Frontline QMS

Frontline QMS

Apps in the frontline QMS provide a quality management solution for the shop floor. This app suite supports defect handling with dispositions, CAPA management for the frontline, calibration management and quality inspections with inspection plans and detailed instructions. These apps can integrate seamlessly with other Tulip solutions and can be expanded with integrations to 3rd party systems (ERPs, PLMs, etc.).

Physical layout

See below an example physical layout for a factory showing where these apps are used.

The Frontline QMS app suite includes the following applications:

Material Review Board

The Material Review Board app is designed to help quality engineers or production supervisors review, track, and manage defective materials. It allows them to analyze defects, update defect records, and determine the appropriate disposition (scrap, rework, or use-as-is) while documenting necessary justifications and evidence.

The quality engineer reviews reported defects, modifying or adding details if necessary. Then the engineer selects a disposition:

• Scrap: The defect is marked as scrap with justification.
• Rework: The defect is assigned for rework with instructions and an assignee.
• Use-As-Is: The defect is accepted with justification.

Users can upload supporting documents or images for validation.

The app uses the Defects Table and the Work Order table to process data in the flow, its main objective is to streamline defect handling and ensure proper tracking of material disposition decisions.

Rework

If one of the defective parts is sent to rework, it can be processed in the rework application. In the first step of the application, the list of defects sent to rework is displayed. The user can select a defect, and in the 'Rework Unit' step, they can view all the information required to execute the rework, such as the defect reason, operator comments, or any attachments linked to the unit. In the final step of the application, the user can confirm that the rework is completed.

CAPA Manager

The CAPA Manager app enables efficient tracking and resolution of quality issues for quality engineers and production supervisors while ensuring compliance with corrective and preventive action processes. The quality engineer can review existing CAPAs, which contain details such as root cause, corrective and preventive actions, evidence documents, due date, and assignee. The users can also add new CAPAs or edit existing ones to update information as needed. Defects from the Defects Table can be linked to a CAPA for tracking related issues. Once all necessary actions are completed, the CAPA can be closed.

The app is using the CAPAs table (it stores CAPA records with the above mentioned fields) and it is also using the Defects table to link defects to CAPAs, thus ensuring traceability between defects and their corrective/preventive actions.

Calibration Manager

This app ensures proper calibration management, maintaining compliance and accuracy for measuring devices. The primary users are quality engineers and production supervisors. Users select a device to view its status, calibration details, and other relevant information. They can execute calibration: (1) for internal calibration, they follow an SOP to perform calibration and they can put the device on hold if necessary (2) for external calibration, users request calibration from a vendor, and then they can receive calibrated devices and enter calibration details. There is also equipment management functionality: users can create or edit devices with key details, including name, calibration type (internal/external), calibration expiry, cadence, and calibration guide. Finally, users can access the logbook for each device to see associated events and comments.

The app uses the Equipment & Assets table (to store device records, including calibration details, status, and history), and the Comments and Exceptions table (to log events, comments, and exceptions related to calibration activities).

Inspection Plan Creator

The Inspection Plan Creator app is designed for quality managers to define and manage inspection plans for specific products. This ensures that standardized quality checks are in place for each product, improving consistency and compliance with quality requirements.

The app allows users to view existing inspection plans by product and create new ones. When defining a new inspection plan, the user first selects a product and then adds inspections with key details. Each inspection can be either numeric (requiring parameters like unit of measure, target value, and upper/lower limits) or pass/fail. Before finalizing the plan, the user can review all inspections, making adjustments as needed by adding or removing inspections.

The app uses the following tables: Material Definitions table and Inspection Plan table.

Inspection Execution

The Inspection Execution app is designed for operators performing quality checks on product units. It ensures inspections are conducted according to predefined inspection plans, helping maintain product quality and compliance.

Operators begin by scanning or selecting a product unit, then all required inspections will be displayed based on the corresponding inspection plan. They can review completed inspections and execute any open inspections. For each inspection, the app displays the relevant SOP document. Operators then record results:

• Pass/Fail Inspections: Marked as pass or fail, with optional inspection notes.
• Numeric Inspections: Operators enter the measured value, and the app automatically determines the result (pass/fail) based on the target value and tolerance limits.

