Why and How to Implement Layered Process Audits

Whether you're new to layered process audits or facing challenges in their implementation, this article and videos will help you.

Benefits of Layered Process Audits (LPAs):

• LPAs (Layered Process Audits) foster a quality-oriented culture by engaging all management levels and swiftly addressing issues in shop floor processes.
  • Leadership involvement in audits as a crucial aspect of reinforcing the importance of the process. 
• Focus on driving continuous improvement
  • Emphasis on conforming to established standards and protocols during audits for safe and efficient work execution.
• Foster a culture of quality within an organization
  • Layered process audits help address challenges and hold best practices in place, especially in industrial or logistics settings.

Five essential steps for implementing LPAs:

• Forming an LPA team

  • The significance of involving multiple departments in the creation of audit questions to gain diverse perspectives.

• Craft pertinent questions

  • Importance of constructing objective, specific, and concise questions for effective audits.
    • Clear, direct, and focused questions provide auditors with the necessary information to drive the right conversation.
    • The collective questions within one audit should ideally take no longer than 15 minutes for auditors to complete, ensuring efficiency in the auditing process.
    • Ensure that the questions are tailored to the specific processes being audited, aligning them closely with the areas under scrutiny.
  • Identify high-risk elements within work procedures and focus audit questions on those crucial aspects.
    • When formulating LP questions, it's beneficial to reference existing resources such as FMEAs (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), and concerns or issues (quality, safety, productivity) for guidance.

• Establish a regular schedule involving all levels of management

  • Different management layers have different frequency of the same audits or even better, a modified audit where the higher levels audit the lower levels audit process is working effectively and issues are being addressed.
  • Various approaches can be used in scheduling and conducting layered process audits, including paper-based systems, visual boards, auditing software, or a combination.
  • Encourage to make layered process audits a habitual practice within an organization.

• Executing and overseeing audits

  • Consistency in verification and audit processes as a driver for improvement.
  • Importance of showing respect and care during audits, irrespective of individual roles or positions.  
  • Ensuring meaningful engagement during audits to trigger appropriate responses to identified issues and maintain accountability.

• Consistently refining the LPA program

  • Establish some sort of frequency and accountability for cross-functional teams to review and adjust audit frequencies and content.

Course Forward:

• Are you struggling with...
  • The time to lead this effort, and maybe someone else in your organization can lead this with the proper training?
  • Integrating LPA's into the routines of your organization and the management system?  (not Quality department's sole responsibility)
• Partner up with your CI Leader or Site Manager and look into starting a DMS Pillar team!
  • Learn more about our Daily Management System Leader coaching program!  See the benefits below, and find more details in this link.  https://www.beltcourse.com/dms-leader-course-page 

Sources:

Webinar titled "Culture of Excellence: Layered Process Audits 101" hosted by Rachel Pradhan, Marketing Director at Beacon Quality. Murray's credentials: Acknowledged for aiding numerous companies in efficiency enhancement, and drafted the CQI8 second edition industry reference document for layered process audits, influencing automotive guidelines.

Paul Foster, product manager for Beacon Quality.