Interview Questions for Quality technician/inspector

My last job, I took care of the company account. Yes, with this calculator.

One of the popular job I've seen in the market I am in is Quality technician or inspector.  They are not totally down on the totem pole and they are not on the level where accountability is demanded. At the pay scale of around $40K per year, I think it's pretty good living.

I did a few interviews and hire some of the best technician in my career, enough to know what fits what the job required,  instinct to read their character and a little luck to bring in good hard working team.

Here's are my choice questions:

Technical or job related:

1. Can you provide example some project or activities you work in your previous job?
2. What do you like about your previous job and why did you leave your previous job?
3. Have you ever work with ......? (e.g. SOP, certain test equipment, quality tools, Microsoft, SPC software etc)
4. Have you any experience working with......? (e.g. Engineering, sales, production etc)
5. How do you feel about putting extra hours/time if company requires it?

General:

1. What do you see yourself in 5 years? 
2. What do you consider your biggest weakness?
3. What do you know about our company? 
4. Why do you want to work with us?
5. Do you have any questions you like to ask us?

Notice that my questions are specific, and it meant to be that way because a technician job is critical, meticulous and detail oriented. I try to save time and keep the interview time down to less than one hour. With this said, it is critical to get as much information you can from this face-to-face interview. Basically you need to pay attention to how the candidate respond to the above questions, they may not have the exact experience require for the job but if they do have technical background such as doing lab work in college, it may work in your favor too.

I have a great sense of humor.

I know kungfu.

Hmm..they do background check.

How to Perform Product audit for IATF16949?

Product Audit is critical for automotive industries which to comply to IATF16949 certification.  The objective is to verify process to  ensure compliance to the 9.2.2.4 requirement.  The product audit requirement is as follow:

9.2.2.4 Product audit

• Must audit products using customer-specific required approaches at appropriate stages of production and delivery to verify conformity to specified requirements. 
• Where not defined by the customer, the organization defines the approach to be used.

Basically the guidelines was generic, this enable company to apply product audit process that would integrate customer requirement which is the input and customer satisfaction which is the output, and the production as the main process.  

Customer requirement--> Production--> Customer satisfaction

What it entailed?
People
Process
Documentation

As we mentioned earlier in my other post, I love to use a simplistic system.  I need to rally a team of auditor, identify our auditee and schedule time for audit.  Product audit is best to be performed during regular hours on real-time.  Auditor must understand the production process, which typical start with incoming material, then move to production, inspection or testing and finally shipping.

Each of the process there is at least an owner that perform the task.  The owner is auditee that you will interact in the process.  Ask several questions that related to the process, I would recommend to pull several samples (products) and verify the part#, lot# and their specification.  Review the product and match it to its specification (print, material sheets or measurement data). Ensure correct revision is used on every sample. Check for test equipment and verify their validity, make sure they are calibrated and within calibration date.  You may need to keep a copy of each objective evidence or record down the report reference so you can refer to it later on when you write up audit report.

Product audit is more extensive than internal audit, so you may require to follow where the audit trail leads you.  For instant, you may need to review incoming test result for material used to build the product. You may also require to check if operators training record is up to date.

You may repeat the similar system on each process (incoming, production, inspection, shipping etc)
Here's a simple template for product audit:

Product Audit

Auditor(s) name:
Date:
Process name: XYZ

Product information- verify product#, revision#, product print and specification, operators name(s) 

Test data-Review test data or result to make sure product has been verified as required on the customer or engineering print. (raw material test result, product test result etc) 

Calibration-Check that test equipment used on each station is within calibration.

Traceability-Product will need to have complete traceability from incoming raw material to product shipped out to customer.  (lot, production log or electronic log sheet etc.)

Nobody touching my bed, and I don't care if its full of hair.

How to create Certificate of Analysis for outgoing Quality Process

Certificate of Analysis or CoA is a report stating all criteria is met by supplier as agreed by customers during initial product review. Once customers has outlined what they need, suppliers will perform test to ensure product is conform to its fit and function.

CoA is tedious but necessary.

A generic CoA Template typically includes:

- Customer name

- Customers part #

- Customer PO#

- Supplier part#

- Supplier PO#

- Lot#

Report of analysis will include the following:

1. Performance data may include:
- max,
- min and
- average.
This includes stress test, air flow, density, tensile strength or anything required by customer. Be sure to check all units are accurate. It’s also best practice to include specifications on each required measurements.

