Regulations on the quality control department. Quality control controller: functions and duties of an employee What is quality control at a factory

Brandin Vladimir Alexandrovich,
Deputy General Director of the Consulting Center "Quality and Business"
(St. Petersburg)

The company producing the product is responsible for its quality. Acceptance inspection of products is one way to ensure that the safeguards against unintentional use or delivery of nonconforming products are required by clause 8.3 of the international standard ISO 9001:2008. Paragraph 7.1 of this standard requires the definition of product acceptance criteria, and paragraph 8.2.4 states that the shipment of products to the consumer can be carried out only after confirming that they meet the acceptance criteria. Appropriate records shall be maintained, including evidence that the release of the product has been authorized by an authorized person. Traditionally, this management function (product control) is assigned to a specialized unit - the technical control department (QCD).

Formally, the international standard ISO 9001:2008 contains an unambiguous answer to the question about the place of the technical control department in the quality management system (QMS).

The task of the quality control department is to confirm the conformity of products to the established requirements.

In many cases, the quality control department performs the function of controlling the purchased raw materials and materials, as if repeating the work of the supplier's quality control department, as well as monitoring the correct execution of production operations, ensuring compliance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 for monitoring and measuring processes.

Everything is clear and unambiguous. And this could be put an end to if it were not for the widespread conflict of interests and the helplessness of the "quality management systems" created by renaming the QCD. Plus, there is an almost universally observed desire to belittle the role of the OTK.

At the level of declarations, everything looks quite impressive. For example, in the regulations on the subdivision, one can often find the following wording: "The main task of the Quality Control Department is to organize permanent production control at all stages of the technological process and eliminate the causes that violate the specified technological process and cause defects," or even this: "The main task of the Quality Control Department is prevention of production by the enterprise of products that do not meet the requirements of standards and specifications, design and technological documentation, terms of delivery and contracts, or incomplete products, as well as strengthening production discipline and increasing the responsibility of all production links for the quality of products. That is, the Quality Control Department provides a solution to key tasks - everyone can relax. But, for some reason, no one rejoices, and the OTK employees perceive their work as a continuous struggle with a negligent team, on the side of which, sometimes, a part of the enterprise management also stands up.

Is the struggle an inevitable attribute of management, or is it an incomplete compliance of the current enterprise management system with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008? With regard to the "struggle for quality" the answer is unequivocal: the quality management system provides guarantees for the release of quality products through the correct organization of processes. If there are signs of a struggle, this is evidence of a systemic inconsistency, the causes of which must be identified and eliminated.

For a conflict situation to arise, two conditions are necessary: there must be participants, and their goals must contradict each other (a common special case is a different understanding of one goal). The analysis of real and potential conflicts makes it possible to find areas for improving the current management system, its consistent approximation to the quality management system.

Let's consider typical conflict situations in which the technical control department is involved, their main causes and ways to bring this part of the overall management system in line with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008.

As defined in the international standard ISO:9000:2005, a management system is different from any other in that it ensures that policies and objectives are set and achieved. The quality management system, accordingly, is intended to define policies and objectives and how to achieve them in relation to product quality. Quality, in turn, refers to compliance with requirements. To the question: “What requirements”, the answer is usually given: “Consumer requirements”.

This answer is not entirely accurate. Rather, the answer is correct, but not complete. ISO 9001:2008 is applied by organizations seeking to "demonstrate their ability to consistently deliver products that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements." But the standard does not require that all other requirements be waived. This incompleteness of the answer often makes it difficult to correctly identify and eliminate the causes of conflict situations.

ISO 9004:2000 ("Quality management systems - Guidelines for improvement") specifies that requirements are put forward by "interested parties". These include: consumers, suppliers, government, owners and staff. Summarized characteristics of the main requirements of interested parties are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Main types of requirements presented by interested parties

Interested party	Main types of requirements , to the company and its products	Note
Consumers	The presence in the product (service) of certain useful properties	Finding out these requirements, in most cases, requires the use of special methods.
Suppliers	Compliance of raw materials and materials with the capabilities of the supplier	The supplier often does not express these "requirements", but simply releases what can
State	Product safety	A number of legal documents also contain separate quality requirements; features of their accounting will be discussed below.
Owners	Profitability of the enterprise	These requirements of the owners, if treated constructively, fully correspond to the interests of the enterprise.
Staff	Decent salary and good working conditions	The perception by employees of the degree of fulfillment of these requirements affects their satisfaction and, as a result, their interest in the success of the enterprise.

Whether or not the QMS documents of the enterprise take into account the mechanisms for fulfilling the requirements all interested parties - it does not really matter. The company still fulfills them, although to varying degrees. Usually the interests of one of the parties dominate and its requirements are met more consistently. The uneven consideration of the requirements of different stakeholders, in itself, does not contradict the requirements for a quality management system. It is only important that this is a decision of top management, that the decision is based on an analysis of actual data and is consistent with the goals of the enterprise.

The main actor in the management system is the staff, since management is the management of people. It is the employees of the enterprise that ensure the achievement of goals (fulfillment of the requirements of stakeholders), themselves, while being an interested party. The development of the correct policy and goals of the enterprise in the field of quality and, then, the goals of individual processes that are consistent with the goals of the enterprise, is one of the most important and rather complex tasks in the development and implementation of the QMS. In most cases, in the process of creating a QMS, correction of spontaneously formed goals is required. Otherwise, the territory for the struggle is provided. That is, policies and goals are everywhere where there is management. But when they are independently formed by the heads of individual structural units, based on common sense and convenience for work, contradictions may well arise. In relation to the QMS, this will mean the emergence of different policies and goals in relation to the same stakeholders. Including a different understanding of the priority for the enterprise of individual stakeholders. For example, for the supply service, which must provide the production process with raw materials, the interests of suppliers may well be closer to the interests of consumers.

