ShopFloorManager Tech Notes
"Creating Sign-Off Flow Charts..." for a Complete ISO9000 Approval System PDF-Version
Sign-Off Flow Charts Customer Assignable Ordered "Sign-Off States" with Approval Criteria
Limitless Sign-Off "Lists" Controlling Document/File/Packet Release into Engineering & Production
Supports Windows 8TM, Windows 7TM & WindowsTM XP including Support for Terminal Server 2003/2005/2008

Sign-Off Flow Charts is part of the ISOApprovalTM Module which supports Creating and Establishing Multi-Level ISO9000 Approval Criteria for Controlling All of your File, Document & Packet Approvals and Release into Production.

This includes: Establishing Birth and Death Dates; Multi-Level Sign-Off and Approval States, Controlled Check-Out/Check-In of All Files/Documents/Packets using ShopFloorManagerTM or a Third-Part Application; Automatic Archiving and Complete Histories of Active, Deleted and or old Files/Documents/Packets.

Sign-Off Flow Charts: Controlling Document's, File's & Packet's Approval and User's Access

ShopFloorManager Runtime - "Sign-Off Flow Charts..."

Overview:

A "Sign-Off Flow Chart" is a customer creatable List of "Sign-Off States" which can be associated with Objects such as Documents, Files and Packets. This "Sign-Off Flow Chart" then provides a Structured Approval Process that these Objects must "Travel" before they are completely Approved for "Release" into "Production", "Engineering", "Quality", etc.

Note: See the Guide for Creating Sign-Off States which details details who Signs-Off each of these Objects and in which Order for each "Sign-Off State"!

Important! Organizations can create as many "Custom" "Sign-Off Flow Charts" as needed to suite every type of Document(s), File(s) & Packet(s) that are required to be "Approved" before releasing to Engineering, Production, Quality, etc. These procedures can consist of any number of Approval Stages!

Sign-Off Flow Charts... Window - New Sign-Off Flow Chart

Caution: First we are assuming that you have configured ShopFloorManager for using the Approval Mode! If you have not all Documents, Files and Packets are automatically Approved. IE. You are not using the ISO9000 Model that requires Approving of all critical Documents!

Note: ShopFloorManager comes with a Simple Default "Sign-Off Flow Chart" that allows Documents, Files or Packets to be in one of two States: Unapproved or Approved. Use this simplified model if your needs are such that you only need a simple binary Approval System. If your requirements are Multi-Dimensional then you can create your own Multi-Dimensional "Sign-Off Flow Charts" which contains any number of "Sign-Off States" created by you!

Example: Above you can see the Simple default "Sign-Off Flow Chart" with the two default "Sign-Off States" along with a Multi-Dimensional "Sign-Off Flow Chart" with Multi-Dimensional "Sign-Off States".

Important! To better understand ShopFloorManager's Approval System see the Guide for Creating "Sign-Off States".

Do This: In the above Window click on the New Button and the following Window will be displayed:

Standard:

Creating


A


Sign-Off Flow Chart

New Sign-Off Flow Chart Window:

Important! Enter the name of the "Sign-Off Flow Chart" choosing a name that makes sense for your organization for this particular Approval Process. You can rename this "Sign-Off Flow Chart" at anytime which automatically updates it through-out ShopFloorManager!

Example: In this Example this "Sign-Off Flow Chart" is for CCI's Standard Sign-Off Flow Chart for Pre-Engineering.

Note: Click the OK Button and the following Window will be displayed:

Creating


A New


Sign-Off Flow Chart

Sign-Off Flow Charts... Window - New

Above: As you can see the new "Sign-Off Flow Chart" "CCI Standard Flow Chart" contains the default Sign-Off States UNAPPROVED and APPROVED which are always required on all "Sign-Off Flow Charts" since the starting state is alway UNAPPROVED and the final state is always APPROVED!

Note: There can be any number of "Sign-Off States" in-between these required states!

Important! The Default "Sign-Off States" Names of UNAPPROVED & APPROVED can be Renamed to suite a Customer's particular needs but their Functionality Can Not! Take caution in renaming these States to avoid confusion!

Do This: To add "Sign-Off States" to this Sign-Off Flow Chart click on the Properties Button and the following Window will be displayed:

Select and Order


Sign-Off States


For Use In This


Sign-Off Flow Chart

Edit Approval and Sign-Off "Require SignOff for Approval" Check-box not Checked Window

Do This: In order to activate this "Sign-Off Flow Chart" so you can, in this case, add "Sign-Off States" you will need to check the "Require SignOff for Approval" Check-box. Once this is done there will be several Sub-Windows & Text Areas become Active as follows:

Edit Approval and Sign-Off "Require SignOff for Approval" Check-box Checked Window

Important! Following are descriptions of the various Sub-Windows & Text Areas in the above Window and what their functions are as part of the Approval Process:

Setting Up "SignOff for Approval" Options:

• Available States
  Note: This is the List of "Sign-Off States" that can be added to this "Sign-Off Flow Chart". All of these "Sign-Off States" have been create in the "Sign-Off State's" Module. Once added to the "Current Steps" Window it will be removed from "Available States" Window and displayed in the "Current Steps" Window!
• Current Steps
  Note: This is an Ordered List of "Sign-Off States" that have been added to this "Sign-Off Flow Chart". This "Sign-Off Flow Chart" can be associated with Documents, Files or Packets and used to control the "State" by "State" Approval process to Final Approval! See the Guide for "Creating Sign-Off States"
• Select Sign-Off Order Style
  Note: This setting is used to determine if the Sign-Offs are forced to be done in the Displayed Order or Randomly!
• Authorized User Groups
  Note: This is a List of the User Groups(Just one of its Users needs to Sign-Off) that can be added to Sign-Off this State before its Approved and moved to the next "Sign-Off State" or if all "Sign-Off States" have been Approved to Final Approval. Once added to the Sign-Off List Window it will be removed from "Authorized User Groups' " Window!
• Sign-Off List
  Note: This is a List of User Groups that have been added to Sign-Off a Given "Sign-Off State" so the Document, File or Packet can Approved for this State and moved to the next "Sign-Off State" or to Final Approval.

