To-Increase Quality Management is a new and extended version of quality assessment tools we have offered for a long time. In making Quality Management a solution of its own, we have expanded the range of possible application scenarios and provided more options with greater flexibility to fit your business processes. You can use Quality Management with all To-Increase solutions for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The beta release is available now for select customers who share our commitment to advance the solution’s functionality.
An Assessment Tool for many Quality Management Tasks
Every company requires the ability to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of its processes, so it can reliably assess the quality of its business operations. In the To-Increase solution portfolio, we have provided this capability for a long time under a variety of names such as Vendor Rating or Measurement and Rating.
Now we are introducing a new version of this product. Our vision is to provide generic functionality to create user-definable measurements as part of a business process, with the objective of recording relevant information to rate the quality of a process.
In creating Quality Management, we had usage scenarios like the following in mind:
- Quality samples in purchasing, production, and assembly. Determine a sample size and inspect the sample to see whether it meets specifications.
- Process registrations. Record values at specified points in a process. Collect user inputs, such as likes.
- Inspection check lists as part of a maintenance plan.
- Issue registration. Create an issue from a project to be completed following a checklist.
Quality Management Process
The basic Quality Management process looks like this:
- You take a snapshot of the current record.
- You generate check sheets from the measurement to be completed by you or another user.
You rate the measurement results to establish an outcome, and register them for future analysis and reporting.
The process starts with the definition of a measurement template which is linked to a specific table. In this template the “snapshot” fields are defined. The question set (Profile) with the questions and answers for the check sheet is created as well as the Sample Method. A trigger is inserted into the process to create the check sheet from the measurement template and calculate the actual Sample size according to the Sample method. The check sheet is completed by the user. When that has happened, the solution records a check as well as the measurement result (approve or reject). The measurement is registered to be used in future ratings and reports. The solution also allows for process-specific follow-up actions.
Sample Setup: Measurement Template for Purchase Receipts
Currently, Quality Management includes a measurement template for purchase receipts, used in the receiving process. The connection between Quality Management and Microsoft Dynamics NAV (which may run in integration with other To-Increase solutions) is a project in To-Increase Connectivity Studio. By means of that project, you extract the snapshot fields and store them in the measurement record. The Captions tab displays the labels for these snapshot fields.
The options for the Sample Method are:
- Left blank: no sample
- Fixed: a fixed quantity, independent of the received quantity
- Percentage: a percentage (Sample Factor) of the received quantity
- AQL: Acceptable Quality Level method to be set in the Inspection Level and Quality Level fields
The Question Set establishes the questions and answers for the Check Sheet. The Check Sheet Creation field determines how a check sheet is created:
- Left blank: for the complete quantity received
- Lot: check sheet is created per lot; in this case the sample method is also applied per lot
- Serial Nr.: a check sheet is created per serial number.
The Default Due Date Formula sets a due date for completion of the check sheet.
A filter in the measurement template determines which for which items a measurement is created. In the example below, we create a measurement for all items which belong to the product group called QUALITY. Quality Management lets you use four types of questions: Boolean, lookup, numeric, and text.
The solution comes with an out-of-the-box process for receiving. You can create a purchase order and automatically display the measurement activities in the Role Center for the MR Inspector. Measurements include receipt details and the check sheet created, based on the question set. You create samples based on the settings, and assign check sheets to employees. Depending on your sample method, the solution automatically records the status of the result when the check sheet is complete, or you can do so manually. If the status is Rejected, the solution lets you create a return document to expedite the rejected received goods back to the vendor.
Availability
Quality Management is currently available as a beta version within the To-Increase 1302 Rollup 4 release. General availability is scheduled for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV ‘Crete’ release. You can use Quality Management in combination with all To-Increase solutions for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The beta release is available to selected customers who share our goal to further complete and refine the solution.
If you are interested in the beta version of Quality Management, or have feedback and questions, please get in touch by contacting To-Increase or reaching me on LinkedIn.
Renaldo Torcque
