CM at Framatome Gogema Fuels
by Doug Shelburne
Where Do You Start?
Where do you start to improve your system when it is 20 years old and based on the old adage that change is bad? The story that I want to tell is how we started this process, the successes we have had, and the work we have left to do. Our Scope
For preparation, I took the CMII courses to get a foundation in sound and proven principles. I established a network of supporters from the CMII staff and from other contacts made during the CMII courses and annual conferences.
After discussions with Vince Guess, it was decided that we should approach it "one bite at a time." We started with the "change control engine." We even picked a subset of that engine; that is, the part that controlled changes that had already been sent to manufacturing. Now we had a scope.
The next step, approximately one month later, was to have the cross-functional team define the current process. Although many people knew about parts of the process, a detailed flow chart showing every hand-off had never been constructed.
The final chart was an eye-opener for everyone. It helped to solidify the support of management. It helped the team see the process from a common point of view. Many steps were identified that could be eliminated.
The next four-and-a-half months were spent creating a plan for what we wanted the process to be. The team members represented Project Management, Quality Assurance, Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing, Scheduling and Document Processing.
The team met formally for two hours/week during the first month. Subcommittees met informally on the average of two hours/week thereafter.
As part of a worldwide team, Framatome Cogema Fuels (FCF) designs and fabricates nuclear fuel, control components, and incore detectors. We provide engineering services associated with the nuclear fuel cycle and field services for inspection and repair of fuel and related components. FCF is also involved in spent fuel storage and disposal.
Our parent companies, Framatome and Cogema serve the total fuel cycle needs in France and around the world through uranium mining, conversion and enrichment, fuel assembly design and fabrication and reprocessing of spent fuel.
We knew that we needed management support and participation by each activity involved in the process. The current process had to be understood. The improvement plan had to be based on proven principles. How did we get these?
Management support came from an existing Quality Improvement Team that knew where the system was weak. They were asking that it be fixed.
A cross-functional team was formed. Their first step was to "map" the current process. The improvement plan came from the CMII materials.
I consider the following improvements, and/or paradigm shifts, to be most important:
Specific Improvements
The key improvements are summarized as follow:
Established two levels of changes and the criteria for each level.
Established specific "creator and user" ownership for each document. (There had been no provisions for user sign-off).
Established the Change Admin. I function and associated responsibilities.
Changed the function of the CRB to fit the definitions of CMII.
Established the Change Admin. II function and associated responsibilities.
Established the Change Admin. III function and associated responsibilities.
Developed an integrated data base (similar to a change task tracking system) to support the new process.
Established a scheduling system to support the new process.
Established procedures to support the new process.
Defined the plan, schedules and funding for the implementation phase.
Established an accounting system to support the Fast Track changes.
Supplied progress reports to management on the progress of the team.Specific accountability for each document that includes sign-off by the user.
Two-level change process (complex versus fast track).
Separation of business decisions for changes from the implementation planning details.
Use of a standardized data base to track the status of changes and their progress. 96% of all changes are fast track.
80% of effectivities are being achieved.
The rate of change has increased by 214%.
Costs of change are reduced by 80%.
The time from initiation of a change to a new document on the floor was accomplished in a record time of just six hours.The Next Step
We will expand our scope to include other types of documents and changes. Because of our success, this expansion will be easy. Other activities are already asking to use this system in their functions.
In closing, I thank the CMII experts for their guidance, which has been key to our success. How Long Did It Take?
From start to the first implementation took six months. Within the next three months, the system had been accepted and also embraced as a success. People recognized that it helped them do their jobs. The culture change happened faster than expected.
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