The task of senior management is to ensure the unity of policy and goals. This means that the policy should be consistent with the purpose of the organization (affecting all stakeholders important to the organization) and equally understood by all employees. And the goals must be aligned with the policy. No one, of course, expects that the very first policy options and goals formulated during the development of the QMS will turn out to be completely successful. Both the policy and objectives should be consistently improved based on the results of the analysis of their achievement and the analysis of the causes of actual and potential non-conformities. It is only important to provide room for improvement from the very beginning. There is often a desire to draw a thick line between "before" and "after" QMS. This can lead to the invention of fictitious policies and targets "in honor of ISO". If a fictitious structure is immediately created, separated by clear boundaries from the management that actually exists at the enterprise, it is very difficult to find areas for improvement - all forces are spent on fighting newly emerged (artificially created) problems.

The basis of the quality policy of any enterprise is the fulfillment of customer requirements and the desire to increase his satisfaction. The main goal in the field of quality of any enterprise, respectively, is the release of products necessary for the consumer. Products are the result of a process. The main distinguishing feature of the process is the transformation of "input" into "output" (in relation to production processes - the transformation of raw materials into products). The result of the transformation depends on the characteristics of the "input" and the operations occurring within the process.

Thus, in order to obtain products with certain useful characteristics, production should receive raw materials and materials that have certain characteristics and fulfill certain operations. Or, if you go from the consumer, to obtain products that have certain useful properties, production must perform certain transactions with certain raw materials and supplies. Wherever the word "defined" (that is, predetermined) occurs, there is a potential need for control. It is potential insofar as the need to introduce control operations must be justified. The decision to introduce a control operation should be preceded by an analysis of the actual data. But more on that below. Part of the control operations (or all, if the competence of the employees of the unit allows) can be performed by a specialized service. This service is usually called "OTK".

The task of the supply service is to ensure that certain requirements are met, the task of production is also to ensure that certain requirements are met (namely, provision, and not "fulfillment"), the task of the Quality Control Department is to provide objective data on the degree to which certain requirements are met. Requirements, in this case, act as the "lowest" level of goals.

The certainty of requirements is not limited to the fact that they must be specified in advance (before the start of the process). Requirements must be specific. Requirements must be objective (not depend on the opinions, moods and other psychological characteristics of the participants in the process). The requirements must be the same for all participants in the process, the course or result of which is controlled. And they should be equally understood by all participants in the process. This circumstance is often overlooked. For example, a QCD worker conducts product control using special measuring instruments (and even better if special laboratory tests are carried out). Can a worker, armed only with sense organs, determine for himself, before the "sentence" of the OTK, whether he is releasing?

Thus, the most important reason for the emergence of conflicts involving the OTC is requirements uncertainty. Eliminating requirements ambiguity results in conflict prevention and, of course, most importantly, inconsistency reduction. If it is not possible to eliminate the uncertainty (inconsistency) of the requirements, it is necessary to proceed to the analysis of higher levels of goals (goals of the relevant departments or even the enterprise as a whole) and eliminate contradictions at this level.

The control of raw materials and materials, the control of production operations and the control of finished products, in addition to common features, have their own characteristics. Let us consider the control function at each of these stages in more detail.

Input control or QMS and suppliers.

The international standard ISO 9001:2008 requires selection, evaluation and re-evaluation of suppliers; communicate to suppliers requirements for products and processes for its release; check the purchased products (section 7.4 of the standard).

For example, a decision is made to select suppliers based on the minimum price criterion. The decision was made on the basis of actual data: the QCD provided evidence that at the stage of incoming control it is possible to prevent the transfer of non-conforming raw materials to production, and this does not lead to significant time and financial losses. The criterion meets the requirements of the ISO 9001:2008 standard, the goals of the enterprise and is economically justified. There are no reasons for conflicts:

Such successes are rarer than we would like. In most cases, the analysis could show that the losses of the enterprise when choosing suppliers according to the criterion of the lowest price are several times higher than the savings on purchases. Could, but does not show, because it is not carried out. A very common situation is when the minimum price is the main requirement for the supply service, and the QCD from the same supplier requires quality. At the same time, the volume of necessary purchases is calculated on the assumption that all raw materials and materials fully comply with the requirements of the enterprise, and the delivery times are approaching "work from wheels" (that is, it turns out that the entire necessary amount of control should occur instantly). The conflict is inevitable and has an objective character (requirements are not defined): Quality Control Department detains raw materials for control and prevents the transfer of part of the raw materials (not meeting the established requirements) to production. That is, the quality control department disrupts the rhythmic work of production and prevents the implementation of the plan.

What caused the conflicting claims? Most likely, the type and extent of management of suppliers and purchased products do not correspond to the impact of procurement on the quality of the final product. The two most common scenarios are either the requirements for product verification are incorrectly defined, or there is no analysis of the supplier's ability to meet the established requirements. Or both at the same time.

The first case is observed when the requirements for purchased products, volumes, frequency and control parameters are set on the basis of theoretical concepts, without analyzing the characteristics and trends of the actual processes of the enterprise and its products (the requirements of clause 8.4 of ISO 9001: 2008 are not fully met). The theoretical nature of the requirements is usually seen from their wording: "Products must comply with the requirements of GOST:". Further, it is simple: the volume, frequency and controlled parameters are taken from the corresponding sections of the same external regulatory document. It would be interesting to know whether it is possible at all to take into account specific technologies, the state of equipment and the level of competence of the personnel of a particular enterprise when developing GOST? As a result, two misses are provided with one shot: human, time and material resources are diverted to control, and raw materials that have received the approval of the Quality Control Department generate inconsistencies in the production process. The disadvantages of establishing requirements by referring to an external regulatory document are obvious: far from all the characteristics of raw materials that are important for ensuring the quality of the final product are standardized in the relevant GOSTs. And those that are needed are given as a range of (large enough) values. As a result, raw materials that meet the requirements are different and behave differently during processing.

A common situation: analysis of nonconformities identified during the execution of a manufacturing operation shows that they are largely related to certain characteristics of the raw materials. Quality control department answers: "And what can we do, the raw materials comply with GOST." Who should be happy about this?

