AN ALTERNATIVE FOR 8D PROBLEM SOLVING METHOD …

1 See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: ALTERNATIVE FOR 8d problem solving METHOD DURING PRODUCTDEVELOPMENT PROCESSA rticle January 2011 CITATIONS0 READS9922 authors, including:Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standardisation View projectRobust Engineering of Manufacturing Processes View projectLaurentiu - Aurel MihailUniversitatea Transilvania Brasov33 PUBLICATIONS 88 CITATIONS SEE PROFILEAll content following this page was uploaded by Laurentiu - Aurel Mihail on 01 February user has requested enhancement of the downloaded AN ALTERNATIVE FOR 8d problem solving METHOD DURING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 1 Lauren iu Aurel, Mihail *, 2 Andrei, Negru 1 Transylvania University from Brasov, Romania & Cermet , Italia 2 Ford Motor Company, KEYWORDS - manufacturing, automotive, industrial process PROBLEM SOLVING , quality management, lean manufacturing.

2 ABSTRACT - The present article intends to describe a new and viable PROBLEM SOLVING approach, as an ALTERNATIVE to 8D(isciplines) methodology, ideally to be implemented especially during the product development processes. The proposed methodology is based on the Robust Engineering principle (Taguchi METHOD with his P Diagram, the design of experiments as fractionated arrays and the S/N ratios), fact that brings an important degree of efficiency to the implementation process, as a mandatory requirement of the ISO/TS 16949:2009, for the certified organizations which are involved in a continuous improvement process. Taking in consideration the implementation risks is a very important aspect, too, because the methodology need to be as efficient as it is possible even if it is implemented by internal specialized employees or by external consultants.

3 So, for this last case, the main risk may be the organization s resistance against an external specialist. The final validation of the optimization parameters (at their optimal levels) proposed by implementing the PROBLEM SOLVING methodology is mandatory and it must be realized in the same test s environment. The proposed methodology may be implemented, practically, for all kinds of products that are developed within the machine building sector, but this article is focused on the automotive sector implementation. INTRODUCTION Practically, the PROBLEM SOLVING approach is referring especially to: the identification of the root cause for the observed deviation; the definition of a process of implementing the corrective actions for the annulations of the failure s root cause/causes; the accomplishment of the corrective actions and their validation.

4 For an efficient Global 8D process the project manager must to: (D0) prepare the plan for the Global 8D process; (D1) establish the team; (D2) describe the PROBLEM ; (D3) develop the interim containment action; (D4) define and verify the root cause and the escape point; (D5) choose and verify permanent corrective actions for the root cause and the escape point; (D6) implement and validate permanent corrective actions; (D7) prevent recurrence; (D8) recognize team and individual contributions. CONAT20106008 The proposed methodology may be an ALTERNATIVE of the entire 8D process, starting with the D2 or D4 already presented steps. For SOLVING the encountered PROBLEM there will be applied, according with the robust engineering, approached by Taguchi s METHOD , the steps presented in the figure 1. Starting with the figure 2 each of them is presented in a process approach (inputs tools and techniques to solve that process outputs).

5 The identification of the PROBLEM s causes and the effects will be achieved mainly based on a brainstorming session, realized with persons that are directly involved in that process. This step is a very important one in the involvement to raise the efficiency of the technological cutting system. If this step is not treated with the necessary involvement, the PROBLEM SOLVING process will not be an efficient one right from the beginning. Figure 1. Steps on the approach for raising the efficiency (3) 1. The identification of the PROBLEM to be solved 3. The identification of the factors affecting the identified non conformity (the identification of the root cause) 4. The compilation of the P Diagram (the identification of the signal, noise, answer factors) 5. The choosing of the factorial fractionated experimental array 6. The establishment of the tuning factors 7.

6 The experiment s run 8. The experimental data measurement 10. The compilation and / or updating the organizational documents 2. The compilation of the risk s management plan 9. The experimental data analysis 11. Take of the decision for rising the efficiency of the technological system 12. The validation of the obtained results Continuous improvement CONAT20106008 The description of the PROBLEM must be done by the persons that are directly involved, that have founded and / or those persons that have discovered it or were affected directly by it. In this description it is recommended insistently the reaching the answers of the next target questions: who? , when? , where? , why? , how? , how much? . Also, it will be implied the achievement of all the necessary activities to isolate the effects of the discovered PROBLEM , in such a way that, till at the application of the proposed corrective actions, to not furnish defective products to the client / clients.

7 In the case in which it is not possible to do such an aspect, it will be followed the implementation of some corrective interim actions, together with a 100% control of the produced parts. In the case in which the interim actions will be proved to be successfully, with appropriate results, it will be implemented. Figure 2. The identification of the PROBLEM to be solved From another point of view (see the second step), the taking in consideration from the consultant s or from the organization s internal specialist point of view, even from the start, of all the risks that influence the development of the proposed activity will be a very important activity for taking the right final decisions. In the case of an eventually fail, the documented risk management plan can help the identification of the non conformity that appears, but it can help to solve accordingly the conflict situation, too.

8 The second step, that one of the identification of the influence factors for the non conformity that appears is based, mainly, on the information from those ones that are directly implied in that process and on consultant s technical and managerial facts, too. The 5 Why? analysis is in this moment a very useful tool for the identification of the root cause, at the level of which it must pay very much attention during the trial step. The P Diagram compilation consists in the classification of the factors that are the root cause in controllable, non controllable (noise) and answer factors. This third step has his importance because of the fact that for an efficientisation approach is vital to treat the problems in a perfect order, taking account of all the possible influence variables.

9 In this manner eventual errors cannot appear. The forth step is the one that is dedicated to choose the experimental array (a fractionated factorial plan) for running the experiment. According with the number of degrees of freedom of the experimental factors and of their interactions (if those ones exist and/or those ones are treated). From here it can be computed the total number of degrees of freedom (if those ones exists and/or if those ones are taken in consideration). From here it is computed the overall TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES - brainstorming meeting INPUTS - ideas - judgments - information from technical documentations - field s observations OUTPUTS - cause effect diagram form Step 1. The identification of the PROBLEM to be solved Continuous improvement CONAT20106008 number of the degrees of freedom (by summing it) that will must be the same with the number of the degrees of freedom of the experimental array.

10 Taking in consideration this information it will be chosen the right one, from the standard fractionated factorial arrays. The establishment of the trial levels is an activity of high responsibility because this step has an important contribution percentage at the final results on the base of which it will be taken the decision that will bring the raise of the efficiency. Such a situation can bring the loss of a phenomenon. Also, the experimental levels at which the experiments are run will drive at the occurrence of some important interactions between the experimental factors; in the case in which those ones are not treated within the experimental array, within the experiment, those interactions can drive at a loss of accuracy for the experimental results. Figure 3. The compilation of the risk s management plan Figure 4. The identification of the factors affecting the identified non conformity (the identification of the root cause) TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES - brainstorming meeting - 5 Why?