A workplace start intertwined with luck and helplessness
In the long river of the workplace, I can be considered a lucky one. Whenever a new project comes along, the leader always thinks of me first. This is undoubtedly a recognition of my ability and a rare opportunity in the workplace. However, behind this luck lies endless helplessness. Every time a new project starts, I always join halfway through, just like a monk who arrives halfway at a temple, knowing very little about the early stages of the project. Fortunate things are like shooting stars in the night sky, brilliant but short-lived, and will eventually come to an end; while helpless things follow me like a shadow and pop up from time to time to trouble me.
In the project I participated in for the third time, fate played a cruel joke on me. A major rework accident descended without any warning. At the moment when the accident happened, a strong urge to escape welled up inside me. I wanted to shift the blame, as if doing so could keep me out of it. However, reality was like a solid wall, leaving me with nowhere to hide. I had no choice but to brace myself and face it.
The eventful journey of the ODM project
This project is a typical ODM project. The overseas team designed according to the requirements of the domestic client, and then the production was carried out in China. I was arranged by my leader to join the project after the production line started to be built, which was half a year after the project was launched. When I received the notice, I was overjoyed, thinking that I could show my talents again. After getting the drawings designed by the overseas team, I conducted a detailed study on the materials and key dimensions based on my years of experience, striving to have a clear idea. Next, I evaluated suppliers and carried out sample certification. From small - batch to large - batch production, every step took a great deal of time and effort. Fortunately, the project progressed smoothly in the early stage. The samples passed the client's PPAP certification, which made me breathe a little easier.
However, accidents always happen unexpectedly. After mass-producing thousands of products, the customer's SQE was replaced. When getting familiar with the products and internal requirements, this newly-appointed person found that the voltage withstand level of our heat-shrinkable tubes did not meet their standards. This was no small matter. The problem was directly reported to the senior management. The circulation of all goods was halted, and the products that had already been installed also needed to be removed and replaced. Moreover, we had to bear all the relevant costs. The big boss was extremely angry and demanded that we conduct a thorough investigation into the cause and handle it seriously.
After some investigation, the truth gradually came to light. It turned out that there was a problem in the design stage. The foreign developers, relying on their own experience, thought that the existing voltage withstand level was sufficient, but they ignored this crucial detail. What's even more exasperating is that when communicating with the customers, the salespeople didn't even ask about the detailed requirements and paid no attention to these details. We also have complaints in our hearts. Why didn't the customers raise these issues during the sample certification? Why are they causing trouble now? But in the face of such powerful customers, no one dared to voice these complaints.
To salvage the situation, we have taken containment measures, replacing all the products in transit and in stock to eliminate the previously unqualified products, and then gradually carrying out rework at the customer's end. This painful lesson has made us realize that we must formulate a strict regulation. For any future projects, quality control personnel must accompany other staff to communicate and negotiate on various issues to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
Absence and Reflection of Quality Personnel in Projects
It is a complex and lengthy process for a product to go from the customer's requirement to the product features produced by the company and finally achieve the functional characteristics required by the customer. Among them, design plays a crucial role. Whether it is product development and design, process design, or production line layout, careful planning is required. However, in this process, the tracking and verification by quality personnel are also indispensable.
But in reality, quality control personnel in many companies are in an awkward position. Just like in this accident, at the beginning of the project, the general manager first thinks of finance, technology, production, and procurement. The quality control department is often invited in only when they can't solve the problems or need someone to share the responsibility. When the supplier fails to deliver the goods, they blame the quality control personnel for being too strict with their requirements; when there are quality problems, they accuse the quality control personnel of poor quality control; when the incoming materials have quality problems and cause production line stoppages, a bunch of people come to question the work of the quality control personnel. When a major quality accident causes losses, the top leaders will shout the slogan of "Quality First". However, if the processes are not streamlined and the implementation is not in place, this is just an empty slogan.
Quality personnel in many companies are like players hitting the sidelines. They seem to be involved, but in fact, they don't really play their due roles. Why can't the quality department be deeply involved from the very beginning of a project? Is quality something that only needs attention after problems occur? Obviously not. Quality should permeate every stage of a product from design to production. Only in this way can we truly achieve "Quality First", prevent similar accidents from happening again, and make the company's development path more stable.