This does not mean that the procurement service is right in considering the minimum price as the only criterion. She just happens to be right most of the time. The fact is that in fact the price is not the only and even the main criterion for it. The main thing for the supply chain is the supplier's ability to meet quality requirements. It's just that these requirements are understood somewhat differently (for example, less specifically). At a minimum, the quality requirements for the supply chain are formulated in the form of a product name. It is clear that no one will buy clay instead of cement, even if it is much cheaper. The supplier's ability to meet quality requirements is fundamental to the procurement function for the simple reason that the analysis of the impact of purchases on processes and final products (as mentioned above - the second reason for the incorrect definition of purchase requirements) is always carried out. It just isn't done regularly and consistently enough. Most often, only in cases where production simply cannot do anything with the raw materials available in the warehouse.

The main task that must be solved in relation to input control is the determination of specific characteristics of raw materials that provide the possibility of obtaining the required useful properties of the product as a result of performing specific (those that are at the disposal of production) operations.

The control of raw materials and materials affects the interests of (at least): technological service, production, supply service and quality control department. The requirements for the characteristics of raw materials and materials that guide these services should not contradict each other. An example of a solution is the division of functions: the technological service determines the characteristics, and all the rest use them in their activities.

The purpose of incoming control is to prevent the transfer to production of raw materials and materials that may adversely affect the compliance of products with established requirements. The goal should define the composition and characteristics of the requirements. Additional requirements that apply only to one of the above divisions can only be introduced if they do not affect product quality (for example, the minimum price).

Requirements must be specific. That is, the ranges of values of individual characteristics of raw materials and materials must be determined, within which production is able to ensure the fulfillment of product requirements. The best option in this case is to establish requirements in the form of specifications.

The methods of control applied by the Quality Control Department must be agreed with the supplier. And the scope and frequency of control should be determined on the basis of an analysis of the stability of the characteristics of raw materials and materials received from a particular supplier. If the company considers it necessary to fully verify the purchased raw materials (absolutely does not trust the guarantees of the supplier), it is necessary to persistently look for a replacement supplier or, at least, deduct the costs of incoming inspection from the cost of the purchase contract.

Operations control or QMS and production personnel.

Employees of the enterprise see everything and understand everything. Employees of the enterprise perfectly distinguish true goals from declarations and requirements that need to be met from "just" requirements. To expect a quality management system to create a mass illusion is to deceive oneself.

Control of operations is usually called "control of technological discipline". The very name of the control suggests that there is a technology, when the requirements of which are met, the required characteristics of the product are obtained. It is impossible to assume that production personnel are not interested in the production of high-quality (needed by the consumer) products. Consequently, the reasons why a worker may understand the requirements for his activity differently from what is written in technological documents are of an objective nature.

There are three objective reasons:

requirements are not clear (insufficient level of qualification);

meeting the requirements does not ensure the release of high-quality products (imperfection of technology);

the requirements cannot be met (not enough time, the actual characteristics of the raw materials do not meet the requirements, the actual condition of the equipment does not meet the requirements).

An important conclusion: a worker can almost never be "guilty" of violations of technological discipline. If the goal of controlling technological discipline is to improve the production process, the reasons are always associated with clarifying the requirements for the process or properly providing it with resources (clarifying the requirements for auxiliary, serving processes). Guilty in the QMS can not be. And this is one of the criteria to determine the degree of maturity of the management system. If the analysis of identified nonconformities is carried out in order to identify (and roughly punish) the perpetrators, this means that the quality management system has not yet been extended to this area of the enterprise. By the way, the fact that the search for the guilty in production teams is a rejection of management was discovered back in the 70s of the last century (much earlier than the appearance of the first version of the international standard for quality management systems).

The control of technological discipline is an important and necessary element of the QMS. But, for this, at least, there must be technology. It is technology, not just technological documentation. It's easy to check. It is necessary to ask the head of the technological service the question: "You have developed a technology. Do you guarantee that if it is followed, the manufactured products will fully comply with the established requirements"? And then listen to the answer.

If the answer is anything other than a simple "yes", for example, it sounds like "in principle yes", it is better to try to avoid the honorable activity of controlling such a technological discipline. The benefits of such control will not be obvious either to the production staff or to the management of the enterprise. And the territory for conflicts (quite objective) is guaranteed.

In addition, the control of technological discipline requires a sufficiently high level of competence in management. Otherwise it will be control for the sake of control. That is, it can turn out not even a contradictory understanding of the requirements, but an activity devoid of a goal.

One of the common reasons for the inability to meet the requirements established in the technology is the notorious struggle between "quality" and "quantity". The production staff cannot (as they think) fulfill all the requirements, because then they will not be able to fulfill the plan. This is an objective non-compliance of the system with the requirements of the international standard. All possible contradictions between quality and quantity in the QMS should be eliminated before they appear - in the event that an analysis of the organization's ability to meet the established requirements (clause 7.2.2 of ISO 9001:2008) is carried out. This means that in the quality management system only those requirements can be accepted and fixed in the technological documentation, the fulfillment of which does not interfere production plan.

The opposition between "plan" and "quality" is a strange illusion. This cannot be, except in cases of mass insanity. The plan (the number of products produced) is the basis for the economic success of the enterprise and its staff, if the product finds a consumer. He is also a gravedigger if the product turns out to be unnecessary to the consumer. At the same time, it is clear to everyone that low-quality products are not just money senselessly thrown away for their production. This is also an additional cost for disposal.

There are cases when the company persistently produces products that, as everyone understands, will never be sold. But this is an extremely rare exception. Much more often, products manufactured in violation of technological discipline are ultimately recognized as appropriate, paid for by the consumer, and there is even evidence that the consumer remains satisfied with it. In this case, it is reasonable to suspend the control of technological discipline and analyze the validity of the requirements for the implementation of production operations.