2. Another information that might be critical is the part dimensions such as thickness, width, profiles, depth etc.

Last but not least is to ensure validity of the certificate. Report must be signed by qualified Quality personnel, preferably using an electronic signature. Copy must be sent using pdf format if send via email.

How to carry out Gemba Walk?

Gemba is a Japanese term means "the real place".   In manufacturing the gemba refer to factory shop floor.  It is also the place of construction, work office, sales office or customer service area.  In lean manufacturing, the best improvement ideas came during gemba, where all the error or problem could be easily seen during surveillance walk at gemba site.   Gemba walk is an activities where management or front lines look for Muda or any opportunities for improvement.

Gemba means if problem seen during gemba walk, an engineer or maintenance section will be called to check and review the situation, start the improvement program.

During Gemba walk, it is common to ask series of questions about the work or production that going on for the day such as:

1. Who responsible for the job?
2. How often does QA check the part?
3. What value the work does to the process?
4. Do you have idea to make the job faster? Easier?
5. How does the job affect the quality?

The focus of Gemba walk is to improve process quality as well as reducing the waste in production.  On top of that, by having management and front liner to make a special trip down to production floor or back end office will definitely increase the morale of the workers. 

During the gemba walk, nobody expect to find a perfect process in order.  There is a always issue to address,   new improvement or initiative to consider.  Either way, gemba walk help reduce mis-communication and a great practice for audit.

Steps for Gemba walk:

1. Select a theme for each walk.
2. Question the supervisors.
3. Listen attentively.  This is a learning exercise for the manager.
4. Share what you learned as you walk through the plant.
5. Write a short memo on what you learned and post it for others to see.
6. Follow-up to see the progress is made.

Indy 500 Centurion Race

SAFETY, SPEED, EFFICIENCY and QUALITY

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let start your engine!"

The Crowd

The Start

The Tower

The observation Tower

The Race Team

Team in Action

The Cheer

The Opening

Cameramen everywhere

100 Anniversary Indy 500

The Pagoda

Classic Indy Race car

Signed Engine Maker

Those olden days

It used to have very minimal Safety features then

The safety car now

The Engine

The sleek Silhouette  

How to calculate Takt Time

Takt time is synonym to cycle time, where it simulate the process of producing a part from start to end, or rather from  material input to shipping.  Takt time concept aims to match the pace of production with customer demand.

Takt time formulation are as follow:

T =  Ta / Td

T   = Takt time (Net time available for production in Minutes/ unit produced per customer demand)
Ta = Net time available ( minutes of work per day - this exclude rest/lunch/meetings etc)
Td = Time demand (customer demand) e.g. (units required/day)

For example:, if you work 8 hrs a day for 5 days a week. For a week, you have a demand of 100pcs, Then the Takt time calculation should be as follows:

Takt = 8 x 5 x 60 minutes/ 100 pcs
        = 24 minutes

By sticking to Takt time, we will have few advantage as follows:

• no over production
• no rush on order
• production planning easily done without interruption
• system work based on customer demand
• reduce or eliminate WIP

Lean Six Sigma

Lean for Production and Services
A popular misconception is that lean is suited only for manufacturing. Not true. Lean applies in every business and every process. It is not a tactic or a cost reduction program, but a way of thinking and acting for an entire organization.

Lean six sigma embraces 9 principles, these will in turn transform your view in life as general.  The nine principles required some understanding and practice in order to get you more proficient with Lean.

The 9 principles are listed as below:
Principle 1: Life and business are processes
Principle 2: All processes exhibit variation.
Principle 3: Two causes of variation exist in many process.
Principle 4: Life and business in stable and unstable processes are different.
Principle 5: Continuous improvement is economical, absent capital investment.
Principle 6: Many processes exhibit waste.
Principle 8: Expansion of knowledge requires theory.
Principle 9: Planning requires stability.

To accomplish this, lean thinking changes the focus of management from optimizing separate technologies, assets, and vertical departments to optimizing the flow of products and services through entire value streams that flow horizontally across technologies, assets, and departments to customers.

Eliminating waste along entire value streams, instead of at isolated points, creates processes that need less human effort, less space, less capital, and less time to make products and services at far less costs and with much fewer defects, compared with traditional business systems. Companies are able to respond to changing customer desires with high variety, high quality, low cost, and with very fast throughput times. Also, information management becomes much simpler and more accurate.