Response Plan

Quick reference

• 00:05 Hi, I'm Ray Sheen, I've saved one aspect of the control plan for it's own special
• 00:09 module, and that's because it is so important to the success of the project.
• 00:13 That's the Response Plan.
• 00:17 And just to be clear this is a subset of the overall process control plan.
• 00:21 So this is what to do when something unusual, abnormal, or
• 00:25 just playing wrong happens.
• 00:27 For starters the response plan let's the process operators know which input and
• 00:32 outputs are critical and which are not.
• 00:34 Based upon the type of response and the nature of the response.
• 00:37 The operators will have a sense of what is most important.
• 00:41 When a defect is detected and that could be an output defect or an input defect,
• 00:45 the response plan tells the operators and managers what to do.
• 00:49 First, what to do with respect to notifying the customer of the process, and
• 00:54 second, what is to be done within the process both are important.
• 00:58 In some cases, the Response Plan will prescribe a response
• 01:02 even though a defect has not occurred yet.
• 01:04 This normally happens when a process is starting to degrade.
• 01:08 For instance, a run chart on an input may indicate the presence of a special cause
• 01:13 variation with the shift in the input value.
• 01:16 The magnitude of the shift may not be enough to create a defect of output, but
• 01:20 the fact that a special cause variation has been detected is an indication that
• 01:24 the process is degrading and the response plan will likely give direction
• 01:29 to the operator as to what they should do.
• 01:31 Sometimes, that process is directed to do something that is not part of the standard
• 01:35 procedure.
• 01:36 There is a custom order or there is a special case that must be run.
• 01:41 Response plan provides directions to the operator as to how they should respond to
• 01:45 the special request or unusual situation.
• 01:47 It isn't that this is necessarily a bad problem it's just different from
• 01:51 the normal process and therefore requires special attention.
• 01:55 So let's review the different types of responses.
• 01:58 There're a number of factors that should be considered when determining what
• 02:01 are the appropriate response should be.
• 02:04 These factors include the characteristics to the process, the process parameters
• 02:08 the magnitude of the out of control or unusual situation, and the breadth and
• 02:13 depth of information that is needed to be able to respond to the situation.
• 02:17 One type of response is to increase monitoring of the parameter in question.
• 02:22 In this case, the process is continued, but with extra oversight.
• 02:27 There maybe increased testing or increased frequency of sampling.
• 02:30 This is often done if alarm limits are reached on a parameter.
• 02:34 The output is not yet out of specification but is getting close.
• 02:39 Another response is the manual override.
• 02:41 This is often used with automated equipment that has identified a possible
• 02:46 defector error. An operator or inspector or manager reviews the defect and
• 02:50 determines if it is a valid defect or if the item can be continued in the process.
• 02:55 I often find this approach used when a process has to handle custom orders or
• 02:59 custom items.
• 03:00 There's no way for an automation to know all the possible options of a custom job.
• 03:05 So, the automation flags it as a possible error and someone must respond to it and
• 03:09 make a determination.
• 03:11 The third one is probably the easiest to understand: stop, correct and resume.
• 03:16 This is often the response used for set-up error or a manual assembly error.
• 03:20 This is also the approach normally used for
• 03:22 items discussed in the troubleshooting guide for the operator.
• 03:25 When they have a specific type of problem they should stop,
• 03:28 take a specific corrective action, and then they can resume the process.
• 03:32 It's a great approach, but it requires the process designers to have
• 03:36 already identify that as a possible defect.
• 03:39 It doesn't work well for brand new problems.
• 03:42 The fourth response is almost a variation on the third response.
• 03:46 Again, the operator stops work but
• 03:48 now they begin to follow some special procedures.
• 03:51 This is normally used if the problem or
• 03:53 error is not a quick fix that can be easily corrected and the process resumed.
• 03:58 This is often used with items that are very expensive or
• 04:02 that are very sensitive to external stakeholders.
• 04:05 In these cases, we normally don't wanna throw something away and start over, so
• 04:09 there are special instructions for what to do in this special situation.
• 04:14 The fifth response approach is a fallback approach when
• 04:16 you've not been able to prepare one of the other four.
• 04:19 The operator's response is to stop and ask for help.
• 04:22 Bring it to the experts, and let them determine what is happening.
• 04:26 And I recommend this response for new process introductions or
• 04:29 critical process parameters until the process can become stable.
• 04:34 When there is a problem,
• 04:35 I want the subject matter experts to be leading the investigation.
• 04:39 Now, most response plans are a combination of these approaches,
• 04:42 and I usually provide the response plan with the monitoring information so
• 04:46 the operators don't need to be referencing multiple procedures or documents.
• 04:52 A clear response plan will make it much easier for the process manager and
• 04:56 the operators to deal with the inevitable problems that will come up,
• 05:00 don't neglect this.

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