Improve the quality of engineering products or processes
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to implement quality improvements to engineering products or processes, in accordance with approved procedures. The range of engineering processes could include manufacturing operations, installation, production, maintenance, engineering support functions or other activities, such as performance measurement or business improvement. You will be required to plan and implement quality improvements, obtaining all the necessary information to enable you to evaluate and provide solutions to problems, and to assess their effects on both the engineering product and the processes involved. You will also be expected to control resources and to ensure effective implementation of quality improvements. In addition, you will keep all the relevant people associated with the engineering process informed of the quality improvements as they are implemented.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for implementing quality improvements, and to report any problems that you cannot personally resolve to the relevant authority. You will be expected to work unsupervised, either on your own or as part of a team, which you may lead or direct, taking full responsibility for your actions, and possibly for the work of colleagues or subordinates.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of general and discipline-specific engineering principles and processes. You will be fully conversant with organisational procedures and systems. You will apply quality assurance principles and systems to ensure that the required specifications, details and formats are maintained. You will also know about evaluation methods, resource management and project planning, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the improvements to the required standard.
You will be fully aware of any health, safety and environmental requirements, and the appropriate legislative and regulatory frameworks applicable to your area of responsibility. You will be required to ensure that safe working practices are maintained throughout, and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- plan the introduction of improvements to the quality of engineering products or processes
- specify clearly the improvements that should be implemented
- confirm that conditions are suitable to implement the improvements
- provide clear and accurate instructions to all the relevant people
- control the use of resources to achieve the most effective results
- ensure that the improvements are implemented according to plan, recorded and comply with all relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- identify and solve any implementation problems that occur
- assess the impact of the improvements on the quality of engineering products or processes
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the health, safety and environmental requirements applicable to the area in which the quality improvements are to be implemented
- the importance of wearing protective clothing (PPE) and other appropriate safety equipment during the implementation, and where it may be obtained
- how to obtain and interpret drawings, charts, specifications, manufacturers' manuals, history/maintenance reports and other documents needed for the implementation of quality improvements
- the engineering processes and operating procedures in the area associated with the quality issues
- the types and effects of quality improvement, and their impact
- the factors that have to be taken into account when selecting the solution to a quality problem
- the techniques used to obtain information
- methods and techniques involved in quality improvement implementation
- methods and techniques involved in evaluating information
- how to obtain and interpret legislative and regulatory documentation
- how to obtain and interpret company policy and personnel procedures
- organisational reporting procedures and documentation, and their application
- whom to inform of actions taken, and by what means
- how to retrieve the necessary data from company information systems
- the types of impact assessment systems/techniques available, and their application
- the extent of your own responsibility and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following when implementing the quality improvements:
- plan the implementation of quality improvements so as to minimise disruption to normal working
- identify and use suitable quality improvement methods, techniques and procedures
- control the use of resources for the implementation of the quality improvements
- carry out the quality improvements in accordance with the implementation plan
- solve any problems that occur during the implementation
- assess the impact of the improvements on the quality of products or processes
Plan the introduction of quality improvements for one of the following:
- new product/process
- legal/legislative requirement
- company standard operating procedures
- revisions to existing product/process
- international/national standards requirements
Specify quality improvements to the product or process, to include three of the following:
- components
- materials
- services
- equipment
- inspection/testing procedures
- design
- research and development
- maintenance/servicing
- business systems
- safety
- environmental impact
- supplier
- logistics
- purchasing
- technologies
- product or process flow
- setting or preparation activities
- employee related (such as numbers, training, deployment)
- other specific improvement
Obtain information to improve quality from five of the following:
- quality assurance department
- design department
- research department
- product specifications
- legal/patented information procedures
- regulations, guidelines or directives
- manufacturer's specifications
- international/national standards
- benchmarking
- technical experts
- company documentation and records
- direct observation
- supplier data and information
- customer feedback
- other specific source
Ensure that the quality improvements conform to three of the following:
- organisational guidelines and procedures
- recognised compliance agency/body's standards, directives or codes of practice
- equipment manufacturer's operating specification/range
- customer standards and requirements
- British, European or International standards or directives
- health, safety and environmental requirements
Monitor the use of three of the following resources to ensure effective results:
- personnel
- facilities
- equipment
- materials
- utilities
- finance
Assess the outcome of the quality improvement implementation, to include two of the following:
- impact of the improvements on the quality of products or processes
- cost effectiveness of the process/actions
- effect of changes to quality assurance methods or procedures
- quality of data held on the company information system
- effectiveness of reporting procedures
- lessons learned
Report and communicate the product/process quality improvements, using:
- verbal methods
plus one from the following:
2. electronic mail
3. computer generated report
4. specific company form
5. other appropriate media
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Additional Information
You will be able to apply the appropriate behaviours required in the workplace to meet the job profile and overall company objectives, such as:
- strong work ethic
- positive attitude
- team player
- dependability
- responsibility
- honesty
- integrity
- motivation
- commitment