Quality. Results. Profit

Are you noticing, or more importantly is your customer noticing, discrepancies between your as-built drawings and invoicing of the work.  Not sure what may be contributing to these differences.  Left unresolved, you could face potential penalties, suspension, or possible termination of your contract which; might be costly given today’s environment.

Your employees say that it’s not them.  You are blaming your customer.  Your customer is blaming you.  So where is the problem?  What do we need to do to find and fix it? If you do not have the time, consider utilizing an audit consultant to assist your team, or perform this for you, so that you can focus on what’s most important to you - your customers.

To begin the process, you need to interview your as-built coordinator to get a thorough understanding of your internal process from the initial sketch, to submittal and invoicing.  Next you will need to sit down with your customer’s as-built coordinator, independent of your coordinator, to find out what their expectations and deliverables are.

Next review a few completed as-built drawings and completed client invoices.  Prepare a written summary containing both positive and negative aspects.  Be sure to include recommendations detailing each area of concern. Finally conduct a follow up dialog with appropriate staff members to identify any additional issues, comments, and suggestions that may help to improve the accuracy of as-built submittals to your customer.

Posted by Ralph.Storti at 11:24 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Is the number of units produced each day starting to drop off?  Is your available inventory coming up short?  Do priorities change?  You are not alone.  What could be dismissed previously as an isolated case may now attributed to growing pains.  If you don’t address this now, you could lose some of your valued customers.

You want to work around the problems.  Your employees say you don’t understand.  You blame the customer; the employees blame you.  Is there a problem?  How do you identify the underlying problems, and fix them?  A production schedule provides the standard work control process; which will effectively and efficiently schedule work, assign resources and support activities.

It applies to the scheduling and execution of all work, and any critical support activities that are part of the overall operations of a company.  You will first need to create and enter all work requests into a Customer Order Database Log.  Next identify and set up a work management committee to include, at a minimum, the Vice President, Operations or Production Supervisor, Purchasing Manager, Sales Consultant, and Scheduler.

At Storti Quality Consulting, we take pride in helping our customers use quality management practices to enhance results and increase profits.  If you’d like to talk about Quality, please call us at 215.657.0837, send an email to ralph.storti@storticonsulting.net, or visit our website, www.storticonsulting.net.

Posted by Ralph.Storti at 09:33 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Title 49: Transportation, Part 192 - Transportation of Natural Gas and Other Gas by Pipeline, prescribes minimum safety requirements for pipeline facilities and the transportation of gas, including pipeline facilities.  Subpart N outlines Pipeline Safety: Qualification of Pipeline Personnel.

The purpose of this program is to ensure a qualified workforce, and to reduce the probability and consequence of incidents on natural gas pipeline facilities caused by human error.  At a minimum, a Pipeline Safety Qualification Program would include the following categories:
      Ø      Scope
      Ø      Definitions
      Ø      Qualification Program
      Ø      Recordkeeping
      Ø      General

Do you have such a program?  If you want to do gas work on a utility company system, you will need to create one.  First begin by assessing your current operations; then determine what covered tasks you will need.  A covered task would be:
      Ø      Performed on a pipeline facility
      Ø      An operations or maintenance task as defined by [49 CFR Part 192]
      Ø      Performed as a requirement of [49 CFR Part 192]
      Ø      Affects the operation or integrity of the pipeline

After December 16, 2004, qualifications in part require operators to provide training, as appropriate to performing covered tasks, and to notify the utility administrator or a state agency if the operator significantly modifies the program, after the administrator or state agency has verified that it complies with this section.

Each operator shall maintain records to demonstrate compliance, and shall include:
      Ø      Identification of qualified individual(s);
      Ø      Identification of the covered tasks the individual is qualified to perform;
      Ø      Date(s) of current qualification; and
      Ø      Qualification method(s).

Operators must have a written qualification program.  The program must be available for review by the utility administrator or by a state agency participating under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 601 if the program is under the authority of that state agency.  If you do not have a written program, consider utilizing an audit consultant to assist your team, or perform this for you, so that you can focus on what’s most important to you - your customers.

At Storti Quality Consulting, we take pride in helping our customers use quality management practices to enhance results and increase profits.  If you’d like to talk about Quality, please call us at 215.657.0837, send an email to ralph.storti@storticonsulting.net, or visit our website, www.storticonsulting.net.

Posted by Ralph.Storti at 07:30 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)