QA6640 Chat Room Transcript January 24, 2007

QA6640 Chat Room Transcript January 24, 2007

Prof. Atkins 20:21:20
The chat room is closed for this evening. It will reopen next Wednesday at 7:35 PM.

Komic 20:18:01
Thank you.

Prof. Atkins 20:16:15
Komic,

There is no length restriction for the Module One Assignment. However, students who simply copy and paste material from web sites to increase the length of their answer do not get as good a grade as students who actually integrate the information in an original and intelligent manner.

gstevens 20:15:18
Good night all and thanks for the feedback on the various industries.

James Scott 20:14:22
Thank You, Good Night

Komic 20:13:58
Prof. Atkins,
Is there any limitation regarding the length of the Module One assigment.

Prof. Atkins 20:13:29
If there are no other questions, we can close the chat room for this evening.

Natasha 20:12:26
OK. Thank you

mginn 20:10:42
Thank you.

Prof. Atkins 20:10:36
Natasha,

The subject line should reference this course with something similar to:

QA6640 Module One Submission

Prof. Atkins 20:09:47
mginn,

This question was asked and answered last week.

Module One is due on February 5, 2007 which is the due date that is posted on the Module One assignment that you download from the web site.

All students may ignore the earlier due date posted on the QA6640 course syllabus.

Natasha 20:08:45
I have a quick question. Is there any format that you would like us to use in the subject line of our e-mail that we submit our homework assignment?

mginn 20:07:32
When is the module 1 report due?

Prof. Atkins 20:05:58
The thirty-minutes are now up. Responses posted after this message appears will not be evaluated for chat room participation credit.

Students will receive grade feedback tomorrow by email.

A copy of tonight’s chat room transcript will be posted on the web site tomorrow.

If you have a question, you may ask it at this time.

gstevens 20:03:44
This is to replace the previous version as there was an major error in the setence after Example.

Glenn Stevens
Module 2 Discussion Question
Email: anandale@comcast.net

Company Selected: LHS a company I previously worked for that was responsible for the development of communications billing software applications for use by wireless telecommunications companies such as Verizon, Cingular and Sprint. The company had a general product that was used to provide customer management, call rating and billing for these companies. Some particular customers wanted a customized version of the software product and hence had the product tailored to meet their unique specifications.

Specification Type: Production Specification Type

Example: The contracted customer provided a set of written specifications that were known as business functionality. Also there were technical (non-functional specifications that were supplied)
Business Functional Specifications: The following are some examples of the functional specifications that were requested.
1. Ability to enter names of wireless subscriber customers up to 30 characters in length.
2. Ability to validate street addresses to provide the most correct street address for all addresses supplied in the US and Canada
3. Ability report rates in US and Canadian dollars
4. Ability to provide printed reports based on timeframe for call usage for the following periods: Month To Date, Last Month, Last 3 Months.
5. Ability to change rate plan values and all calls are to be rated at second interval, not minutes.
6. Ability to generate monthly or on demand bills.
7. All unused call allotments for the current month are to be rolled over to the next month and added to the monthly allotted.
8. Ability to provide automatic credit to subscribers based on days of service failures.
9. Ability to accept part and full payments.

With this information additional business rules were created to ensure that the software product would perform in accordance. Business Rules were part and parcel of the specification and provided validation framework. One such rule would be that the system would not allow the same customer to have more than one account. That is John Doe could not have more than one account.

Non Functional Business Specifications
1. The system should be able to process over 6,000 calls in 10 minutes or less.
2. The system should be able to bill over 5 milion customers.
3. Bill processing capability and throughput must be 5,000 bills per in 15 minutes or less.
4. Online screen refresh rates should be less than 5 seconds for all customer transaction screens.
5. Error messages are to be produced indicating system failure.
6. Create 6 levels of security profile with different access rights and privileges based on supplied roles- 1)Customer service representative, 2)System Administator, 3)Customer Service Representative Supervisor, 4)Customer Service Manager, 5) Data Base Administrator 6) Executive Manager

Technical Specifications
1. The system should be able to run on both UNIX, Windows OS operating system.
2. Cached memory of the online applications should be greater than 560K bytes.
3. System should be able to print to any standard printer.
4. System should be able to run on hardware servers from HP, IBM, SUN.
5. Data base should be archived daily and full back up capabilities for business continuity.

