orientation meetings with all Employees and organize the facility using 5S:
    Sort-Straighten-Shine-Standardize-Sustain.
  8. Assert compliance with the QMS. Certification of the QMS by a Registrar may or not be not required. Regardless, the Company can substantiate assertions with the assessment form.

Quality Management is a System of Processes

Defined properly, a quality management system is viewed as a system of processes. After identifying organizational support and process realization processes or departments that affect quality, a documented procedure or process map is helpful to understand their operation and interaction. In describing the organization’s planned arrangements for processing, many answers in the free At-PQC™ process orientation checklist should be included in procedures describing each process or department affecting quality. The free AT-PQC™ checklist can be used as an implementation guide to properly create procedures. Procedures will then satisfy the intent of ISO 9001 paragraphs 0.3.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 7.5.1 by describing the interaction of QMS processes. Until the QMS is viewed as a system of interacting processes, procedures that are written to simply comply with the ISO standard will fail to properly define processes.
The traditional approach to quality management has confused practitioners that are used to “compliance to requirements”. The traditional standards-based approach will prevent proper application of the quality system and diminish the return on investment in the PDCA cycle to continuously improve the QMS and its processes. Once processes are properly identified and defined, the PDCA cycle can then be effectively applied to drive improvement in the processes and in the QMS.

Free At-PQC™ Process Oriented Checklist in MS Office format.

Definition: Romance Phase

The time, money and charm that businesses expend to convince Customers to buy products/services.

For instance, your Company wants a particular job but doesn’t comply with the Customer’s requirement to have basic quality or a certified management system. You know your Company can do the job so you approach the Customer to ask them to consider your proposal. You know if you only had a chance to wine-and-dine the Customer and give them a good show-and-tell that you could convince them to give you the job.

The hopeful result of your Company’s “romance” with the Customer is to convince them to buy.

Sometimes, “romance” works but wouldn’t it be easier and better business strategy to simply replace the romance with full compliance to Customer requirements using a process oriented basics?