LPA Implementation Guide ~ Steps 11 through 15

The LPA Implementation Guide

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11) Who should do the auditing? - Select different management personnel as auditors for each layer and then decide which audit(s) each auditor should be allowed to complete.

Reasons - Each layer needs to have unique auditors.
Selecting layer 1 auditors to audit the areas they are already responsible for will
be your most efficient approach, as they can utilize existing job knowledge and
require little travel time.
Layer 2 and higher auditors may be selected in any way that the implementation team agrees is appropriate..

Options - A. Typical layer 1 auditors are supervisors, maintenance and/or
technicians.
B. Layer 2 auditors are often Engineers, area managers,
C. Layer 3 auditors might include the plant manager, and other top organization such as Engineering Manager, Quality Manager, HR Manager to name a few.

Best Practices - Layer 1 auditors are supervisors, maintenance and/or technicians.
Layer 2 auditors are middle management such as Engineers and area managers, Layer 3 auditors must include the plant manager, and others at the top of the organization such as the Engineering Manager, Quality Manager, and HR Manager to
name a few. The members of the implementation team should all be auditors. Having members of your LPA Implementation team be auditors will show by example they
believe in the system the team developed.

12) How will management review the effectiveness of your LPA activities? - Incorporate the review of your LPA activities and its effectiveness into:
1. Daily management quality and production meetings.
2. the Management Review process of your Quality Management System (QMS).

Reasons - Underscore the importance of your LPA system through active management reviews, and by utilizing a process of approving corrective actions and
containment activities on a daily basis.
Management should review the LPA activities as part of their formal Management Review of all their quality systems elements at defined intervals to insure the LPA system's continuing suitability and effectiveness.
Management should record trends in the quality, operational performance, and
current quality levels for key product and service features.
Trends in data and information should be compared with progress toward business
objectives and lead to appropriate action to support developing priorities for
resolving customer problems.

Options - A. Management review reports daily and either approve containment and corrective actions for non-conformities or make modifications to the containment and/or corrective action
B. LPA data and activities should be incorporated into the formal Management Review of quality systems.

Best Practices - Management completes their audits on time (walk the talk).
Management reviews reports daily and either approves containment and corrective actions for nonconformities or makes modifications to the containment and/or corrective action.
Incorporate LPA data and activities into the formal Quality Management Review system.

13) What type of system should you develop, design, or purchase to organize and manage your LPA activities? - Determine what type of system you need to service your customers (including auditors, administrators, management, and product customers).

Reasons - The system must be easy for auditors to use, allow them to quickly view their schedule and record audit results, including recording any corrective action
taken for non-conformances.
Management should be able to obtain audit reports quickly with real-time data and have the ability to approve corrective action and containment of questionable materials.
Select a system that the administrator can easily manage with minimal time
requirements.

Options - A. Paper system; B. Email notification; C. Database to enter data and
recover information for reports.; D. Computer application

Best Practices - LPA Admin (web-based application) because it meets or exceeds your audit, management, and administrator requirements with little need for IT support from your facility. 

14) Where will you document your LPA process? - Decide where to document LPA process.

Reasons - Find a place to formally document your LPA process where everyone can easily locate this process. Place this documentation in a system that requires minimal maintenance time.

Options - A. Document the LPA process as part of its own system. B. Document the LPA process in your current Quality Management System.

Best Practices - Document the LPA process in your current Quality Management
System.

15) How fast and to what extent should the LPA system be implemented? - Decide the how quickly and how broadly you want or need to implement your LPA system.

Reasons - Setting realistic goals and benchmarks for implementation will keep the team focused.

Options  - A. Implement for a few customers' processes across the entire facility.
B. Implement across the entire facility including all high risk processes for all customers.
C. Implement in one area or department for all high risk processes for all customers. Then continue to implement in other areas until the entire facility is completed. (Note: It is not recommended to only implement for one customer)

Best Practices - Organizations that utilize their varsity team from all locations of
their facilities choose to implement their LPA system across their entire plant at once for all their external customers' products. The focus, discipline, training time, and
implementation time will be much better if one completes the implementation for all processes at the same time.
Large facilities (over 700 employees) may choose to implement their LPA system in
phases by area.

Go to Steps 1 through 5

Go to Steps 6 through 10

Go to Steps 16 through 19