Case Study - Configuration Management

Santa Barbara Focal Plane

Santa Barbara Focalplane (SBF) is a merchant vendor of the very latest in infrared components, imaging systems, cameras and technology. SBF specializes in designing and manufacturing the highest sensitivity indium antimonide (InSb) focal plane arrays (FPAs) in many configurations from linear through large staring formats. Product groups include FPAs, integrated FPA/dewar assemblies (IDDCAs), digital camera heads, and complete imaging systems.

Having a small IT support department on site, SFP was looking for a robust CM solution that could be rapidly deployed and require minimum IT support during deployment and after cut-in.

Due to the large number of End Items designed and manufactured, the new system had to be able to bring the Engineering Change Process under control to provide documented change history, increased visibility for Impact assessment and secure storage and visibility of Documentation.

The CMstat system was selected and, during the implementation process, tailored to meet the particular needs of SFP, e.g. adjusting field labels and look-up values to be able to track additional change information, Projectizing the data to enhance impact assessment, etc. Additionally, the integrated Document Vault system allows SFP to associate documentation to Items, while maintaining Version control and archiving throughout the change process.

Prior to the CMstat deployment, an internal audit team noted the following areas in need of improvement:

• Scheduling and Planning of Change Activity against Items
• Documentation of the "Reasons for Engineering Changes"
• Documentation of Engineering Change Impact
• Control of Document Archives and proper dissemination of documentation to manufacturing areas.

In April 2007, after the CMstat System was fully deployed, the following improvements were noted:

• Change activity affecting Items was scheduled in the CMstat Item Master module against each part slated for change.

The Production Operations team was then able to run the "Item Library" report which is a numeric listing of all Item/Parts by the selected Contract and Project. Using this report, the Team could see the Impact and Schedule of the intended Change. This also allowed them to "pull" other database reports, and integrated Planned Engineering Changes into their Production Planning Process.

• "Reason for Change Data" was being collected in both the newly implemented CMstat database and the legacy file systems for each change. In addition, categories defining the reason for changes were established and used for program management Metrics.

Note: Pull down menus in CMstat now allow user to select the applicable "Reason for Change" category to analyze the change (Justification Codes were altered for Tracking Metrics) and show all Metric data.

• Using CMstat database fields as a guideline, "Impact Assessment Forms" were developed outlining thought-provoking questions to stimulate thorough analysis of proposed change activity.

The LM Internal ISP 90001 audit team submitted a formal commendation to the Configuration Management Department for implementing impact assessment forms and made a recommendation that the impact assessment forms be used as a company-wide Best Practice.

• Document archives are now maintained in the secure CMvault and are associated electronically to the Change Document authorizing the change.

Personnel in the Lab areas are provided a single source of current approved document revisions to be used during critical manufacturing operations.

By properly utilizing the CMstat CM tool, SFB is able to capture additional data elements that let them know what ECO is going to impact an Item, as well as the dat it should happen. The ability to gather additional Metrics provides information for continuous improvement.