Purpose

To outline the company method for using cross-functional teams (sometimes called design team or concurrent engineering team) and their formation and operation. Computers, email, etc., are nice but they aren’t a substitute for face-to-face discussion of new product development, product problems/suggestions or product changes. The meetings offer an opportunity to comment on documents which affect their area of responsibility (before the cognizant design engineer has put finger to keyboard or pencil to paper) and to start planning their activities. The team is not for “design by committee.” The responsibility for the product design remains with the cognizant engineers.

Applicability

• All products relating to this CM Function.

Policy/Practice

• In general, encourage attendance by any function that uses design documentation.
• Attendance at the team meetings does not mean signing privileges. Each function that is affected by a design change has the right to stop a release or change through their representative that does sign (see Signatures standard).
• All functions listed on the Change Form as “affected/impacted”, should send a function representative to every team meeting. Those functions are (edit to suit):
  1. UL/CAS/Other Agency Representative
  2. Component/Software/Firmware Engineer
  3. Cognizant Design Engineer/Doc Control/CM
  4. Tooling/Manufacturing Engineer/Test Engineer
  5. Production Process/ME/Production Manager
  6. Materials/Production Control/Suppliers/Purchasing
  7. Publications/Service/Quality Assurance/Marketing
• The following functions must be represented:
  1. Planner/Planner-Buyer
  2. Design Cognizant Engineer for their release, request or change on the agenda
  3. CM
  4. ME/IE/Cost Estimator
  5. Service
• Representatives may be management or a key person. A backup should be designated for each representative. The chair should maintain (preferably online) a list of functions, representatives and alternates. Any management person is welcome to attend any meeting.
• The cognizant design manager (or CM manager) will chair the new product release meetings:
• The meetings will be for one hour at least biweekly for new designs and major redesigns. They will be held in the engineering conference room at 11:00 am (to ASSURE ONE HOUR LIMIT).
• “Minutes” will not be kept but an action items list will be kept by CM – showing action items, description of the action needed, who it is assigned to, their commitment date for resolution.
• Action items list will be published by the chair by 4:00 the same day of the meeting via email.
• The CM manager will normally chair the Change Request Meetings of high level engineering, operations and service VPs or directors:
  
  
  1. Change requests (see Change Request Policy Standard) will be reviewed with a critical eye in biweekly short meetings.
  2. “Minutes” will not be kept but an action items list will be kept by CM showing action items, description of the action needed, who assigned to, their commitment date for resolution.
  3. Action items will be published by CM the same day.
• The CM manager will normally chair the Change Control Meetings:
  
  
  1. The meetings will be for one half hour each and every workday in a conference room without chairs.
  2. Organization by design group or product lines or some combination may be best. The important thing is to keep the meetings short and hold them more frequently.
  3. “Minutes” will not be kept but an action items list will be kept showing action item, description of the action needed, who assigned to, their commitment date for resolution.
  4. The action items list will be published by the CM manager the same day via email.
• The chair will first call for discussion of the action items. Then ask for cognizant engineer(s) to briefly present new design plans, change requests (optionally done by the CM manager) and change orders. See applicable standards for other uses of the team in release, request and change processes.
• All test results will be brought before the team as quickly as reports are available.
• When lengthy discussions seem to be developing, the chair must assign action as appropriate, including “outside” discussion/meeting if necessary to resolve an issue. Items not due per the action dates will normally not be discussed.
• The cognizant engineer shall obtain signatures from other technical people as required by standards. A computer will be available at the team meeting for online signatures.

Procedure

• See flow diagrams.

Primary Responsibility

• The engineering services director is responsible for keeping this standard current.

Authorization