Natasha 20:02:27
Natasha Romero
nromero@spsu.edu

Product Specification:

1. I currently work for Sandia National Laboratory. We are a contractor to the Department of Energy and Department of Defense. Our mission is national security.
2. I have chosen to use the product specification. A product specification in my work environment would be referred to as system requirements. This is a document in which the customer and us (contractor) would sign off on as an agreement of what the product will be that we are providing/designing for them.
3. We currently have a number of templates which are used within our program for all of our projects. One of these templates is our System Requirements templates includes the following sections:
a. Introduction – includes purpose, scope, definitions, acronyms, references
b. General System Description – includes context, modes and states, major capabilities, user characteristics, Operational Scenarios, Assumptions and Dependencies
c. Requirements for System Capabilities, Conditions, and Constraints – includes Physical Requirements, System Performance Characteristics, System Safety Requirements, System Security Requirements, Information Management Requirements, System Operation Requirements, Interface Requirements, Policy and Regulation Requirements, Quality Assurance Requirements
The main guts of this document are the Requirements for System Capabilities, Conditions, and Constraints. It is not required that all of the sections of the template are used. These are only suggestions to give a writer a starting point with a new project. It is also feasible to have a document that focuses only on one of the requirements section for example there could be one document which describes the physical requirements of project. In my work environment we design vehicles. We have product specifications/requirements documents which describe the physical characteristics or requirements of the vehicles that we design. The point of us using and creating these requirements templates is so that the writer of document takes a moment to think about whether it is appropriate to include a section of the template in their document as it applies to their project or to not include the section.

Komic 20:02:25
The company I work for is Cardinal Health Snowden- Pencer Product. The company manufacture, package and distribute various surgical instruments. One of the product is Desposable Scissor Tip. This product is sold sterile. We are manufactured and packaged this product in house and send it to Steris for sterilization.

The component used for the assembly of the disposable scissor tips are inner and outer blades.

I will discuss the product specifications of these blades. Product specifications are determined first and have common components like: product description, required characteristics, handling and packaging requirements Product specification may contain some additional elements as applicable.

Product name: Scissor Blade, Curved, Outer, Disposable

The product specifications as well as row material specifications are provided on the applicable drawing (Drawing scale 4:1).

All dimensions are given in inches. Tolerance limit:
.xx +/-.005
.xxx +/-.003
ANG +/- 30’

All dimensions were specified on the drawing, also critical dimensions were defined and specified such as the angle of the outer and inner curve of the blades and thickness of the blades.

Notes on the drawing specifies the following:

Critical dimensions will be verfied by cut testing.
Incoming inspection sample size shall be 32 blade sets per lot.
Blades that fail cut test shall be inspected dimensionaly for conformance to specification.drawing require dimensional inspection if cut test fail.

Cut test blade assemblies must fit through a 5.5 mm cannula. Inner and outer blades must overlap at tip by .015 “min. This specification will be verified by cut testing

gstevens 20:01:24
Glenn Stevens
Module 2 Discussion Question
Email: anandale@comcast.net

Specification Type: Production Specification Type

Example: The contracted customer did not provided a set of written specifications that were known as business functionality. Also there were technical (non-functional specifications that were supplied)
Business Functional Specifications: The following are some examples of the functional specifications that were requested.
1. Ability to enter names of wireless subscriber customers up to 30 characters in length.
2. Ability to validate street addresses to provide the most correct street address for all addresses supplied in the US and Canada
3. Ability report rates in US and Canadian dollars
4. Ability to provide printed reports based on timeframe for call usage for the following periods: Month To Date, Last Month, Last 3 Months.
5. Ability to change rate plan values and all calls are to be rated at second interval, not minutes.
6. Ability to generate monthly or on demand bills.
7. All unused call allotments for the current month are to be rolled over to the next month and added to the monthly allotted.
8. Ability to provide automatic credit to subscribers based on days of service failures.
9. Ability to accept part and full payments.

