Key Characteristics Designation System - KCDS

Key Characteristics DesignationSystemKCDS PyramidTable of RevisionsJanuary 1991: 1st IssueJune 1996: 1st RevisionNovember 1998: 2nd RevisionApplicable to Vehicle Groups through MY 2003Applicable to all Powertrain programs which end by Jan 2006March 2003: 3rd RevisionApplicable to Vehicle Groups for 2004 MY and beyondApplicable for all Powertrain programs in production after January2006The Key Characteristics Designation System reference manual GM 1805 QN was developed by a joint UAW-GM Quality Network TeamTable of ContentsSection1. Scope2. Purpose3. General: Benefits, Fundamental Concept for Characteristics4. Definitions5. Product Variation (includes Loss Function)6. Levels of Care7. The Three Stages of KCDS8. Selection Criteria for Parts9. Product Characteristics Pyramid10. Selection Criteria for Product Characteristics11. Tools12. Team Approach13. Objectives of the Team14. Composition of the Team15. Data Responsibility16. Documentation and Communication17. Reference SectionFigures and Tables1A GM KCDS Process2A Summary of Levels of Care vs. Cost4A Characteristic Definition7A Three Stages of KCDS8A GM Mandated Parts & Components: Product Identification & Verification 8B General Application Guidelines: Product Id, Traceability & Verification9A Product Characteristic Pyramid9B Relationship between KPC/PQC and KCC10A KCDS KCC Worksheet10B KPC/PQC/KCC Fishbone Diagram12A Part and Characteristic Action Steps Chart1.0 Scope1.1 This Reference Manual applies to:A. General Motors planning, product and process designs, manufacturingand assembly processes; andB. Suppliers (internal and external) of products and processes to GeneralMotors that are used in the design, manufacture, assembly, anddistribution of GM products.1.2 The Key Characteristic Designation System (KCDS) will commonize GeneralMotors’ approach for the identification and documentation of parts with SafetyCompliance Relationships, Functional Check Requirements, Product Identification,Verification & Traceability Requirements and Component Handling Requirements(additional care) and product characteristics that are designated as SpecialCharacteristics (extra care).1.3 KCDS also sets forth the methods and requirements for communication of partsrequiring additional care and Special Characteristics requiring extra care throughoutGeneral Motors and its supplier community1.4 The Key Characteristic Designation System Reference Manual is referenced inQuality System requirements ISO-9000, QS-9000 and the other elements ofAIAG/ASQ “7-Pack”.1.5 Additional/Extra Care in Manufacturing/Assembly is required at both the Part andCharacteristic levels.A. Functional Check, Product Traceability, Safety/Compliance and ComponentHandling requirements (additional care) do not replace the need to review apart for Special Characteristics (extra care).2.0 Purpose2.1 Employees are responsible for ensuring that GM products are designed, produced, anddelivered to meet the Voice of the Customer and to comply with applicable governmentstandards and regulations.A. As a means of exercising this responsibility and achieving conformance toother customer requirements, the implementation of KCDS in theorganization requires that the use of Standard Care and Additional or ExtraCare be designed into the Quality Systems.B. Standard Care describes the usual and customary practices that are appliedin the manufacturing and/or assembly environment to ensure specificationand print requirements are consistently met. Usual and Customary Careencompasses all of the basic methods and systems necessary to ensure thatthe product meet the Voice of the Customer based on loss function andsafety/ compliance requirements with government regulations.2.2 The Key Characteristic Designation System will aid in the economical manufacture ofquality products by:A. Establishing and managing a uniform system of identifying, documenting andcommunicating parts requiring Additional Care and Special Characteristicsthat require Extra Care. This is done to ensure consistency and complianceto customer requirements and government regulations within General Motorsand it’s supplier community.B. Supporting the reduction and maintenance/control of variation in themanufacturing and/or assembly process.C. Supporting the development of robust designs.2.3 Many parts require additional levels of checks and documentation. The following arepart level checks and documentation that are over and above Standard Care:A. Functional Checks are controls used by manufacturing and/or assemblyplants to ensure that parts, sub-systems, systems or completed vehiclescomply with requirements that are subject to, or have an effect on FederalMotor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS), critical performance objectives,customer satisfaction, State Statutes, various Regional Complianceprocedures and/or Corporate Policies.B. Product Traceability identifies and verifies individual parts for correct usageby scanning individual major components for traceability associated witheach vehicle. Other parts/components supplied in labeled containers aretraced to groups of vehicles. This manual is intended to ensure that parts/components that must be verified and traced consistently by GM and itssuppliers. Traceability is a key tool in identifying parts related to vehiclesinvolved in campaign research.C. Safety/C ompliance parts may need Additional Care to ensure the product’ssafety and/or compliance