Quality audits
Quality Audits can be very useful tools in monitoring process variability by ensuring that all records concerning the product information are up-to-date are have the correct figures corresponding to the correct dates of purchase. Inconsistency in the audit records can clearly indicate that something went wrong somewhere. Audit reports arising from internal and external audits can provide useful information that indicates variability in the purchasing process. A good example of how audits can work concerns the selection of the suitable suppliers within the prescribed criteria. The audits can reveal if indeed the selection criteria were followed before certain suppliers were selected.
Preventive or corrective actions
Preventive or corrective actions are also essential in monitoring variability. This applies mostly to personnel working on purchased product verification processes. Actions that ensure that they follow the prescribed procedures in processes ensure that variability is well monitored and they ensure that quality is consistent in all the purchased products. Actions can include rejecting a purchased product if at all it does not meet the customers requirements. This would send a message to those in charge that there is a problem hence the need for a solution to prevent future rejections.
Management review meetings
Management review meetings are also an important quality tool in Hershey organization. This is in the sense that through such meetings loopholes that can lead to compromised quality of purchased products are identified and adequate measures prescribed by the management.
Process control charts
This is a very useful tool for ensuring consistency in the statistics that concern the range of variability that should be associated with the purchased product. For instance it can provide the upper and lower limits within which the quality of the product has to fall especially during the verification process. This can ensure that quality of purchased products is maintained all through between the upper and lower limits.
Return Merchandise Authorization
This is a vital tool especially for notifying the suppliers that indeed the purchased product did not meet the customer’s requirements. Once such an authority is given it will ensure that compromised quality products which have been already purchased can be returned.
Check sheet
This is a method of presenting information in an efficient manner with the use of graphics. This can be well undertaken using lists of items which can be incorporated into the format and bring out the actual system which is under analysis. Graphs can be used to indicate the effect of the purchased product on the final product. With such a graph those who are in charge of suppliers will be in a better position to select the best quality suppliers based on the effects of the purchased product on the final product.
Brainstorming
This can be utilized to generate so many ideas quickly.It can be significant in identification of problems and solutions in the verification of purchased products or selection of the best suppliers.
Nominal groups
This tool can be used in conjunction with brainstorming in the sense that ideas generated through brainstorming can be put into consensus concerning the most important problems in the purchasing process and from there suggest the workable solutions to ensure quality standard products are purchased. With this technique, each member is made to rank the generated problems in order of importance then consensus is arrived at with the highest ranked problem in a group.
References
Dramm, J. R., 1998. Results driven approach to improving quality and productivity. Conference
Proceedings, Wood Technology Clinic, Portland, OR. Miller Freeman.
Sample control charts
