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Temporary Process Change

Change is Good

Change is a given. While this adage may be quite true and normally a good thing, it can cause havoc in the documentation system of a printed circuit operation. To be successful, there must be a formal methodology to handle process change.

Without change, improvement stagnates and complacency sets in. Change is good, but the operative word is controlled change relative to the complex processes involved in producing a PCB. Many companies implement change on the fly, without any formal evaluation or approval process in place. This tends to not only be ineffective, but also to guarantee a finding with any customer or ISO auditor. The key to successfully navigating procedural change is to develop a robust temporary process change (TPC) program.

Process Overview

When crafting the program, the first thing to flesh out is the function that will serve as the watchdog of the system, which is the first mission-critical aspect of a TPC program. Creativity must certainly be fostered, while at the same time guarding against changes that could have a detrimental effect on the process. Redundant TPCs must also be avoided as there is no need to expend resources on a method that has been proven unsuccessful in the past. I would make a strong argument for process engineering to manage the system, but each shop is different; however, my only caveat would be to have a single entity overseeing the process. I would also highly recommend making this a standalone procedure/work instruction. Read the full column here.Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the September 2013 issue of The PCB Magazine.