It is impossible to hide something from the staff, you can only pretend not to see it. As soon as the causes of violations of technological discipline or defective products appear "carelessness", "non-performance" and other psychological evaluation, the red light should blink: the requirements are incorrectly defined or the operation is not provided with resources. It is possible that another inconsistency with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 is manifested here: top management has not fulfilled its obligation to provide personnel with information about the importance of meeting customer requirements and legal and regulatory requirements. Simply put, no one explained to people why they need to do what is required, and why it is important for the enterprise. It even happens that, on the contrary, they explained to the production staff that all this is not necessary, but they "forgot" to tell the Quality Control Department.

The purpose of control of technological discipline is to prevent actions that may adversely affect the compliance of products with established requirements. Compliance with the requirements must be provided with appropriate resources. The best option in this case is to establish requirements for the provision of resources (including requirements for personnel competence) in the technological documentation. The scope and frequency of control should be determined on the basis of an analysis of the characteristics of production processes and an analysis of the stability of product characteristics.

Data on the results of control of technological discipline should be considered during the analysis of the organization's ability to meet product requirements.

Control of the finished product or QMS and the consumer.

The quality management system shall define criteria for product acceptance. One might get the impression that since there are acceptance criteria, there must be an acceptance control. There is no such mandatory requirement in ISO 9001:2008. This organization determines itself. What is needed in the quality management system is not so much acceptance control as guarantees to prevent inadvertently sending non-conforming products to the consumer.

In other words, if there is no uncertainty in meeting the requirements for raw materials, if there is a technology and it is observed, acceptance control can be predominantly documentary, that is, it consists in checking documented evidence of the satisfactory completion of the previous stages of control.

When developing a general production control program and determining what operations are needed in it, it is useful to pay attention to the often observed imbalance between the "input" and "output" of the system. Quite often, enterprises have complete trust in the supplier and the same complete distrust in themselves. They manifest themselves in the fact that purchases are checked purely for the presence of accompanying documentation (and even it is partially accepted much later than the receipt of products, since the products are shipped by production, and "certificates" are issued at the office), and own products in the production process and before entering the warehouse carefully controlled (sometimes it is even unreasonably claimed that total control is being carried out). Formally, no requirements for the quality management system are violated, but such a bias towards product control indicates the imperfection of the system.

The foregoing does not mean that in a developed quality management system it is possible to completely abandon product control. No, product control at all stages of production is mandatory. The question is what is the purpose of it. On the one hand, in this case, there are management systems in which product control is the last opportunity to weed out defects, on the other, systems in which it is important to obtain data on the characteristics and trends of products and develop preventive actions.

In any case, with regard to product control, as with other types of control, the main thing is to correctly define the requirements. The composition of product requirements is established in clause 7.2.1 of ISO 9001:2008. These are requirements set by the consumer; requirements not specified by the consumer, but necessary for the known or intended use of the product; legal and regulatory requirements; additional requirements of the organization itself.

As practice shows, the division of product requirements into groups, given in the standard, provokes enterprises to distribute responsibility for determining these requirements between different functional services, and declare production responsible for the implementation. As a result, it may turn out not just inconsistency of requirements, but an actual proposal for production to decide for itself which requirements of which services and to what extent to fulfill. In fact, paragraph 7.2.1 of the standard lists different (but equally necessary) aspects of the same product. The products that the company actually produces. By virtue of this alone, different groups of requirements should organically combine, not be opposed or contradict each other. Quite often, the correct definition of product requirements means reducing their number (eliminating those that do not affect customer satisfaction), which also leads to purely economic benefits.

The first in the standard are the requirements set by the consumer. The importance of their definition is obvious, since they are real money. It is generally accepted that the requirements of the consumer are fixed in the contract. But, all experts know that the consumer is very reluctant to talk about what he really needs.

There are many reasons for this. At present, a sufficiently large arsenal of methods has been developed that allow identifying the actual requirements of the consumer with a sufficient degree of accuracy. But this work is carried out, as a rule, by consulting organizations. Enterprises, as a rule, do not have their own specialized services capable of conducting such an analysis. However, ISO 9001:2008 contains mechanisms to ensure a consistent approach of the enterprise to the consumer. It's just that their effect becomes apparent not so quickly.

An analysis of contracts with consumers shows that usually the requirements for product quality are formulated in them in general and vague terms. One of the most common situations of insufficiently specific requirements for products is their definition through reference to state standards or specifications. There has been a steady tendency to put an equal sign between the requirements of the consumer (both established and assumed) and the requirements of GOSTs. It turns out that the three groups of requirements listed in the standard are reduced to one. This is illogical and hardly corresponds to reality.

The requirements of the end user cannot sound like "must comply with GOST". As a rule, he has not read GOSTs and will not read them. This is fortunately. Reading many GOSTs and, moreover, the Technical Specifications often gives rise not to the desire to purchase these products, but to the desire to be alert and find out more specifically what exactly is being offered.

As an everyday example: boiled sausage corresponding to the state standard (GOST R 52196-2003 Cooked sausage products) can be made from almost everything that, with more or less stretch, can be called "meat". The manufacturer can use beef, pork, lamb, buffalo meat of any kind for its production, as well as offal and pork skin - as long as the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates established by the standard is obtained as a result. That's a joy for the consumer:

The requirements of external regulatory documents, of course, must be determined and implemented. But, only applicable to the activities of the organization. The task formulated in the standard is precisely to determine which of the external requirements are mandatory for fulfillment (failure to comply may result in sanctions from state bodies), which do not need to be fulfilled (since they do not increase customer satisfaction), and which are necessary for the organization itself. (because they are expressly formulated by the consumer or actually necessary to ensure his satisfaction).

As mentioned above, the quality management system has a mechanism for consistently approaching the correct (corresponding to consumer requests) product requirements. These are monitoring and measurement of products and processes, work with claims and wishes of consumers and monitoring their satisfaction, analysis of consumer satisfaction and characteristics and trends of products and processes.

