Technique cards under Document Control?

I am the document administrator for my fairly new job. I have found that this company has not placed technique cards in the Document Control (ERP) system. We are certified to ISO 9001:2015.
Is this unusual - should they be controlled with a rev or used as a 'living document' with a current date when changed, or?
How does your company handle tech cards?
Thanks for your time to respond!

What are technique/tech cards?
What information is on them?
Who uses them? When and how are they used?
Who creates them?

Technique cards are like a work instruction but usually with pictures showing step by step. Supervisors in manufacturing typically create them but engineers do as well. Operators manufacturing the parts use them for clarity on the floor.

Sounds like they should be controlled. Whether they are in you ERP system, depends. Do what works for you.

Quality Specialist said:

I am the document administrator for my fairly new job. I have found that this company has not placed technique cards in the Document Control (ERP) system. We are certified to ISO 9001:2015.
Is this unusual - should they be controlled with a rev or used as a 'living document' with a current date when changed, or?
How does your company handle tech cards?
Thanks for your time to respond!

Click to expand...

If the information on the cards was wrong, could it lead to a nonconformance? If the answer is 'yes', then why wouldn't your organization want to control that information? in order to protect your organization and the customer (don't do it because of "ISO"....do the right thing).
Hope this helps.
Be well.

“Technique cards” are highly useful, I’ve used them for 4 decades. Much of what is on this type of instruction is fairly benign, sequencing and ‘this goes here’ type of instructions. BUT they do need guidelines based on risk. IF the change has a science/engineering effect on the product it needs to be reviewed by people who actually know why certain things were specified and what the effect will be of the change.

For example if there are 4 screws in a particular pattern, the sequence of tightening can matter. ( you are applying force/tension on the product). Someone might want to change the specified pattern to make it easier or faster - but it could put end up damaging the product. Been there saw that…

Another real world example: a mfg engineer was struggling with wire routing in a chemical analyzer; the wires kept falling in to the instrument so he went out and bought some hot melt glue at a craft store. He didn’t think about the effect that any outgassing of the glue and it’s contaminant (this was craft glue, not electronic grade controlled glue) might have on the electronic components or even the chemistry analysis. His heart was in the right place but his engineering thinking was restricted only to the problem at hand and not on the effects.

So YES. Changes to the technique cards would require review, assessment of the effect of the change and approval…

Do you use "Technique Cards" in place of work instructions or in conjunction with? We currently have a large book with the QMS work instructions and forms, however, management is looking to improve and come up with a "Point of Use" or Digital Access system. I was just wondering how the cards work. Please include an example if you will. Thanks!

At a couple of my previous organizations we used both “techniques cards”; one page instructions with mostly pictures, sequencing, a list of any applicable tools/equipment and any applicable input settings and output specifications. I have used both hard copy and computerized. The computer version is best when embedded in your ERP flow system so that the page comes up automatically as the part is scanned into the system. But they all work - a heck of a lot better than a distant book of work instructions with lots of words and boilerplate sections….

Read below and answer your question, There is truly no interpretation necessary.

Copied from ISO 9001:2015....
7.5.1 General The organization’s quality management system shall include: ....
b) documented information determined by the organization as being necessary for the effectiveness of the quality management system

7.5.3.1 Documented information required by the quality management system and by this International Standard shall be controlled to ensure:
a) it is available and suitable for use, where and when it is needed;
b) it is adequately protected (e.g. from loss of confidentiality, improper use, or loss of integrity).

There is more of course, but these 2 things jump right out and bite ya.

Randy said:

Read below and answer your question, There is truly no interpretation necessary.

Copied from ISO 9001:2015....
7.5.1 General The organization’s quality management system shall include: ....
b) documented information determined by the organization as being necessary for the effectiveness of the quality management system

7.5.3.1 Documented information required by the quality management system and by this International Standard shall be controlled to ensure:
a) it is available and suitable for use, where and when it is needed;
b) it is adequately protected (e.g. from loss of confidentiality, improper use, or loss of integrity).

There is more of course, but these 2 things jump right out and bite ya.

Click to expand...

Thanks Randy, I do have our QMS readily available on the floor. They are in large binders which no one looks at. Many of our mfg. employees are computer challenged so I was looking for a simpler solution to the large binders.