el hamraoui hanane 20:01:07
Honda Civic has a very nice aesthetic, a very good safety equipment, more power, satisfies all driver's needs. The product is able to diagnose and be fixed with lower costs than the german brand for example. Honda provides a booklet for drivers showing the user instructions, such as installability and ease of use of the vehicle. The company provides also the labeling and warning to drivers. for As far as maintenance is concerned, Honda cars can be fixed in many mechanic shops and with low cost.

Brad McGuire 20:00:12
Brad McGuire - QA6640
bmcguire@spsu.edu

1) Lockheed Martin Aeronautics - This is the company I have been employed with for 7.5 years. In Marietta, where I work, we assemble and deliver the F-22 Raptor to the U.S. Air Force.
2) The specification I will discuss is one I deal with and refer to on a daily basis, the F-22 Aircraft Step and Gap Specification. This spec is considered a Product Specification in that it defines the allowable tolerances for panel mismatch and gaps. This specification is developed in a joint effort by Lockheed Martin design, manufacturing, RCS (Radar Cross Section) engineers and DCMA (customer).
3) The F-22 Step and Gap spec undergoes periodic changes and is therefore considered a dynamic document. As mentioned earlier this spec defines how much of a mismatch and gap (in thousandths) is allowed between panels as they are final installed on the aircraft prior to Radar Cross Section testing and coatings. As a QA Engineer in final assembly, I’m constantly referring to this spec as the aircraft nears rollout to ensure zero panel seams are out of tolerance on either step or gap. Included in this spec is the following: 1) a definition and illustration of each type of panel seam on the aircraft, 2) a detailed description of how to measure each seam, 3) a list of the preferred measuring tools to use, 4) a list of panel part numbers and names that form the seam and 5) characteristics - acceptable upper and lower tolerances prior to and after coatings (although the latter does not apply in final assembly) for each numbered seam. And as I stated earlier, this specification is updated as the engineering blueprints are updated, which is on a fairly regular basis. As the text states on page 26, “Specifications provide checkpoints in manufacturing that ensure quality of the product”. This certainly is true with this step and gap spec. All production mechanics, their supervisors, and the QA inspectors are cognizant of this spec and what the allowable tolerances are (usually because of my reminding them). Immediately after final panel installation, the mechanic and inspector will measure the panel step and gap and reference the spec. This checkpoint is repeated with nearly every panel on the aircraft.

chris wellman 19:59:51
Christopher J. Wellman
cwellman@spsu.edu
1. Briefly describe the company you have chosen.
2. Briefly describe the type of specification you will discuss.
3. Use a specific example to help explain the specification, and include as much detail as possible without exceeding the thirty-minute time limit for your response.

1. The Company I will discuss is Lockheed Martin division in Manassas, who is a supplier to the Department of Defense. In this division Lockheed provides electronic consoles used for command and control of systems on Submarines.
2. We provide a Product specification to Lockheed for an electronic console we procure to support a sensor system we sell to the Navy. Our specification describes the environment that the console must survive, the inputs and outputs of the console and the Graphic User Interface necessary for the operator to control the sensors.
3. We use a tool called Requirements Traceability Management (RTM) by Syrena to break the specification down to specific individual requirements. We work with a Test Integrated Process Team (TEIPT) to determine how each of the requirements will be verified so we can ensure we completely satisfy the specification.

There are approximately 2000 requirements which we must verify and that verification can involve; Inspection, Analysis, Demonstration or Test. We assign a project unique identification number to each requirement. As we work through the requirements, we find that initial concepts of how requirements would be verified are not always practical, so the TEIPT adjudicates any new process proposed by members.