In relation to product requirements, this means:

development of a classifier of reasons for appeals and claims of consumers;

analysis of the causes of inconsistencies identified by the employees of the enterprise in the production process and in the final product;

determination of quality indicators corresponding to the interests of consumers and production capabilities;

selection of control methods and instrumental and personnel support for their implementation;

and finally, the determination of the volume and frequency of control of various quality indicators, depending on the frequency of relevant requests and claims from consumers.

And, if the presence of subjective requirements is unacceptable in relation to any control operation, it is doubly unacceptable in relation to product requirements. Without clear and objective requirements for products, the management system is built "in a swamp". It is pointless even to try to correctly define the requirements for the processes of production and for the purchase of raw materials and materials.

There is a fairly simple indicator of the correctness of the implementation of the product control function. This is the structure and number of inconsistencies identified by the QCD and the consumer. If the appeals and claims of consumers contain information about non-compliance with the requirements that are included in the QCD control plan, and if the number of non-conformities identified by the QCD significantly exceeds the number of similar non-compliances identified by the consumer, the system is moving in the right direction. And if the claims of consumers relate to requirements that are not taken into account in the control plan, and are a "surprise" for the enterprise, then there is simply no QMS.

So, the main reasons for non-fulfillment of product requirements are the uncertainty of the requirements themselves and the lack of objective opportunities for production personnel to fulfill them. As a rule, these two reasons exist simultaneously. That is, the workers do not understand the requirements, because they do not know what to do to make it work well.

From the above, we can conclude that an enterprise that develops and implements a quality management system should become more truthful and modest. It really is. Commitments to the consumer should contain guarantees, not good intentions. Ideas about how to properly produce good products, of course, should not be forgotten. There are simply requirements, and there are goals for improvement. Requirements must be performed, respectively, they must be feasible. Here the OTC is on guard. And this, frankly, is a purely technical task.

What I would like to see, but currently it is not possible (including based on the actual data on inconsistencies received by the OTC) is goals to improve products and processes. Without improvement goals, just as without requirements, a quality management system cannot exist. The degree of achievement of the goals should be assessed and, if they are achieved, the requirements can be increased accordingly. But QCD has absolutely nothing to do with it (with the exception of the quality goals of this unit itself).

Today, many enterprises have implemented quality management systems. Their compliance with the international standard is confirmed by respected certification bodies. Why, then, are conflicts still observed, in the center of which is the OTC? The main reason is the uncertainty and inconsistency of the requirements or their inconsistency with the capabilities of the enterprise.

In a somewhat simplified form, the main thesis of the quality management system is formulated as follows:

"You can do whatever you want. You can't do what you can't." What exactly is "no"? You cannot proclaim one thing and strive for another. If this is not done, all problems turn into tasks (quite solvable). If there were no goals to develop and implement a QMS, if it was necessary to become like everyone else (just get a certificate) - the scope of the quality management system will inevitably be limited by the dusty frame of the certificate, no matter on whose wall - the head of the quality control department, the quality director or even the general director himself .

Regardless of the products manufactured, there is always an employee at the production site who constantly monitors the technical process and its compliance with GOST. This profession is called the OTC controller. He oversees all stages of production, from the supply of raw materials to the storage of finished products. Any employee who is responsible for supervision and quality control can be called a controller.

Duties of the Controller

The main task of the controller is to prevent manufacturing defects, therefore he is obliged to regularly monitor:

for the quality of raw materials and production recipes;
check the quality of work of production equipment;
monitor the quality of work of employees;
timely stop the process during the release of defective products;
eliminate the causes of its occurrence;
monitor the correct operation of the equipment;
compliance with the production of technical documentation and state standards.

The QCD controller is personally responsible for low-quality products, for their return to the factory. That is why highly qualified people who have received the appropriate education are hired for this position. Experience, personal qualities and a good knowledge of the entire process of manufacturing goods allows you to simultaneously monitor several processes and minimize the presence of defects.

What should the controller know?

The work of the OTC controller is very responsible. In addition to controlling all processes in the factory, he must know all the technical documentation so that the products fully comply with it. Knowing what causes can lead to marriage, an employee of the technical control department is engaged in prevention and elimination. After the product has been released, he checks it for suitability. If there is a defective product, an appropriate form is filled out, in which the reasons for its appearance, those responsible for this are written, and the goods are written off. Here are some more responsibilities of the QCD controller that he should know:

standards for raw materials, finished products;
types and sizes of semi-finished products and finished products;
technological process;
ability to use measuring instruments;
safety regulations, sanitary standards;
organization of work in the workplace;
types of marriage and methods of its elimination.

All this allows the employee to visually see during the production process how the products comply with the standards.

Personal characteristic

The physical load during the work of the OTK controller is insignificant, but other important personal qualities are required. He must have a good memory and eyesight, be collected, attentive. Professional quality:

Important factors in hiring

To apply for the position of Quality Control Officer, you need:

availability of higher specialized education;
experience in the field of production control;
excellent knowledge of modern technologies;
ability to use a computer and electronic documents, programs;
preparation of production plans, documents;
endurance and the ability to perform several tasks at the same time, monitor several processes;
responsible attitude to the performance of basic work duties.

Job responsibilities will depend on the field of activity the employee specializes in.

Relationships with other departments

The quality controller actively cooperates with all departments and workshops of the factory. Identification of the causes of marriage is carried out together with the heads of workshops. Upon receipt of raw materials, the supply department informs the quality control department about this, providing documents from the supplier for control. All products in the warehouse, their import and export are controlled by the quality department and are issued by the relevant acts. Work orders are also signed by a specialist, on the basis of which wages are calculated in the accounting department. Everything that the QCD controller does is interconnected with the work of all production departments.

Profession benefits

The main advantage is the demand for specialists in the labor market. Controllers are needed everywhere, and areas of activity are constantly expanding, new specializations appear. The work does not require physical training, so people of any age can master it.

Education

You can study for the profession of a controller at a vocational school or other educational institution corresponding to the field of activity in which the employee will work. After completing training at a vocational school, a graduate receives a 2-3 category and the opportunity to continue education or get a job. In some industries, individual training courses are organized with the opportunity to get an internship at their plant.

