Managing Stability Tests

Stability testing allows re-testing/re-verification of manufactured items already placed in inventory. The setup of QC Tests and QC Groups is required to use the stability testing feature within DEACOM. Additional information regarding the setup required is available via Managing QC Tests. Once QC Groups that are meant to be used for stability testing are created, and the appropriate QC Tests added, they are then attached to the Bill of Materials QC/Stability Tests tab. Items may have multiple BOM Revisions with various stability tests assigned to each different revision.

Note: Beginning in version 16.07.001, stability testing for production has been significantly modified and enhanced. In addition, version 16.07.001 also introduces the ability to perform stability testing lots received on purchase orders, inter-company transfers, and sales order returns. The sections below cover the new steps. Users should also read the Stability Testing Logic help section to understand the changes in version 16.07.001.

Configuration

Refer to the Managing QC Tests page for necessary Configuration information.

Process

Assigning stability tests to BOM Revisions

  1. Navigate to Inventory > Item Master or Inventory > Bills Of Material.
  2. Enter the appropriate Part Number on the pre-filter then click "View".
  3. If navigating via Inventory > Item Master, users will need to click the "Edit BOM" button to display the Bills Of Material form.
  4. If navigating via Inventory > Bills Of Material, the Bills Of Material form will be displayed once the "View" button is clicked.
  5. Select the appropriate BOM revision and click the "Modify" button to display the Edit Bill of Materials form.
  6. On the QC/Stability Tests tab, click the "Add" button to display the Edit QC/Stability Tests form.
  7. Use the search box in the "QC Group" field to select the appropriate Quality Control Group that will be used to perform stability testing.
  8. In the "Stability Days" field, enter a value to indicate how many days will pass until stability testing will be performed. For production jobs, the system will take the Job close date and will use this number to calculate the “test due" date.
  9. Example: If stability testing will occur 30 days after the Job has been closed, enter a value of 30 in the "Stability Days" field.
  10. Click the "Save" and "Exit" buttons to commit the changes and close the Edit QC/Stability Tests form.
  11. If additional stability tests need to be assigned, repeat steps 4-7. If additional tests are not required, proceed to the next step. Multiple QC Groups can be assigned to the BOM revision in situations where stability testing will be performed at set intervals such as 30, 60, 90, 120 days, etc.
  12. Click the "Save" and "Exit" buttons on the Edit Bill of Materials form to complete the process.

Performing stability tests

Performing production stability tests (pre version 16.07)

  1. Navigate to Production > Stability Result Entry.
  2. Enter pre-filters as desired then click "Continue" to display the Stability Result Entry form, which lists all Jobs/items awaiting stability testing.
  3. Use the "Move", "Move All", "Remove All", and "Remove" buttons to move the appropriate records to the right-hand side of the mover form. Stability testing may be performed on multiple items simultaneously provided the items share the same QC Group.
  4. Once all desired records have been selected, click "Continue" to display the Quality Control Results form then "Add" to display the Edit QC Results form.
  5. Enter the appropriate values for each of the tests. There are a variety of settings and options that may be used for QC/Stability Tests. Information on performing tests can be found in Entering Production and Stability QC Test Results.
    1. Note: The "Complete" flag is used to indicate that the results for this QC Test are final and no additional testing will occur or is required. QC Tests that have been flagged as "Complete" will no longer be displayed in the list when performing subsequent testing.
  6. Once all appropriate QC values have been entered, click "Apply" on the Edit QC Results form. The results will be saved and the system will return the user to the Quality Control Results form.
  7. The next steps depend on both the settings contained in the QC Group and the company's QC process.
  8. If additional testing is to occur, click "Exit" without finishing, failing, or approving QC.
  9. If all results have been entered, users have the option to (1) check the "Approve QC" flag if approval is required and the user is authorized, (2) check the "Fail QC" flag if the item has not passed testing, or (3) click the "Mark At-Risk" button. Information on each of these processes is covered in the Approving QC Results, Failing QC Results, and Managing At-Risk Inventory pages, respectively.
  10. Once the stability testing process has been completed, click the "Finish QC" button to display the Finish QC form.
  11. Enter or verify the correct Location and Lot Attribute information then click "Continue" to place the items/lots into On Hand or Failed QC inventory, depending on the actions performed previously. The system will move the inventory to the specified Location, close the Finish QC, Edit QC Results, and Quality Control Results forms, and return the user to the Stability Result Entry form.
  12. To perform additional stability tests, repeat steps 3-9 or click "Exit" on the Stability Result Entry form to complete the process.

Performing production stability tests (beginning in version 16.07)

  1. Navigate to Production > QC Results Entry.
  2. Follow steps 2-10 in the Performing production stability tests (pre version 16.07) section.

Performing stability testing for lots received on purchase orders, intercompany transfers, and sales order returns

  1. Navigate to Purchasing > QC Result Entry.
  2. Enter filters as desired to select the Purchase Order(s)/Item(s) for which QC results will be entered then click "Continue".
  3. If "Report Type" is set to "Standard", all orders requiring QC will be displayed, regardless of it materials have been received already or not.
  4. Move the desired record(s) to the right-hand side of the mover form then click "Continue". Multiple records may be tested simultaneously, provided all the items have the same QC Group assigned and all QC Tests within that group are the same.
  5. On the Quality Control Results form, click "Add" to open the Edit QC Results form, which contains all QC Tests for this group.
  6. Enter the appropriate information in the "Value" column for each test. If the test is marked as required and no additional QC passes or results will be entered for the test(s), check the "Complete" flag; otherwise, leave the "Complete" flag unchecked.
    1. Note: QC Tests can be setup in a variety of ways and the information users will enter on this screen depends on that setup. Some tests may or may not indicate a minimum and maximum value. Others tests may require that a value be entered before a test is marked as complete and still others will indicate that the test value must be between the minimum and maximum values before continuing.
  7. Once all appropriate QC values have been entered click the "Apply" button on the Edit QC Results form to commit the test results and close the form.