Project Quality Collection

This chapter covers the following topics:

Overview of Project Quality Collection

Oracle Quality is an integrated quality management application designed to support the diverse data collection needs of discrete, repetitive, assemble-to-order, and batch process manufacturers. Oracle Quality helps you manage and distribute critical quality information throughout your organization.

Oracle Project Manufacturing enables you to use these capabilities in a Project Manufacturing environment:

Quality Process Flow

The following diagram illustrates the quality process flow.

the picture is described in the document text

The following paragraphs describe each of the above steps in using Oracle Quality. The following example illustrates each step in the process.

Collection Elements

Collection elements in Oracle Quality determine what data to collect and report. You can define an unlimited number of collection elements for attributes such as defect, disposition, severity, cause, pass/fail results, or for variables such as voltage, resistance, temperature, or acidity. A third group, reference information collection elements, reference database objects defined in other Oracle Applications - examples are Item, PO Number, Job, or Quantity. Project and task are among the reference collection elements now supported in Oracle Quality.

In our example, collection elements are Project Number, Task, Item, PO Number, PO Line Number, Quantity, Supplier, Thickness, Defect Code, Disposition Code, and Project Manager. Collection Element Project Manager are populated based on the value you enter for Project Number. This can be done by using the Assign a Value Action for the collection element Project Number.

Specifications

Specifications describe the requirements of a product and can be created for items, suppliers, and customers. You can define specification limits for key characteristics of the products you produce or material you receive from suppliers. You can create item specifications by assigning a group of collection elements and their specification limits to items or categories of items. You can also create supplier specifications for items you receive from specific suppliers. Finally, you can create customer specifications specific to the product standards expected by customers. These three types of specifications help ensure that the goods you produce conform to your quality engineering standards and to your customers' quality standards. To provide more detail and flexibility, specification subtypes and specification elements are also provided.

In our example, item specification type is used. For each specification of this collection plan, Item =A.

Specification Subtypes are used to create more granular specifications. For example, if a different but similar supplier specification is required when a supplier ships from one location versus another, you can use specification subtypes to ensure that the correct specification is applied.

In Project Manufacturing, specification subtypes can be used to effectively create project specific requirements. While defining a specification you should use Project Number as the collection element in the specification subtype field. This allows you to create multiple specifications for the same item/supplier/customer specification with the Project Number as additional criteria.

In our example, while defining specifications for item A for the collection element thickness, you could have 2 different projects that have slightly different acceptance criteria. Project #1 allows you to accept items which have a thickness range of .050 -.100 inches (specification range). Project #2 has a tighter range and allows only.055 -.080 inches (specification range). You can now create Specification 1 for Item A, and specification subtype = Project #1 and Specification 2 for Item A, specification subtype = Project #2 with the corresponding specification limits. While using these specifications in data collection, you can find the correct specification using the Project Number as a search criteria.

Specification elements are the building blocks of specifications. Specification elements can be any data type but would most typically be numeric. You create specification elements by adding collection elements to your specifications. As you create specification elements, the specification limits, if any, are defaulted from the source (collection element). Specification limits include an acceptable target value as well as user-defined, reasonable, and specification range limits. The specification limits of a specification element can be updated as required.

In our example, the specification element is thickness, with the lower and upper spec limits for Specification 1 being .050 and .100. Lower and Upper Spec limits for Specification 2 would be .055 and .080.

Skip Lot Inspection Criteria

Oracle Quality supports skip lot inspection functionality for purchase order receiving inspections. You can perform skip lot process setup, skip lot engine execution, and inspection result inquiry. Skip lot inspection is only relevant to receipts that are destined to be inspected. If selected by the skip process, a purchase order shipments Receipts Routing will be changed from inspection Required to standard Receipt. Selection criteria are defined to allow skip lot inspections for specific combinations of supplier, supplier site, item, item revision, item category, item manufacturer, project and task.

Sampling Inspections

Oracle Quality provides support for ANSI/ASQC single sampling plan for normal / reduced / tightened inspection, standard c=0 sampling plan and user defined c=0 plans. After you setup the sampling plan, you can choose to include Project and Task as part of the sampling criteria to associate a sampling plan with the run time contexts/criteria.

Note: Project and Task Number support is not provided for mobile supply chain applications inbound receiving inspection with sampling.

