Quality Control Tests

Quality Control is a major method of providing process control within Deacom. Quality Control ensures that required Quality Control Tests are performed when Raw Materials are received on Purchase Orders, when Finished Goods are produced on production Jobs, and when previously sold products are returned. Quality Control is an optional feature with a wide array of applications ranging from completely turned off to extremely strict requirements, and is established on an item by item basis. This means that some items can have absolutely no quality control, while others can have many required QC tests.

Quality Control Tests are required to do QC testing. The Quality Control Test describes the base name of the test as well as any applicable testing methods and the Unit of Measure that should be used for testing. Quality Control Groups are a list of sequenced Quality Control Tests for the group to perform. QC Groups can be attached to a Part's Item Master to indicate testing required upon PO receipt or on a Bill of Materials to indicate testing required prior to, or following, finishing of material on a production Job. If two items have identical QC Tests and allowable results, they can share the same QC Group. If two items have different QC Tests or different allowable results, they would each have a different QC Group. A system can have as few as one QC Group, or as many QC Groups as there are items, or anything in between. Items may also have multiple QC Groups assigned based on different testing levels. For example, all Raw Materials may be assigned a basic QC Group, with a certain sub set of Raw Materials being assigned an additional QC Group on the Item Master record to ensure these materials undergo additional QC testing requirements.

Quality Control Security Groups are assigned to each Quality Control Test when the test is added to a Quality Control Group. User Groups are then assigned to QC Security Groups using Quality Control Group Security. This grid must be updated whenever a new Quality Control Security Group or User Group is created to ensure the new group has appropriate access. Specific test protocols and security for entering QC data are configured via Quality Control Groups and security for who can enter QC values is configured via Quality Control Security Groups. Additional system security is required to perform functions such as creating or modifying QC Tests and QC Security Groups.

System Navigation

  • Inventory > Maintenance > Quality Control Tests

Edit Quality Control Test form

Opened via the "New" or "Modify" buttons on the Quality Control Tests form.

General tab

Field/Flag

Description

Name

Displays the name of the test.

Test Method

Describes the approved method to be used for conducting the test.

Unit Of Measure

Indicates the Unit used to measure test results. 

Input Mask

Defines the mask, which governs the format, that will be used when entering the results. Note: The value entered in this field will provide the default to "Input Mask" field on the Edit Quality Control Item form when adding this QC Test to a Quality Control Group.

  • Example: If results should always be 4 digits long, the value in this field should be "9999".

Print Mask

Field used for formatting the QC results on forms. When the Print Mask is not used, the Input Mask will be the fallback field used for formatting the QC Results on forms. Input Mask and Print Mask can be used together when users should enter results with 4 decimals, but only display 3 decimals. Note: The value entered in this field will provide the default to "Print Mask" field on the Edit Quality Control Item form when adding this QC Test to a Quality Control Group. 

  • Example: If results should always be displayed with 3 decimals, the value in this field should be “9.999”.

Combine Results

Option to have the system compare the values for the selected criteria in this field on lots being relived to production jobs and transfer those values to the lot produced on the job. Options are None, Weighted Average, Average, Minimum, and Maximum.

  • The QC Tests and QC Groups on the lots being relived must match those of the lot being produced.
  • Business Case: Designed for blended lot scenarios where a lot produced on a job uses/relives multiple lots of the same material that is produced on the job and previously entered QC values can be transferred to the finished lot. The feature works for lots that are set to go into a "Pending QC" status during job finishing.

Active

If checked, this record is active. Only active records may be used in the system.

User Fields tab

User Fields provide companies with a useful tool to add additional information or selection options via the use of list boxes to master data records and orders throughout the Deacom system. Users can add QC Test User Fields to the Inventory Quality Control Tests grid and can also add QC Test User Fields to the QC INFO and QC PARENT INFO block types on COA reports, and on other Part Forms, including PO Labels. The information entered in User Fields is also available for printing on many of the print outs and labels throughout the system. When using the QCINFO and QC PARENT INFO blocks for PO labels, the default values from the Item Master QC group/tests will be printed on the label.

User Fields must first be created before they will be visible on this tab.