TO Category:

Control of metal coating works

Marking and branding of products

Branding of products, which is part of the responsibilities of technical control workers, is performed during the operational and final acceptance of parts, assemblies, assemblies of assembled and tested machines.

Marking involves the application of conventional signs to a part or a label attached to it, indicating the brand, grade, technical characteristics, etc. In most cases, marking is a production operation controlled by quality control workers.

The presence of a brand shows that a part or product has passed certain operations, has been accepted by technical control and is suitable for further processing, assembly, testing or release from the factory. Branding provides for the personal responsibility of the person who put the brand for the suitability of the product.

After certain operations, the brand is applied to the appropriate places of products and assemblies in accordance with the instructions provided in the drawings or technological maps. The place chosen for the stamp must provide a distinct imprint, it must not be located on the base surface; The brand must be retained until final acceptance and, if possible, remain open during assembly. Unsuccessful choice of place for the hallmark or improper use of the hallmark can be the cause of marriage or damage to products.

For polished, chrome-plated, nickel-plated and painted surfaces of products, chemical branding is used using a rubber stamp. On parts that have undergone heat treatment, the stamp is applied by electrography. If the stamp of one of the listed types cannot be applied to the surface of the parts, then a paper label is glued or reinforced with wire.

Very small parts, for example, in instrumentation or watchmaking, which cannot be branded, after control are handed over to the warehouse or for subsequent operations in special containers (boxes, bags), which the inspector seals with a brand.

Each BTK is assigned a stamp of a certain form. The number assigned to the controller is indicated inside the stamp outline. Depending on the size of the items being checked, inspectors may be issued stamps with the same shape and number; but different sizes.

For branding of finally rejected products, special stamps (BR) with a number assigned to the controller are used. Controllers and control masters have rubber stamps for paperwork. The imprint of the stamp may contain the following designations: the number of the workshop or department, the initial letters of the official (K - controller, KM - control foreman, SCM - senior control foreman of the section) and the personal number assigned to him.

When QCD, especially at large factories, there is usually a tool pantry for storing and issuing control devices, auxiliary tools and materials that are used only by QCD workers - This pantry should be used to store and issue stamps and stamps. Issued hallmarks and rubber stamps are recorded in the accounting card and issued against receipt. It is not recommended to issue stamps or stamps with different shapes and numbers to the same inspector, or to different employees - the same stamps or stamps.

The replacement of worn or broken stamps with new ones is allowed on the memo of the head of the corresponding BTK, provided that the stamps that are unusable are presented.

In the production of critical products and assemblies, if a brand or rubber stamp is lost, their numbers are canceled by the relevant order on the quality control department. Instead of the lost one, a new stamp with a new number is issued. It is recommended to use duplicates of lost stamps not earlier than 6 months from the date of the statement about the loss. Hallmarks and rubber stamps are subject to mandatory surrender when QCD employees transfer to another job. It is recommended that the stamps and stamps that have been handed over for use be issued for production not earlier than 3-6 months from the date of their delivery.

The technical control department (QCD) is an independent structural subdivision of the enterprise and reports directly to the technical director.

The main tasks of the OTK are:

Prevention of the release by the enterprise of products that do not meet the requirements of standards and specifications, approved samples (standards), design and technological documentation, terms of delivery and contracts, or incomplete products;

Strengthening production discipline and increasing the responsibility of all production links for the quality of products.

OTK structure:

1. The structure and staffing of the department is approved by the director of the enterprise in accordance with the standard structures of the management apparatus and the norms for the number of managers, specialists and employees, taking into account the volume of work and production features.

2. The department may include a bureau, groups, laboratories for technical control of external acceptance, a technical bureau, a quality control department, a bureau for technical control in workshops (BTK), a central measuring laboratory.

OTK functions:

1. Control over the quality and completeness of parts, assemblies and finished products manufactured by the enterprise, over their compliance with standards, specifications, norms, standards and drawings.

2. Branding of accepted and rejected products, registration in the prescribed manner of documentation for accepted and rejected products.

3. Control over the withdrawal from production of finally rejected products to specially organized rejection insulators and their delivery to waste.

4. Analysis and technical accounting of marriage and defects in the company's products noted in complaints and test reports, participation in the development and control over the implementation of measures aimed at preventing the occurrence of marriage and eliminating defects; identification of persons responsible for the manufacture of substandard products.

5. Organization of obtaining from consumers and systematization of information on the quality and reliability of products.

6. Control over the quality of raw materials, semi-finished products and component parts supplied to the plant for the manufacture of products of the main production from supplier plants; drawing up acts on low-quality raw materials, materials, semi-finished products and finished products for making claims to suppliers.

7. Control over the acquisition, packaging and preservation of finished products.

8. Control over the timely preparation and implementation of activities related to the introduction of new standards, specifications and norms.

9. Control over the presence of a trademark (brand of the enterprise) on finished products.

10. Systematic monitoring of the state of control and measuring equipment at the enterprise, as well as their timely submission for state verification.

11. Control over the quality of manufacturing products and inspection of the state of tools and production equipment in operation at the enterprise.

12. Drawing up and submission to the technical director of the enterprise for approval and timely implementation of schedules for periodic (repeated) type tests of serial products in accordance with the requirements of GOST R, TU, as well as verification of compliance with the requirements of the most important technological processes.

13. Inspection control over compliance with storage conditions in warehouses and workshops of the enterprise of components, raw materials, materials and finished products.

14. Accounting for the quality indicators of products for all divisions of production.

15. Organization and implementation of progressive methods of control and evaluation of product quality.

16. Carrying out random checks of the quality of finished products, raw materials, materials, semi-finished products and components, the quality of individual technological operations and transitions, the quality and condition of technological equipment and tools, the conditions of production, storage and transportation of products, not provided for by the approved technological process.

17. Participation in the testing of new and modified product samples, as well as in the approval of technical documentation for these products in order to provide conditions for effective quality control.

