Re: The OTHER Test - Testing Your Procedures

Subject: Re: The OTHER Test - Testing Your Procedures
From: Bernice Kieffer <bernice_kieffer -at- mentorg -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 10:08:40 -0700

Ok, Ok! Looks like I'll have to come out of lurk mode just to set the
record straight.

Actually, the assembly line I was writing process procedures for had a
number of stations where a suction arm would grab the glass from the end
of one roller table, flip it and place it on another roller table. The
station I was proofing my procedure for did not have any sensor to tell
the arm when the glass was down. Instead the operator had to watch
carefully so that when the glass was fully down, they could release the
suction arm and swing it back up. If the operator wasn't paying
attention, the arm would just continue to try to press the glass down
through the roller table braking the glass in the process.

Needless to say, I was reading my next step rather than paying attention
to the process. I looked up when I heard a strange groaning sound. This
was just in time to see the glass shatter. Luckily nobody got hurt by
the flying debris.

That experience taught me to read procedures ahead of time. I also
included a warning for the operator to keep their hands on the button so
that once the glass was fully down, they could immediately release the
arm. It was a valuable lesson in the importance of proofing procedures
before releasing them to the operators.

Bernice Kieffer
Now documenting nice safe software!


Barry Kieffer wrote:
>
> My wife, who chooses to lurk on this list rather then join in, had a similar
> experience.
>
> She documented a process for manufacturing photo voltaic panels.
>
> To prove that her documentation was correct, she went to the factory (yes, they
> let her) and followed her procedure step-by-step.
>
> Some small mistake in her procedure caused the robot to pick up large sheets of
> glass and happily smash the sheets to shards. Oops! Flying glass, divert eyes!
>
> Maybe someday she will tell the story and join in...

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