with governmental regulations.D. Component Handling Best Practices identifies assembly and handlingrequirements that are necessary in addition to standard handling practices.E. Any part having a safety and/or compliance relationship must comply withgovernmental regulations and may require Functional Checks, ProductTraceability or Component Handling.2.4 When we unnecessarily require Additional Care on parts, we add to the product's costwithout increasing its value.2.5 All products, and the processes that are used to make them, have characteristics (orfeatures) that meet requirements.A. Special Characteristics (Key Product Characteristics (KPC) and ProductQuality Characteristics (PQC)) require Extra Care because excessivevariation could result in product quality losses or affect quality in subsequentmanufacturing operations.2.6 The reasons Characteristics are distinguished between Standard Care and those thatrequire Extra Care are:A. When we give equal attention to all product characteristics, thecharacteristics sensitive to manufacturing variation (i.e., those that requireExtra Care) may not receive sufficient attention. By focusing on the featuresthat are sensitive to manufacturing variation, greater improvements can bemade in product quality, cost and performance, thus improving customersatisfaction with the product.B. To achieve optimum cost and quality, appropriate attention in addition toStandard Care, should be given to the “critical few” rather than the “non-critical many”.2.7 Product Characteristics designated as KPC, which have consistently demonstratedtheir capability over time may be reduced to that of a PQC.2.8 Product Characteristics designated as PQC, which have consistently demonstratedtheir capability over time may be reduced to that of Standard Characteristics.2.9 When we require Extra Care on product characteristics that have consistentlydemonstrated capability over time, we add to the product's cost without increasing its value.Summary of the KCDS Pyramid3.0 General3.1 BenefitsA. KCDS helps ensure product quality during the product design phase, process design phase, and during the ongoing manufacturing and assembly operations.B.Beliefs & Values - The Key Characteristic Designation System (KCDS) facilitates the use of the UAW-GM Quality Network Beliefs & Valu es. It also supports the GM global community while improving customer satisfaction, communication, efficiency, and GM products. a. KCDS facilitates response to the Voice of the Customer, utilizingteamwork to improve customer satisfaction.b. When the KCDS template is used early in the development of aproduct, it helps ensure robust designs and processes that are less sensitive to variation, thus leading to increased customer satisfaction and ultimately greater job security.C.Communication - KCDS supports the concurrent (simultaneous)engineering process by use of standardized definitions, procedures, work instructions and documents. This improves communication betweenengineering, suppliers, production plants and other supporting activities. D.Product Design - KCDS improves product design and development methods. It identifies safety and compliance requirements early. It alsoreveals design areas that may not be robust and may need additional efforts during the development process.E.Process Design - KCDS improves process design and development methods by aligning process strengths with Safety/ Compliancerequirements, product traceability, functional checks, component handling, KPC, PQC and Standard Characteristics.F.Manufacturing and Assembly – KCDS helps improve manufacturing and assembly operations. The focus is on Quality Improvement, Variation Reduction and Maintenance efforts on products and processes that haveAs CARE Increases, COST increasesDetail of Levels of Care vs Costbeen identified as important to customer satisfaction and/or related toSafety/Compliance.G. Standardized Work Processes - KCDS supports the implementation ofStandardized Work Processes through the use of Process Flow Diagrams,Process Control Plans and People Focused Practices.3.2 Fundamental Concepts for CharacteristicsA. Basic concepts for the classification of characteristics are summarized inTable 4A.a. There are two kinds of characteristics:Product–There are three basic categories of ProductCharacteristics:- Standard Product Characteristics- Product Quality Characteristics- Key Product CharacteristicsProcess - There are two basic categories of ProcessCharacteristics:-Standard Control Characteristics-Key Control Characteristicsb. Control of Process Characteristics ensures that variation of aProduct Characteristic is reduced or maintained/controlled.B. The designations of “additional care” and “extra care” are based on theprinciple that GM’s minimum level of standard care is in place.C. The identification of Special Product Characteristics involves judgment andexperience and is best done in the concurrent (simultaneous) engineeringprocess, which involves all functions and a broad range of experience.4.0 Definitions4.1 Part LevelA. Safety/Compliance– Regulatory or corporate requirements on a part, sub-system or system that can affect compliance with government regulations orvehicle/product safety performance to said regulations.B. Functional Checks - Checks performed by manufacturing and/or assemblyplant personnel to observe, verify and help ensure that the operations of a part,sub-system, system or completed vehicle comply to requirements that