Important! In the Above Window we have chosen the Development "Sign-Off State" to configure. You will need to do this for each of the "Sign-Off States" by highlighting each "Sign-Off State" and configuring them accordingly.

Example: If the Above "Sign-Off Flow Chart" was assigned to a Document for Approval it would have to go through Two "Sign-Off States": UNAPPROVED & Development before moving to the Final Approved State "Production"! At each of these "Sign-Off States" all of Listed User Groups would have to Approve this Document before it moves to the next "Sign-Off State" or Final Approval.

Do This: When completing each "Sign-Off Flow Chart" Step click on the "Save Sign-Off List" Button to Save this Form!

Assigning a "Sign-Off Flow Chart" (A ISOApproval Module) - Manage DNC Files Window

Overview

To give an Example of how "Sign-Off Flow Charts" are used we will show you the General Procedure for using a "Sign-Off Flow Chart" to establish an Approval Procedure of a typical File as it would proceed from an "UNAPPORVED" Status to "Production"(Final Approval) Status.

ShopFloorManager Runtime - Manage DNC Files

Do This: Click on the "Manage DNC Files" Icon and the following Window will be displayed:

How To Use


Sign-Off Flow Charts

ShopFloorManager Runtime - Manage DNC Files Icon

Viewing Options:

• Hide File Cabinets
• Files->Resource Collections and Machines
• Assigned
• View NC Programs
• View Help Topics
• View Approved DNC Files
• View DNC Files with Pending Approval
• Select Sign-Off States to Display
• Development
• Tryout
• UNAPPROVED

Do This: Click on this Icon to Change this View!

Above: We have selected the File "118364.2.SL5" for this example. You will notice that it is UNAPPROVED with a Default "Sign-Off Flow Chart" of Simple Sign-Off. As explained earlier this would only consist of the two States: UNAPPROVED & APPROVED(PRODUCTION). What we want to do is to select from one of the Multi-Dimensional Flow Charts we have created.

Do This: Click on this Icon and the following Window will be displayed:

Sign-Off Flow Charts - Edit Approval and Sign-Off Window

Do This: Click on the Check-box "Approved" and the following Sub-Windows and Options will be Displayed & Activated:

Sign-Off Flow Charts - Edit Approval and Sign-Off Updated Window

Above: After checking the "Approved" Check-box the following Sub-Window, Check-boxes & Button are Activated:

Options & Selections:

• Who Must Sign-Off in Which Order Window
  Note: This is the present Active Sign-Off Steps which are the Default Ones.
• Use Approval Start Date
  Note: Check this box if you what to set a Start Date for this File. (Becomes Active)
• Use Approval End Date
  Note: Check this box if you what to set an End Date for this File. (Becomes De-Active)
• Edit Sign-Off Steps Button
  Note: Clicking this button will allow you to create a "Sign-Off Flow Chart" on the Fly and is the same as shown above!
• Copy Steps from Flow Chart Button
  Note: Clicking on the Button will display a List of all of the "Sign-Off Flow Charts" that you have created from which you can select one of these to Use.
  Important! This will be the one we choose for this Example!
  
  
  
• Copy Steps from DNC File Button
  Note: Clicking on the Button will display a List of all of the DNC Files from which you can select a File that has a Flow Chart that you want to Use. In this case it is the Simple Flow Chart but could be any Flow Chart that has been assigned to a DNC File!
  
  
  
• Copy Steps from Controlled Document Button
  Note: Clicking on the Button will display a List of all of the Controlled Documents from which you can select a Document that has a Flow Chart that you want to Use. In this case it is the Simple Flow Chart but could be any Flow Chart that has been assigned to a Document!
  
  
  
• Copy Steps from Packet Button
  Note: Clicking on the Button will display a List of all of the Packets from which you can select a Packet that has a Flow Chart that you want to Use. In this case it is the Simple Flow Chart but could be any Flow Chart that has been assigned to a Packet!
  
  
  
• OK Button
• Cancel Button

Do This: Click on the Copy Steps from Flow Chart Button and select the "CCI Standard Flow Chart" and the Following Window will be displayed.

Sign-Off Flow Charts(CCI Standard Flow Chart) - Edit Approval and Sign-Off Window

Do This: Click on the OK Button and this is "Sign-Off Flow Chart" that is Used for the Approval Process for this DNC File! The Following Window will be displayed:

Manage DNC Files Window - Sign-Off All Listed DNC Files

Important! You can apply this Sign-Off Flow Chart to Multiple Files simultaneously by first Manually selecting/highlighting multiple Files or by using the various methods to narrow the selected Files including ShopFloorManager's Search Engine, Search Fields, Change View "Select DNC File View Mode", etc.

Do This: Once you have narrowed down the File Selections on the Manage DNC Files Window click on the File Menu->Edit and Sign-Off All Listed DNC Files and after selecting the Sign-Off Flow Charts" as detailed above the Following Window will be displayed:

Edit Approval and Signoff for All Listed ... Window

Do This: Click on the Appropriate Button(s) for selecting the Chosen Sign-Off Flow Chart" to assign to one all of the Displayed DNC Files.