We develop a table in RTM called a System Requirements Verification Matrix (SRVM) that we use to allocate the requirements to individual Hardware or Software Configuration Items. We identify individual test procedures, which we assign to each requirement.

In some cases a test procedure will cover many requirements, in one case about 700 requirements. We require that the procedure contain a requirements table to correlate individual steps in the procedure to the requirements that they verify. In this manner we can ensure each requirement is verified by checking off each requirement that we verify in the SRVM Table as we conduct the verification.

James Scott 19:59:19
James Scott
jscott6@spsu.edu

The company I chose to discuss manufactures heavy industrial equipment for the scrap and recycling industry. Their main customers are commercial scrap yards and recycling centers. The particular application I am referring to is the customer who recycles old automobiles for scrap metal. These customers use a very large shredding mill that grind automobiles into small pieces, which are then separated into ferrous, non-ferrous, etc. The ferrous metal is sold, usually to China for use in making steel.

Product specifications dictate 2 important aspects. First, the shredding process should yield ferrous pieces that are as small as possible. Larger pieces require more fuel to melt therefore it is very important to the customer to have the pieces as small as possible. Given current fuel prices, this is the most important specification. An ideal piece of ferrous shred would be no larger that 2” x 2”.
Secondly, the scrap should be clean. As much of the dirt, plastics, debris should be removed to reduce the amount of cleaning required. Although this parameter is a more subjective specification, customers will request this in their product specifications. This specification is addressed with adequate down-line systems requiring magnets, eddy-current and manual pickers.

The scrap industry is a $30 Billion industry and customers want as much product as they can get with minimal waste.

Joel 19:56:24
The company chosen is Third Wave Technologies. This company is in the molecular diagnostics industry. The products offered allow laboratories to test patient samples to identify genetic predispositions to various diseases. For instance, the company has a product that when mixed with a patient’s DNA, it can tell a physician whether a certain drug will cause an adverse reaction based on the patient’s genetic makeup. Third wave technologies is regulated by the FDA.

The specification chosen is the Quality Management Specifications. These institute the framework of procedures, controls and methods required to make a product. Quality management specifications can be modeled against ISO standards, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, etc.

Recently, the company decided to outsource the manufacturing of one of its products. While examining different candidates for this task, the company used several supplier surveys to begin assessment of potential external facilities. One of the major requirements for this product is that is manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). We found a suitable candidate that had the systems in place to meet this specification and we drafted a supplier agreement. In this document, we specified that although we did not required them to be registered as a GMP facility, we required that our products were manufactured under a quality system modeled against GMPs. After an on-site audit of this supplier we knew that they would not have a problem agreeing to this specification and they signed the agreement.

Michael Ginn 19:55:50
Michael Ginn
Email: ginnmichael@hotmail.com

1. Process Specification

The company I will reference to is a tier one automotive supplier (Transmission Supplier to the Big-Three). I worked there as a quality technician. This company is a fairly large plant (200-250 employees). They supplied a total of 12 different models of transmissions. Being a quality technician I was directly affected by process specification, because I had to insure we were producing the product to specification.

I was a quality technician to the machining department. All our process specifications were pulled directly from the supplied blue print. These prints were trickled down to various approval processes before the product was produced as full scale production. For example: a Pre-Production Approval Process (PPAP) was completed with an initial print to insure the product could be made at the desired specifications. A capability study would be completed at the time of the PPAP. This capability study would use the process specifications as inputs to calculate Cpk & Ppk indexes. On all critical specifications the customer would require a Ppk of 1.67 and on non critical specifications a Cpk of 1.67 was required. If these targets were not meet the engineering group and the customer would meet to see if the process specifications were feasible. Most of these process specifications were dimensional. For example: transmission housing would need to be a certain length to insure all the components associated with the housing would fit properly. This length would be measured on a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) to check the length of the housing was correct to the process specification.