aresubject to or have an effect on FMVSS, critical performance objectives,customer satisfaction or State Statutes.C. Product Verification and Traceability – A tracking method used in the GMmanufacturing process to track and document parts and components from thepoint and time of manufacture to a specific vehicle/vehicle identification number(VIN).D. Component Handling Best Practices - Identifies assembly and handlingrequirements that are necessary in addition to standard practices. Thesebest practices are intended to provide direction to the assembly plantsregarding critical components.4.2 Characteristic LevelA. A Product Characteristic is a feature of a part, sub-system or system (suchas dimension, property, function, chemistry, appearance, or finish) onengineering documentation. The characteristic is classified as Special orStandard and can be measured.B. A Key Product Characteristic (KPC) is a special characteristic where theloss function shows that reasonably anticipated variation within specificationcould significantly affect customer satisfaction with a product.a. Maintaining/controlling the process within the target zone canoptimize customer satisfaction.b. For organizations that use symbols to designate specialcharacteristics, use the symbols in Table 4A.C. A Product Quality Characteristic (PQC) is a special characteristic in whichthe customer is equally satisfied across the entire specification, but the lossfunction is steep just outside of the specification limits.a. Variation within the tolerance does not significantly affectcustomer satisfaction, whereas variation outside the tolerancemay significantly impact customer satisfaction.b. For organizations that use symbols to designate specialcharacteristics, use the symbols in Table 4A.D. A Standard Product Characteristic is a characteristic where the lossfunction shows no incremental economic or customer satisfaction loss insidethe tolerance. The customer is equally satisfied across the tolerance.a. Variation within the tolerance does not significantly affectcustomer satisfaction.E. Special Product Characteristics must be identified on engineeringdocuments such as: drawings, Global Product Description System (GPDS),specifications, Product Assembly Documents (PADS), layouts, process flowdiagrams, process control plans and/or other primary engineering documentsper local Engineering requirements.Characteristic Sumary Table 4Aσσ)The above definitions are based on the principle that Standard Care is followed duringmanufacturing and assembly. This principle applies to characteristics measured by attribute or variable data.4.3 Target Zone - the area within specifications that satisfies the customer. This may or maynot be the nominal value.4.4 Variable data – data that is continuous and measurable relative to the specificationson a continuous scale such as millimeters, kilograms, etc.4.5 Attribute data– data for characteristics measured with and resulting from correct partor incorrect part, present or not present, etc., and is generally synonymous withconformance or nonconformance and when designated as a special productcharacteristic an attribute control method shall be used.4.6 Process Characteristics related to Special Product Characteristics must be documentedon process control plans, process flow diagrams or manufacturing and/or assembly workinstructions.A. A Process Characteristic is a Process Parameter for which variation must bereduced or maintained/controlled around a target value to ensure thatcustomer requirements are met.a. Process Characteristics are further classified as Key ControlCharacteristics or Standard Control Characteristics.b. A Key Control Characteristic (KCC) is a process parameter(such as temperature, speed, pressure, viscosity, etc.) thathas a strong causal relationship to a Key ProductCharacteristic or Product Quality Characteristic. Variation mustbe reduced around some target value to ensure that variationin a Key Product Characteristic is reduced around its targetvalue. Variation must be maintained/controlled around sometarget value to ensure that variation in a PQC ismaintained/controlled around its target value.c. A Standard Control Characteristic is a process parameter thatcontrols or affects one or more product characteristics.d. When Process Characteristics are controlled to requirements,product quality levels are predictable.5.0 Product Variation5.1 The designation of Special Characteristics - Key Product Characteristics (KPC) andProduct Quality Characteristics (PQC) - provides additional information to product andprocess design, pre-production, production and monitoring/inspection organizationsthat can be used to direct “extra care” on characteristics according to theconsequences of the Loss Function.A. Loss Function is “The incremental economic / customer satisfaction loss forany deviation from a customer specified target zone. The target zone is thetolerance zone that will lead a customer to praise the product.” (Ref. TheDeming Route by William W. Scherhenback )5.2 Variation is inherent in any manufacturing and/or assembly process. Knowledge of themagnitude and consequences of this variation will help Engineers design appropriateproducts and processes within appropriate parameters that meet or exceed customerrequirements. Manufacturing and/or assembly can then control the processesaccordingly.A. The concept of “reasonably anticipated” variation stresses the importance ofanticipated variation and likelihood