If an inspection fails, the app automatically creates a defect record, ensuring traceability of quality issues. By structuring the inspection process and automating defect tracking, this app enhances quality control and ensures consistent execution of inspections.

The app relies on the following tables: Inspection Plan, Inspection Results, Defects, Work Orders, Units.

In the background, there are some automations managing some aspects of the process flow. One unit in a PENDING INSPECTION status needs to go through multiple inspections before it becomes available. This automation checks if a completed inspection was the last to complete for a given Unit, and changes the status when needed.

The automation is triggered by the update of the “Passed” filed for any records in the inspection results table. The updated record is loaded and the automation continues if the field was changed to “yes”, indicating that the inspection passed. Next, a Tulip API connector function runs that counts all the inspections that are not in a passed status. This way we get the count of any open or failed results. If the output is zero, because all inspections for the given unit are passed, the status of the unit is changed to “AVAILABLE”

There is another similar automation connected to the Units table. A work order can only be completed if all the units within the work order are inspected and therefore their status is changed to available. This automation is triggered by the update of the “Status” field for any records in the units table. The updated record is loaded and the automation continues if the status field was changed to “AVAILABLE” and the Work Order ID is not blank, indicating that the unit is AVAILABLE and there is a Work Order ID linked to it. Next, a Tulip API connector function runs that counts all the units in the same work order that are not in an available status. This way we get the count of units that have not been completed yet. If the output is zero, because all units for the given work order are completed, the status of the work order is changed to “COMPLETED”.

Guided Inspection Template and Visual Inspection Example

The Guided Inspection template is designed for operators performing quality checks, providing a structured and customizable framework for building guided inspection applications. It includes a variety of predefined steps that can be combined to create inspection processes tailored to specific needs, ensuring accuracy and consistency in quality control.

The template includes steps for key inspection activities such as:

• Product Selection: Scan or select a product unit to initiate the inspection.
• Work Order Selection: Scan or choose a work order to link the inspection to a specific job.
• Equipment Verification: Select measuring equipment and verify its calibration status before use.
• Inspection Execution: Display the relevant SOP, record inspection results (pass/fail or numeric values), and collect additional information using checkboxes and comments.
• Instructional Guidance: Display step-by-step instructions to guide operators through the inspection process.

Depending on the specific inspection application built using this template, the following tables can be utilized:

• Inspection Results Table – Stores recorded inspection outcomes.
• Equipment & Assets Table – Tracks measuring equipment used in inspections.
• Comments and Exceptions Table – Captures operator comments and any deviations.
• Work Orders Table – Links inspections to production work orders.
• Units Table – Maintains traceability of product units being inspected.
• Defects Table – Logs defects identified during inspections.

This flexible template enables manufacturers to create tailored inspection applications, ensuring operators follow standardized procedures and maintain high-quality standards.

The app suite includes an example built using the Guided Inspection template. In the Inspection Execution app, inspections can either be loaded from a predefined inspection plan or, if available, redirected to a guided inspection specific to the selected product unit.

In this example app, operators are presented with product unit details and step-by-step instructions for the quality check. They must confirm certain criteria using checkboxes, optionally add notes, and record the inspection result as pass or fail. They can also make comments if necessary. After completing the guided inspection, the app seamlessly navigates back to the Inspection Execution app, where the operator can select and execute the next inspection.

Tables used in the app suite

The main Tulip Tables the app group uses are the Defects, CAPAs, Equipments&Assets, Comments and Exceptions, Inspection Plans, Units and Inspection Results tables. Defects are stored in the Defects table with statuses OPEN or CLOSED. The CAPAs table contains CAPAs (with statuses OPEN or CLOSED) and defects can be assigned to CAPAs. The Equipment&Assets table contains data about equipment, for example about devices that require calibration. The devices can have statuses (ACTIVE, SENT OUT for external calibration, DEACTIVATED) and calibration statuses (CALIBRATED or NOT CALIBRATED). The Comments and Exceptions table stores comments about certain events. Finally the Inspection Plans table contains inspection plans for specific products and the results of the numeric or fail/pass inspections (with statuses OPEN, IN PROGRESS, COMPLETED) are stored in the Inspection Results table.