Role design and job descriptions for Orthopaedic Implant Makers: lot control, inspection and polishing roles
Traceability and inspection work only when somebody owns them. Role design gives lot control and inspection a clear place, apart from production pressure.
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Share your requirementsWhy role design and job descriptions matters in orthopaedic implant makers
Without clear roles, lot tracking is everyone's job and so no one's. The operator moves bar stock, the setter notes a number and the packer completes the record from memory. Inspectors report to production and are asked to hurry. A polisher's judgement is treated as a helper's task. When a piece needs tracing back to its bar, the trail has gaps.
Good looks like a named lot controller who owns bar and part movement, inspectors who report outside production with a rule that a reject stands until reviewed by a named person, and a polisher role with its own levels. Each role note says what it signs and what it hands on. Changeover is signed by the operator and checked by a second person.
How to set it up
1. Trace one lot from bar to pack
Follow one lot through cutting, machining, polishing, cleaning and packing, and note who records what at each step. Mark where it depends on memory.
2. Create the lot controller role
One named person owns bar receipt, issue and part movement, with a deputy. Use the role design and job descriptions approach.
3. Set inspector reporting outside production
Inspectors report to quality or the owner. State that a reject is final until a named person reviews it.
4. Define the polisher role and its levels
Helper, polisher, master polisher, with what each can pass on surfaces. Keep sample pieces for each level.
5. Sign changeovers in two steps
The operator signs the changeover, and a second person checks it before running. Put it in the role note.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Pick one finished lot and see if you can trace it back to the bar.
- Ask inspectors whether they have felt pushed to pass a piece.
- Check who signs changeovers and who checks them.
- List which roles on the floor have no written note.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach role design and job descriptions in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Yes, if the person has the care, time and standing for it. Give them authority to stop issue when records are incomplete, and a deputy for leave. Lot control is a role, not a side task.
A named person outside production, such as the quality head or owner, after looking at the piece. Write it down. Without it, rejects are argued on the floor and inspectors learn to keep quiet.
One page: surfaces and parts handled, standard checked, who signs, levels and learning. Add sample pieces rather than long text. The eye is learnt on pieces, and the note points to them.