of occurrence in determining theclassification.a. Reasonably anticipated variation within the KCDS process is interpretedto mean the expected variation from a given process.b. To develop robust designs, engineers must have knowledge of themagnitude of the inherent variation in the manufacturing and orassembly process as early as possible in the design process.B. It is necessary to anticipate, through the use of historical data and otherengineering tools, the magnitude and consequence of the variation thatcould reasonably be expected to occur during manufacturing and/orassembly, if Standard Care were to be used.6.0 Levels of Care are intended to define the requirements in the manufacturing andassembly environment needed to ensure economical manufacture of quality products.These requirements must be described in local quality procedures, business unitprocedures and other quality procedures. The relationship between part andcharacteristic levels of care is described below:Level of CareAll Products & Processes Standard CarePart LevelProduct Safety/Compliance Additional CareFunctional Checks Additional CareProduct Traceability Additional CareComponent Handling Additional CareCharacteristic LevelKey Product Characteristics Extra CareProduct Quality Characteristics Extra Care6.1 Standard Care describes the usual and customary practices that are applied in themanufacturing and/or assembly environment to ensure requirements are consistentlymet. Standard Care encompasses all of the basic methods and systems necessary toensure that the product meets the Voice of the Customer and safety/ compliancerequirements with government regulations. These practices should be described in thelocal procedures, business unit procedures and other quality procedures. StandardCare is typically interpreted to mean that the basic quality system should describe thefundamental administrative, product, and process practices and systems. StandardCare requires that the production system be designed to manufacture products thatmeet requirements, as well as protect our customers from any nonconforming material.A. Standard Carea. Process Related Practices and Systems:-Detailed Job Instructions-Gage Certification, Calibration and ControlPrograms-Planned Maintenance Procedures-Operator Training-System for Ensuring that Processes are Capableof Consistently Producing Parts/Assemblies withinEngineering Specificationsb. Product-Related Practices and Systems:- A System for Implementing Engineering Changes-Production Part Approval-Systems that Identify Nonconformance,Communicate the Nonconformance, and MakeDisposition and Corrective Action for theNonconformance (Containment)-Systems for the Identification and Control ofMaterial- A System for Ensuring that Purchased Parts andProcesses Meet Engineering Requirements-Measurement and Feedback Systems Relative toAchieving Engineering Requirements-Quality System that Meets the Requirements ofthe Appropriate International Standardc. Administrative Practices and Systems:-Systems to Ensure Adherence to Corporate,Group, Divisional, and Local Procedures-Quality Procedures that Describe the QualityPractices and Systems-Record Control and Retention System6.2 Additional Care is required in the manufacturing and or assembly process. It is a setof methods/controls employed to ensure processes are producing parts which meet customer requirements for Safety/ Compliance, Functional Checks, ProductTraceability and Component Handling.A. A Process Flow Diagram and a Process Control Plan describe each process.Quality is focused on meeting customer requirements.B. Safety/Compliance level of care includes those parts, that may affect thesafety of the product or compliance with any government standards orregulations. These parts require ongoing controls in manufacturing.a. If the product does not meet the requirements, local and corporateprocedures regarding containment and documentation should befollowed.b. Communication, problem resolution, and disposition should followvarious regional requirements.c. Specific documentation retention requirements apply to allSafety/Compliance parts.C. Functional Checks are focused on ensuring the reliability, consistency ofoperations as intended and customer satisfaction through in-line checks andaudits. If the product does not meet the requirements, local and corporateprocedures regarding containment and documentation should be followed.D. Product Traceability is focused on ensuring that parts requiring traceabilityare properly identified and verified in the manufacturing/assembly process.The process needs to be error proofed to ensure the necessary data iscaptured and stored. If the product and/or process does not meet therequirements, the organization shall follow local and corporate proceduresregarding containment and documentation.E. Component Handling Best Practices (Do’s and Don’ts) are focused onensuring that parts requiring special assembly and handling practices areconsistently communicated and implemented at manufacturing/assemblyplants.6.3 Extra Care applies to Special Characteristics. It defines the level of care required formanaging and controlling variation in manufacturing and/or assembly.A. If manufacturing and/or assembly variation with Standard Care is likely tohave significant impact to the customer, based on the loss function, thenExtra Care must be used to ensure customer satisfaction.B. If the characteristic is designated as a Key ProductCharacteristic, variation shall be reduced.