Improvements and Preventive Measures

Improvements and Preventive Measures are an essential tool for quality improvement. In AyMINE, their management is part of the quality management module

• Differences between improvement and preventive action
• Documentation of improvements and preventive action
• Improvements are not within the project
• Improvement Process

Differences between improvement and preventive action

The purpose of improvement is to improve the way the action is carried out. The logical consequence of improvement is either

• Improved product quality (includes improved quality consistency, i.e. less variation), or
• Lower process cost, or
• Higher speed

The purpose of preventive action is to prevent problem from occurring, whether it be a product problem or an incident within the production process or a mismatch in quality compliance.

Documentation of improvements and preventive action

Both are monitoring within the areas in AyMINE. In order to benefit from improvement or preventive action, you must have an active standards area and an active process quality management area.

Improvements are not within the project

Preventive measures or improvements are not part of the project management. In the project, Preventive Measures are part of risk management, namely the risk minimisation plan. Process improvements are addressed outside the project as part of internal process improvements (quality management). Product Improvements are addressed with solutions within change requirements or directly within product analysis.

Improvement Process

1. An improvement proposal can occur at any time and in any process. The standard procedure is that the proposal is sent to the quality manager or the owner of the process to which the improvement relates.
2. The quality manager or the owner of the process records the proposal among the improvement proposals. The manager manages generic proposals that are not directed to a specific process or involve multiple processes. The owner of the process manages the improvements to a specific process.
3. Improvement proposals can be discussed at a meeting. The specific improvements are thought-out directly in the proposal (under the Solution Proposal tab).
4. To implement individual steps, the design manager creates tasks directly from the proposal. As a result, the tasks are linked to the proposal and it is documented whether and how the proposal was processed.
5. After the proposal is completed, its status is changed to terminated.