18. Participation in the preparation of products for certification and the adoption of a declaration of conformity.

19. Participation in the preparation of contracts for the supply to the enterprise of raw materials, semi-finished products, components and tools intended for the main production in terms of agreeing on the conditions for their acceptance in terms of quality.

20. Development of proposals to increase the requirements for the quality of products manufactured and consumed by the enterprise, to improve the regulatory and technical documentation that establishes these requirements, as well as proposals aimed at stimulating the production of high quality products and combating the production of poor quality products.

The products of the enterprise can be sold only after acceptance by the quality control department. At the same time, it must be issued with an appropriate document (certificate) certifying the quality of the product.

In accordance with the specified tasks, the QCD performs the following functions: planning and developing methods for ensuring product quality, monitoring and stimulating quality.

Planning and development of quality assurance methods includes:

1. Planning the level of product quality.

2. Planning for quality control and engineering controls.

3. Collection of quality information.

4. Determining the cost of quality assurance.

5. Processing of information and analysis of quality data from the sphere of production and operation.

6. Quality management of products supplied by suppliers and product quality management at our own enterprise.

7. Development of control methods that ensure comparability and reliability of quality control results.

8. Development (together with the technical departments) of technical conditions, conditions, standards for the implementation of product quality management.

As a rule, as part of the department are created:

Bureau of technical control, territorially located in the main and auxiliary shops;

Bureau of external acceptance, providing input control of materials and components:

Bureau of final control and testing of finished products;

Central measuring laboratory and its control and verification points, which control the condition of elements and equipment, including those used in quality control;

Inspection group that carries out verification control of product quality and targeted inspections of compliance with technological discipline;

Export control units; subdivision for quality control of scrap and waste of non-ferrous and precious metals.

The metrological department has a close relationship with the activities of the Quality Control Department; departments of standardization, chief technologist, chief metallurgist, chief designer; department of reliability; department or workshop of warranty service, etc. .

The general management of work to ensure the quality of products is carried out by the chief engineer of the enterprise. He attracts a permanent quality commission (PDKK) to develop and analyze options for management decisions, which includes most of the main specialists of the enterprise, including the head of the Quality Control Department. Monitoring the implementation of decisions of the PDKK, processing information on the analysis and accounting of defects, as well as the calculation of labor quality indicators are carried out by specialists of the computer center of the quality management system. The head of the Quality Control Department has the right to:

1. Stop the acceptance and shipment of products that do not meet the standards, specifications, standards, drawings, set completeness and technological documentation, immediately notifying the technical director of the enterprise in writing. The order of the head of the QCD to stop the acceptance or shipment of products can be canceled only on the basis of a written order of the director.

2. Make proposals to the management of the enterprise on the suspension of the process of manufacturing products in individual divisions and workshops in cases where the products manufactured by them do not meet the standards, specifications, standards, drawings or technological documentation.

3. Do not accept finished products if they are presented incomplete or not provided with the established technical documentation confirming the quality of the materials and products included in it.

4. To reject materials, blanks, parts or components that do not meet standards, specifications and drawings at any production site.

5. Control the work of shops and departments of the enterprise and eliminate the causes of product defects in production, identified during its manufacture, testing and operation.

6. Require from the heads of workshops, services and departments of the enterprise the necessary measures aimed at improving and ensuring the proper quality of products.

7. Make the final decision on the quality of products in case of disagreements between the QCD employees and employees of workshops or departments of the enterprise.

8. Submit proposals to the management of the enterprise on bringing to justice employees guilty of producing low-quality products, violating production technology and using materials, raw materials and semi-finished products of low quality or subject to verification, but not checked by the Quality Control Department.

9. Require the divisions of the enterprise to provide the necessary materials for the implementation of work that is within the competence of the department.

Quality control includes:

Incoming quality control of raw materials, basic and auxiliary materials, semi-finished products, components, tools entering the warehouses of the enterprise;

Production step-by-step control over compliance with the established technological regime, and sometimes inter-operational acceptance of products;

Systematic monitoring of the condition of equipment, machines, cutting and measuring tools, instrumentation, precision measuring instruments, dies, models of test equipment and weighing facilities, new and in operation, fixtures, conditions for production and transportation of products;

Control of models and prototypes control of finished products (parts, small assembly units, subassemblies, assemblies, blocks, products).

Quality promotion includes: development of documentation reflecting the methods and means of motivation in the field of product quality assurance; development of regulations on bonuses to employees of the enterprise for the quality of work (together with the department of labor organization and wages; training and advanced training).

To date, a variety of quality control methods have been developed, which can be divided into two groups:

1. Self-test or self-control - personal check and control by the operator using the methods established by the technological map for the operation, as well as using the provided measuring tools, in compliance with the specified check frequency.

2. Revision (verification) - verification carried out by the controller, which must correspond to the content of the process control card.

The organization of technical control consists in:

Design and implementation of the quality control process;

Definition of organizational forms of control;

Selection and feasibility study of means and methods of control;

Ensuring the interaction of all elements that make up the quality control system for products manufactured by the enterprise;

Development of methods and systematic analysis of marriage and defects.

Depending on the nature of the defects, the marriage may be correctable or irreparable (final).

In the first case, after correction, the products can be used for their intended purpose, in the second case, it is technically impossible or economically unreasonable to make correction. The perpetrators of the marriage are being identified and measures are being taken to prevent it. When controlling the quality of products, physical, chemical and other methods are used, which can be divided into two groups: destructive and non-destructive.

Destructive methods include the following tests:

Tensile and compression tests;

Impact tests;

Tests under repeated-variable loads;

Hardness tests.

Non-destructive methods include:

Magnetic (magnetographic methods);

Acoustic (ultrasonic flaw detection);

Radiation (defectoscopy using x-rays and gamma rays);

Thus, the product quality control system is a set of interrelated objects and subjects of control, the types, methods and means used to assess the quality of products and prevent defects at various stages of the product life cycle and quality management levels. An effective control system allows, in most cases, to carry out a timely and targeted impact on the level of product quality, to prevent all kinds of shortcomings and malfunctions, to ensure their prompt identification and elimination with the least expenditure of resources. Positive results of effective quality control can be identified and in most cases quantified at the stages of development, production, circulation, operation (consumption) and restoration (repair) of products.