- Variation reduction is not required during the period when you are provingstability. Refer to Section 2.7.C.If the characteristic is designated as a Product Quality Characteristic, variation shall be maintained/controlled at a designated level above Standard Care. D. Controls should be applied at the process characteristic level (KCC).7.0 The Three Stages of KCDSFigure 7A summarizes the concept behind KCDS. It displays the three stages of the system within the Global Vehicle Development Process.Stage 1 Stage 2 Concurrent (Simultaneous) Engineering Figure 7AA. In Stage One, the team identifies which parts require additional care(Functional Checks/Product Traceability/Safety Compliance/ComponentHandling) in manufacturing and Assembly and which characteristics areSpecial Characteristics. Product Engineering leads the team thatdesignates parts requiring additional care and extra care. Ideally thisoccurs during the Planning and Concept Stages of the GVDP. However,it could be prolonged through the Structure and Integration Releaseperiods within the GVDP.B. In Stage Two, controls and/or process requirements are determined for allparts requiring additional and extra care. Manufacturing Engineeringleads the team that establishes the process requirements for partsrequiring additional and extra care (and control plans to document thereduction or maintenance/control of KPC/PQC variation).C. In Stage Three, controls of the parts requiring additional care areimplemented into the manufacturing and/or assembly process to ensureproduct conformance. Controls on the KCC are implemented to ensurethat variation is reduced or maintained/controlled. Manufacturing appliesand improves these controls from Prototype and through Productionwithin the GVDP.7.2 Details of the Stages in the Global Vehicle Development ProcessA. Planning Stage: Shared Vision Development and Concept/Product Formationand Manufacturing System Concept Development and Refinement. During thisPlanning Stage, parts that need to go through the KCDS process are selected.B. Stage 1: Product Engineeringa. Lead Responsibility – Design Release Engineer (DRE/DE)b. Support Activities:-Manufacturing Engineer-Plant Representative-Supplier Quality Engineer-KCDS Engineer-Product Development Quality Representative-Dimensional Engineer-Service Engineer-Product Safety Representative-Fastening Engineerc. The following steps are used to identify, document and communicateall parts requiring additional and extra care.-Define customer satisfaction needs and focus on product and systemdefinitions. The method for doing this uses Voice of the Customer tools.-Define customer requirements, both internal (use reliability, quality,performance and manufacturing records) and retail (use marketresearch).-Define product requirements. Consider government regulations andQuality, Reliability and Durability (QRD) targets.-Do the appropriate design analyses and development to ensurefunction and robustness, depending on the newness and complexity ofthe product? Here are some design analysis techniques:o Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (DFMEA)o Risk Analysiso Design of Experiments (DOE)o Loss Functiono DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) – (i.e., Critical to Quality(CTQ))o Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)o Monte Carlo Studiesd. Use criteria in, Sections 8 & 10, to determine the partsrequiring additional and extra care, respectively.e. Record all parts requiring additional care and KPC/PQCs inGPDS, on drawings, PADS, product specifications, and/or otherprimary engineering documents, as required by localEngineering Procedures. To do this the DRE is to write a workorder (WO) authorizing the change. The DRE also uses theWO process to authorize the deletion of unnecessary redundantor obsolete additional care requirements & KPC/PQCs.f. Validate requirements by testing the parts requiring additionalcare and KPC/PQCs against the initial process parameters at alllevels: part, subsystem, system and vehicle, per the AssemblyPlant Quality Manual.C. Stage 2: Manufacturing Engineeringa. Lead Responsibility - Manufacturing Engineerb. Support Activities:-Design Release Engineer (DRE/DE)-Plant Representative-Supplier Quality Engineer-KCDS Engineer-Product Development Quality Representative-Dimensional Engineer-Service Engineer-Product Safety Representative-Fastening Engineerc. Define the process design and release requirements using the partsrequiring additional care and KPC/PQCs as input.d. Do the appropriate process analyses and development to ensurecapability and robustness, depending on the newness and complexity ofthe product? Here are some process analysis techniques:-Process Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (PFMEA)-Failure Prevention Analysis (FPA)-Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)e. Complete the Process Flow Diagram.f. Record parts requiring additional care and KPC/PQCs on the ProcessFlow Diagram and Process Control Plan.g. Set target values for KPC/PQCs and KCCs and provide amethod for control.h. Determine controls and/or process requirements for partsrequiring additional care and KPC/PQCs.i. Perform Measurement System Analysis.j. Do capability studies for KPC/PQC and, as appropriate for KCCs.D. Stage 3: Manufacturing and Assemblya. Lead Responsibility - Manufacturing/Assembly Representativeb. Support Responsibility:-Manufacturing Engineer-Product Release Engineer (DRE/DE)。