Gleiter 19:54:27
Kimberly Gleiter
kgleiter@hedonline.com

Product specifications as described by Bossert, defines what is required for a product to perform as expected by the consumer. The company that I work for (HED) produces hydro electronic devices. The engineering department provides the production department with a drawing, a bill of material, and testing procedures specific to that part. At times we find this “manufacturing packet” could use more detail to help prevent misinterpretations or potential nonconformities. If this addition or clarification could affect the form, fit, or function of the part, production initiates an ECR (engineering change request) for an update to the drawing. For example, if the drawing does not spell out the orientation of a component it should not be assumed that everyone will interpret it the same. If it does not affect f/f/f, then production initiates a quality specification sheet. This is a tool that the Production Supervisor controls and uses to communicate such information, including alerts to quality issues that have arisen.

adial 19:52:08
Briefly describe the company you have chosen.

I have chosen to discuss GE Contractual Services. GE Contractual Services provides long-term service agreements for planned and unplanned maintenance activities on the GE provided equipment. This is a $3B + company and provides approximately 4% of all General Electrics revenues.

Briefly describe the type of specification you will discuss.

I have chosen to address process specifications. GE Contractual Services (GECS) does not actually create a product. It is primarily a provider for a financial solution to GE OEM business consumers. It provides equipment guarantees on purchased equipment and accomplishes this via guaranteed maintenance activities. GECS has a proprietary application called “outage Excellence”. This application is an automated checklist that has required steps of an outage planning exercise prescribed in a portal for the contract manager. Outage Excellence schedules mandatory maintenance planning reviews for the user and automatically notifies required parties to ensure completion and compliance for each of the mandatory tasks at pre-defined intervals as the outage approaches. For example, there are mandatory tasks to be performed at the 18-month, 1-month, 8-month, 6-month, 3-month and 1-month stages of the planning process. As tasks are completed, they are marked “complete” within the application by role of attendee. These activities are reviewed with the Customer to ensure satisfaction. The application is slightly older than 2 years and has gained resounded credit by our Customers.

Use a specific example to help explain the specification, and include as much detail as possible without exceeding the thirty-minute time limit for your response.

The process tracks “Variance to Want” time spans for contract compliance. If the variances to the customer want (VTW) date are approaching or excessive, it escalates the compliance task to the responsible parties direct manager. As well, for each section of compliance, it captures metrics surrounding the process such as “on-time delivery” of parts and services and discrete data around timely completion of area such as Environmental, Health and Safety, Quality Checks and procedure development. The application also records metrics surrounding the completion of mandatory tasks during and post-outage. This application allows us to understand where our business needs improvement to ensure Customer satisfaction and contract compliance. This is important because we can incur liquidated damages du to failure to comply.

el hamraoui hanane 19:50:53
The specification I would choose is product specification and the company that I am familiar with is Honda as I own a car make Honda. The company has a set of product specifications that provide checkpoints in manufacturing to ensure a high quality of the vehicle. Honda Civic has a set of product specifications since to drivers it is reliable, can work for years with less mechnaical problems.

Prof. Atkins 19:34:33
Chat Room Participation Question:

You have thirty-minutes to answer the following chat room question:

At the top of Page 26 in the Bossert textbook there is a very brief discussion of the five basic types of specifications:

1. Product specifications.
2. Process specifications.
3. Analytical specifications.
4. Raw material specifications.
5. Quality management specifications.

Select any ONE of the above five types of specifications and discuss it in detail as it applies to a SPECIFIC example that you are familiar with.

You may discuss your example in reference to any ONE of the following:

The company you now work for, or
a company you have worked for before, or
a company you are familiar with.

Your discussion should cover the following three issues:

1. Briefly describe the company you have chosen.
2. Briefly describe the type of specification you will discuss.
3. Use a specific example to help explain the specification, and include as much detail as possible without exceeding the thirty-minute time limit for your response.

It is suggested that you type your answer into a Microsoft WORD file. When you have finished answering the chat room question, then you should copy and paste your entire answer into the Message window above. Then click the [POST] button. Your answer will then appear in the chat room for everyone to read.

You MUST post your answer in the chat room no later than thirty-minutes AFTER this question first appears in the chat room.