Follow-up function

Additional Information

Changing the quality level

You can select one or more quality levels in QM and tighten the inspection severity for these quality levels. The selected quality levels can be based on the following criteria:

You can only tighten the inspection severity for a quality level by a single stage (even if you select the same quality level several times).

When you save the notification, the system tightens the inspection severity for the selected quality levels by executing a corresponding follow-up action.

Resetting the quality level

You can select one or more quality levels in QM and reset the inspection severity to the initial inspection stage.

When you save the notification, the system resets the inspection severity for the selected quality levels by executing a corresponding follow-up action.

Sending notices during notification processing

You can use this function to read and format selected data. The system can then print this data or send it as a fax or e-mail to an internal or external address (Internet).

The standard system supports the following types of notices:

When you execute this function, the system selects a standard text that is stored as a long text for the corresponding code in the task catalog and displays it. You can edit this text as necessary without changing the original long text. If more than one partner exists for a notification, you can select a partner before you enter the text.

Before you save the notification, you can display the document in a print preview. When you save the notification the system sends the notice using the appropriate follow-up action .

Creating a new notification

You can use this function to create a new notification while processing an existing notification. When you process the notification you can:

Requesting 8D Report (Notification type Q2, Complaint against Vendor)

The 8D report is a standard form that is specifically used in the automotive industry for documenting defect corrections. If you are an original equipment manufacturer, for example, you can use this follow-up function to request an 8D report from a vendor that contains a statement regarding the defects that have been found as well as statements about how the vendor will correct the defects.

You can use this function when working on a notification to create an 8D report about a defect from there. When you save the notification the system prints the report using the appropriate follow-up function .

Creating 8D Report (Notification type Q1, Customer complaint)

If a customer enters a complaint about a product that you as vendor have delivered, the customer can request that you send an 8D report. You would then create a quality notification of type "customer complaint" to describe the defects and their possible causes and to define suitable tasks.

You can also create an 8D report for each defect item. The system assigns the tasks to the various sections of the 8D reports using the sort number of the tasks.

For example, if the task has sort number "4"; the system inserts the task in the fourth section of the 8D report. The system prints all tasks with the assigned sort numbers in the appropriate sections of the 8D report.

The system determines the persons responsible as follows: for the task, it issues the person responsible for the task, for the causes it issues the person responsible for the notification.

The system determines the deadlines for the tasks as follows:

If you want to use your own form for an 8D report, assign the form to shop paper "8D_C" in the print control of the quality notification.

Creating 8D Report Automotive (Notification type Q1, Customer complaint)

You can use this function to store tasks for causes rather than for defects.

For more information, see 8D Report Automotive .

Permission to Deviate from Specification

You can use this follow-up function to contact a notification partner to obtain permission to deviate from a specification. For example, if parts delivered by a vendor are found to be out of tolerance, you can document this as a defect in a quality notification. When you process this notification, you can use this follow-up action to obtain permission from an internal or external notification partner, for example, to allow you to use out-of-tolerance parts in production.

This follow-up action triggers the following workflow:

Sending E-Mail with Attachments

This follow-up activity allows you to send a quality notification with attachments as an SMTP e-mail (Mail Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

The follow-up activity allows you to select different shop papers in the print control for the notification. The print documents are added to the e-mail as a PDF file.

You can select partners and attachments that you want to send. You can select partners and attachments from a separate screen; this screen can also be hidden (for example, with automatic selection of all available partners/attachments in the background).

The e-mail can be sent to external e-mail addresses, or to internal users. The system suggests the following data:

You can also add additional recipients manually, or use distribution lists that were created using the office functions.

After the e-mail is sent, it is logged as a long text for the task created. The e-mail is also linked to the notification and to the task. You can display the created send request using the document flow for the notification, or by using the object outbox in the send function for the generic object service for the task. In addition, all e-mail attachments that are sent are saved in the attachment list for the generic object service for the task.