Collection Plans

Collection plans determine what data to collect, where to collect it, when to collect it, and what action to take based on the data. Collection plans are similar to test or inspection plans. You can define an unlimited number of collection plans. Within each collection plan, you specify collection elements such as defect types, symptoms, causes, actions, critical measurements, as well as reference information like project and task number, item, lot number, supplier and customer. You should specify Project Number and task as mandatory collection elements - this enables you to analyze and report your collected quality data by project and task.

Collection plans can be invoked manually for direct results entry. You can do this in the Quality Responsibility by using the Enter Quality Results forms and using the appropriate collection plan. They can also be automatically invoked as you enter transactions in other Oracle Applications. You can do this by setting up collection triggers based on the transactions such as Move Transactions, Completion Transactions, Work Order-less Completion Transactions (Oracle Work in Process), Receiving Transactions (Oracle Internet Procurement), Inspection Transactions (Oracle Internet Procurement) and Service Requests (Oracle Service) supported by Oracle Quality. Collection triggers are events or conditions that a transaction must satisfy before quality data collection is invoked. Collection elements that can be used to trigger these transactions are referred to as context elements and available in the list of values for each transaction type. Project and task are available as context elements and can be used to trigger Quality data collection.

Attachments

You can attach illustrative or explanatory files -- in the form of text, images, word processing documents, spreadsheets and video to collection plans. In a Project Manufacturing environment, attachments can be used to document instructions specific to a project or groups of projects. They can be viewed by operations personnel during quality data collection.

Actions

You can invoke actions as you collect quality data. You can assign actions and action rules to collection elements. As quality data is collected, results values are used in the evaluation of action rules associated with collection plan elements. When an action rule is found to be true, the action associated with that action rule is invoked. Actions are either specific to an Oracle Applications product, and act upon database objects associated with that product, or they are non-product specific. Example of Application specific actions could be putting a job on hold, a supplier on hold. Examples of non-product specific actions could be a message to the operator, an alert action. Alert actions supported by Oracle Quality include sending an electronic mail notification, executing a SQL script, executing an operating system script and launching a concurrent request. You can dynamically distribute mail messages by including output variables in the recipient fields.

In our example, the collection plan uses the receiving inspection transaction type. The data collection is setup as Mandatory and Enabled to allow for data collection online. The collection plan uses Item Specification type. Collection elements includes Project Number, Task, Item, PO Number, PO Line Number, Quantity, Supplier, Thickness, Defect Code, Disposition Code, and Project Manager. Project Number and task are used as mandatory collection elements to allow for data collection and analysis/reporting by project. Project Manager collection element be populates based on the Project Number collection element. Collection element thickness is associated with a specification limit and an mail notification is sent to the specific Project Manager (listed in the collection element Project Manager) when the value for thickness is not to specification limits on a PO line item. The collection plan is triggered as part of a Receiving Inspection transaction, when Item =A (trigger element). This example can be modified to use Project Number as an additional trigger element if multiple collection plans are available for the same item.

Data Collection

You can enter quality results into the quality data repository directly, as you transact in other Oracle Manufacturing Applications, or using Collection Import. While entering data, you can find specifications associated with a collection plan. If a specification type has been associated with the collection plan selected, you are prompted to find and select a specification of that type as you enter quality results. You can select a specification from the list of values or by entering search criteria - this could include Project Number, Serial Number and so forth.

In our example, when you perform a Receiving Inspection transaction for Item=A, you are required to complete the quality data before you can commit your receiving transaction. The collection plan can be invoked from the Special Menu or from the Quality Button. Since multiple specifications are associated with this collection plan, you have to select the appropriate specification to be used. This selection can be done by entering the Project Number in the spec subtype as your search criteria. Based on the Project Number, the appropriate specification limits is listed in the collection plan for the collection element thickness. When the values for thickness are exceeded - email notification is sent to the specific Project Manager as setup in the collection plan.

Analyze and Report Results

Oracle Quality provides you with powerful inquiries that enable you to quickly find quality results. You can define your own selection criteria based on collection elements used in the collection plan. You can view quality results using online, ad hoc queries and through printed reports.

In our example, if you have a data collection plan for receiving inspection for Item A you can view failure results that are specific to a project. Since the collection plan was setup for Item=A, the specific Project Number can be used as selection criteria in the results analysis and reporting.

Related Topics

Oracle Quality User's Guide