Insights on Quality Management, ISO 9001, and Six Sigma Implementation

Hi All!

My name is Biju Nair. I work for an automotive ancillary based in Daman, India, with operations across India. I head the Quality department. I joined this site while searching for quality management-related information. I am open to any discussions or help for peers and juniors.

Have a nice day!

Dear Sir,

It's very nice to hear you are ready to help right from your first post. Can you tell us in what aspects of quality management can you help us? I need guidance in ISO 9001 and Six Sigma.

Warm Welcome, K.S. Ambika

Hi Ambika,

Nice to hear from you too.

I can help with any concerns related to ISO 9001, TS16949, and 14001 from a system point of view, as well as problem-solving tools or automotive core tools like FMEA, MSA, etc. Please specify your particular concern.

Regards, Biju

Hello Mr. Nair,

Your name is quite similar to one of my favorite tutors; you simply remind me of him - thanks for that.

Well, in terms of quality management, I would like to know something about Six Sigma certification. If you could help me with that, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Mousumi

Hello Mousumi,

Nice to hear from you and nice to hear that my name evokes pleasant memories.

I presume that you mean personal certification when you talk of Six Sigma certification.

There are two common levels of certification available in India - green belt and black belt. There is a basic yellow belt level for which I have not heard of any training program in India, and the highest level, Master Black Belt, is not achieved by means of certification alone.

The green belt training from reputed sources is typically of 4-5 days' duration and costs about 20K, and the typical black belt training is about 30 days' duration split into 4 schedules of a week each, spread over 4 months. Watered-down versions are readily available. The black belt program from a reputed agency can cost between 75K to 100K. You have to have a very good aptitude for statistics if you want to try this. Also, look into career enhancement opportunities in your industry which can come from certification before proceeding.

Hope this info helps.

Regards,

Biju

Hello Sir,

I am involved in the implementation of ISO 9001. I am struggling with technical documentation. Basic guidelines on how to proceed would be helpful. If you could provide me with your email ID, I can provide more details.

Thank you very much, Mr. Nair. You have provided a comprehensive answer to my question, and the material you shared has greatly enhanced my understanding.

Thanks,
Mousumi

Hi Ambika,

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "technical documentation"? Basic requirements of ISO 9001, such as the Quality manual and procedures, do not necessarily need to include technical documents. You can email me at bijurb@in.com. I may not be able to respond this week as I will be traveling.

Regards,
Biju

Hi,

I am sorry, I do not understand the question well. Do you mean how to address HR in an ISO 9001 manual, or do you mean what all to cover in a "pure HR manual"? In the case of the latter, you will find a lot of examples in the downloads section of this site.

Regards,
Biju

Hi, if the topic is related to ISO or Six Sigma, I am interested, and I would like to offer myself as a student. Please let me know your email address or contact number.

Amardeep,

You will have to read up on the subject to get basic knowledge. If you have understanding issues on any particular point, I will try to help out.

Regards,
Biju

Ambika,

Some inputs for WI development.

1. The purpose of WI: A person who does not know the job should be able to read and understand the WI and perform the job (like we use Windows Help or the instruction manual of a new gadget). So the language should be very simple.

2. The activities should be sequenced in the way they are to be performed. If there is a set of activities to be performed at startup/shutdown, but not to be repeated, these should be categorized separately in the same WI or made into a separate startup or shutdown WI.

3. After the activity description, add a separate column for the key points (pertaining to quality or operation) of that operation, if relevant.

4. Any safety instructions while performing the operation or PPE to be worn should be mentioned in the WI.

5. Illustrate the operations with a photograph, at least where relevant. For example, if the activity is "release the emergency stop button by rotating clockwise," you can show a photo of the emergency stop button on the panel so that even a new person can locate it on the panel and perform the operation.

6. WIs are required in the language that the person performing the job understands. So, if your operator understands only a regional language, then the WI has to be in that particular regional language.

7. After developing the WI, go to the concerned section and try to perform the operation by reading the WI. If not possible, observe a skilled operator and match their activities to the ones written in the WI. This will help spot errors or fine-tune the WI.

Regards,

Biju

Hi Amar,

I have sent an email regarding getting started in Six Sigma.

Dear Biju Sir,

Your reply is very clear on how to proceed. Thank you. I will email you my progress.