I'm a metallurgist. I even have a degree in metallurgical and materials engineering to prove it, and at one time in my career that was all I had to worry about. That, however, was when I worked for a larger company.
Now I work for a much smaller company, and as others who may also work for smaller companies know, it is not unusual for one individual to perform more than one job.
At the company I work for now, our president is also the chief engineer, our production control manager is in charge of maintenance as well, and in addition to being the company metallurgist, I am also responsible for quality and planning.
I never complained before, because I have always been able to perform all those functions, with little if any problems, but as the old Bob Dylan song goes,
With the advent of AS9100 (comparable to the automotive industry's QS9000), the quality portion of my job has become considerably more difficult, but most of those problems are easily manageable, especially with the aid of an able assistant, as well as cooperation from everyone in the company.
But recently, there have been some changes, as the result of the company winning its first order on the new F35 AKA Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, that are starting to create real consternation with the planning portion of my job.
You just can't imagine the amount of paperwork we have been inundated with to produce these parts, which I started attempting to go through yesterday, including new quality documentation and specifications requirements.
What was wrong with the old specifications and documentation requirements? They accomplished the same task, and in a much easier to understand format.
Now I've got one document that refers to another document, that refers to yet another document. And then there is a document that has some vital information, but the document has no name, nor is there anything directing me to use that document.
And there's more, which I won't even bother trying to explain. I have just become so frustrated, I have resorted to asking the customer for help understanding exactly what is required of us.
What has caused this trend for over complication, where more focus is placed on the paperwork involved, rather than the actual job being performed?
It's obvious to me, the people devising these requirements have no concept of what goes on in a manufacturing environment. If they did they would be spending a lot less time focusing on generating more paperwork, and instead focus on the quality of the parts, and the integrity of the suppliers.
Does that sound familiar to anyone in any other industry?
Now I work for a much smaller company, and as others who may also work for smaller companies know, it is not unusual for one individual to perform more than one job.
At the company I work for now, our president is also the chief engineer, our production control manager is in charge of maintenance as well, and in addition to being the company metallurgist, I am also responsible for quality and planning.
I never complained before, because I have always been able to perform all those functions, with little if any problems, but as the old Bob Dylan song goes,
the times they are a changin'.
With the advent of AS9100 (comparable to the automotive industry's QS9000), the quality portion of my job has become considerably more difficult, but most of those problems are easily manageable, especially with the aid of an able assistant, as well as cooperation from everyone in the company.
But recently, there have been some changes, as the result of the company winning its first order on the new F35 AKA Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, that are starting to create real consternation with the planning portion of my job.
You just can't imagine the amount of paperwork we have been inundated with to produce these parts, which I started attempting to go through yesterday, including new quality documentation and specifications requirements.
What was wrong with the old specifications and documentation requirements? They accomplished the same task, and in a much easier to understand format.
Now I've got one document that refers to another document, that refers to yet another document. And then there is a document that has some vital information, but the document has no name, nor is there anything directing me to use that document.
And there's more, which I won't even bother trying to explain. I have just become so frustrated, I have resorted to asking the customer for help understanding exactly what is required of us.
What has caused this trend for over complication, where more focus is placed on the paperwork involved, rather than the actual job being performed?
It's obvious to me, the people devising these requirements have no concept of what goes on in a manufacturing environment. If they did they would be spending a lot less time focusing on generating more paperwork, and instead focus on the quality of the parts, and the integrity of the suppliers.
Does that sound familiar to anyone in any other industry?
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