The main functions of the product quality management system in the production process are to conduct and document control operations, the whole variety of which can be divided into three groups: incoming control of materials and components; operational control of semi-finished products (blanks), parts and assembly units; output control of the finished (final) product. It is during the performance of control operations and procedures related to these groups that the requirements inherent in the design of the product are implemented.

The product quality control system is a set of interrelated objects and subjects of control, the types, methods and means used to assess the quality of products and prevent defects at various stages of the product life cycle and quality management levels. An effective control system allows, in most cases, to carry out a timely and targeted impact on the level of product quality, to prevent all kinds of shortcomings and malfunctions, to ensure their prompt identification and elimination with the least expenditure of resources. Positive results of effective quality control can be identified and in most cases quantified at the stages of development, production, circulation, operation (consumption) and restoration (repair) of products.

Regulations on the department of technical control.

General provisions are specified in the appendix.

The main tasks of the OTK.

The main tasks of the OTK are:

Ensuring the release of products, the quality of which fully meets the requirements of the customer.

Organization and management structure.

The structure of the quality control department, as an independent division of the plant, is approved by the general director.

The number of QCD is determined by the staffing table approved by the General Director.

The QCD is managed by the head of the technical control department, who is appointed and dismissed by the general director.

The composition of the QCD includes according to the staffing table:

Head of QCD;

Deputy Head of Quality Control Department;

Master control for finished products;

Master control in workshops No. 1,2;

Head of laboratories in workshops No. 1,2;

Control master for acceptance of external cargoes;

Inspector in the production of ferrous metals, carrying out acceptance tests;

Laboratory assistants-controllers of QCD;

QCD controllers

5. The organizational structure of the QCD is presented in Appendix D.

OTK functions.

In accordance with the assigned tasks, it performs the following functions:

Control over the quality and completeness of finished products manufactured by the plant, compliance with the requirements of contracts.

Control over the quality of raw materials and materials supplied to the enterprise, for compliance with their concluded contracts and agreements.

Quality control of in-plant products transferred from one department to another (molds, quartzite, etc.).

Quality control of tare, packaging and shipment of products.

Control over compliance with the production technology by the workshops in accordance with the established technological regulations, instructions, standards of the enterprise.

Carrying out sampling and samples in accordance with GOSTs and methods adopted at the plant for all incoming raw materials and finished products.

Control over the correct storage of finished products in the warehouses of the plant.

Carrying out a daily analysis of production waste, with the establishment of the causes and those responsible for the occurrence of production defects in semi-finished products and finished products.

Consideration of claims for the plant's products, establishing the reasons for the release of low-quality products, identifying the guilty, preparing orders for product quality.

Collection of information and analysis of the service life of manufactured refractories in order to assess their quality in the post-production period.

Participation in the development of documents of the IC, in conducting internal audits in the QCD.

Development of STP for QCD, corrective actions.

Participation in the development and implementation of existing MVI and updating existing MVI.

Registration of shipping documentation for shipped products from OAO Dinur.

Introduction of modern means and test methods.

Organization of training, advanced training and professional level of personnel.

Ensuring the safety of the entrusted property, equipment and measuring instruments.

Creation of safe working conditions. Compliance with the norms and rules for labor protection and safety, industrial sanitation, as well as fire safety rules in accordance with the "Regulations on the labor protection management system at OAO Dinur". Development of safety instructions for QCD employees.

Interaction with other departments of the enterprise

- with the central factory laboratory (TsZL):

Receives: forms with the results of tests and studies.

Represents: applications (forms) for conducting chemical, physical, thermal, mechanical, X-ray phase tests, properties of raw materials, finished products;

- with the technical department:

Receives: normative documentation for raw materials, finished products, technological instructions, regulations for the production of manufactured products; for approval of drafts of the newly developed RD and amendments to the existing RD; technical literature and other information at the request of specialists.

Represents: applications for ND, technological documentation, technical literature;

- personnel management service (SMS):

Receives: information about violators of labor and production discipline, copies of orders related to the admission, transfer and dismissal of workers, copies of orders on labor discipline, changes in internal labor regulations.

Represents: applications for workers and specialists, characteristics for employees provided for promotion and rewards, materials for violators of labor discipline, vacation schedules, training plans for workers and specialists. Acts of inspections on compliance with labor discipline;

- with the department of labor and wages (OTIZ):

Receives: guidance materials on improving the organization of labor and wages, staffing of specialists and workers.

Submits: for approval of the regulation on the remuneration of workers, proposals on the staffing table, increasing coefficient, analysis of the refractories service (for a month before the 15th, quarterly and annual before the 20th), report on the work of the department (until the 15th of each month), data on bonuses;

- with the Central Laboratory of Metrology (CLM):

Represents: methodology, laboratory equipment and measuring instruments for certification and verification.

Receives: a schedule for the certification of laboratory equipment, methods for performing measurements, verification, calibration and repair of measuring instruments in operation; schedule of metrological supervision of their condition and use;

- engineering center (EC):

Represents: proposals for the development of new technological regulations, information about the service of refractories.

Receives: information about service properties of products, prescription cards for pilot batches;

- with the Quality and Certification Department (OKiS):

Receives: quality requirements for products under contracts, facsimile messages, blot schedules for approval, information about product service, albums of drawings for products in accordance with orders.

Represents: information about the service;

With the legal department;

With a design bureau (PKO);

With the management of material and technical means (UMTS);

With the service of the chief power engineer;

With the service of the chief mechanic;

Department of Enterprise Economics (EEP);

With the financial department (FO);

With repair and construction management (DCS);

With the main accounting department;

With the service of industrial safety and labor protection (SPBiOT).

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