Managing Laboratory Inspection

This document describes how to manage laboratory inspection (LI) for a lot. Every inspection that is performed is reported, and an LI request is created for the lot. This provides the basis for a final assessment of the quality of the lot, which is made when all inspections are reported. The lot is then either approved or rejected.

When a lot is created for an item, which occurs when either a purchase order line or a manufacturing order is received, it is possible to create an LI request on the item's lot.

An LI request for a lot can be created manually or, for lots reported as received in the procurement process or as manufactured in the production process, created automatically.

Before you start

  • The item must be defined as lot-controlled in 'Item. Open' (MMS001/E).
  • The inspection code for the item must be set to either 2 or 3 in 'Item. Open' (MMS001/F).
  • The general settings in the following basic data programs must be defined:
    • 'Result Type. Open Names/Language' (LIS040)
    • 'Range Value. Open' (LIS030)
    • 'Actual Value. Open' (LIS035)
    • 'Measurement Unit of Measure. Open' (LIS005)
    • 'Laboratory. Open' (LIS010)
    • 'Measurement Method. Open' (LIS015)
    • 'Measurement Instrument. Open' (LIS020)
    • 'Lab Inspection Class. Open' (LIS001)
    • 'Settings - Lab Inspection & Control' (CRS711)

Outcome

The process is completed when the LI request for the lot is finally reported. Then the lot is either approved or rejected and a lot certificate is printed.

Follow these steps

The section below describes the activities included in the process.

  1. Create LI request

    • Create LI request manually

      You perform this activity when you wish to re-test a previously created lot. This can be done when the lot has passed its expiration date. If this is the case, the lot normally has an on-hand balance status of 2=approved. However, re-testing can also be made to expired lots with on-hand balance status 3=rejected. An LI request for the lot is manually created in 'Lot/Serial Number. Open/Connect to Item' (MMS235).

    • Create LI request automatically

      An LI request can also be automatically created for an item. An LI request is then created for each purchased or manufactured lot. The inspection code for the item must be set to 3 in (MMS001/F) and there must be an LI specification connected to the item in 'Lab Inspection Specification. Open' (LIS100). (If the inspection code for the item is set to 2 in (MMS001/F), you can manually create an LI request for the item.)

  2. Print LI request

    LI requests can be printed automatically or manually. Manual printing is made either in 'Lab Inspection Request. Open' (LIS200) or in 'Lab Inspection Request. Print' (LIS650).

    The settings for automatic LI request printouts and for the locking of LI requests are defined in 'Settings - Lab Inspection & Control' (CRS711).

  3. Report inspection

    You perform this activity when you wish to report the completed inspection to the LI request. An inspection can be reported in by full-screen reporting or by reporting of specific lines.

    • Full-screen reporting

      You can use full-screen reporting when you wish to choose separate inspections for reporting. This allows the user to exclude previously reported inspections from a later reporting. The panel used for full-screen reporting displays item number, lot number, LI specification number, sequence number, line number, and LI class. The values in the 'Actual value' and 'Result type' fields can be changed.

      When using full-screen reporting it is possible to choose automatic reporting. This provides for automatically reported approved results when the actual values are within the range values for the LI specification. Also, the result type is reported rejected when the actual values are not within the range values. It is also possible to manually change the automatically reported values in the panel.

      Full-screen reporting is done in 'Lab Inspection Request. Report Result' (LIS210).

    • Reporting of specific lines

      Result reporting of individual inspections is used to show the limit values for an inspection with the complete data. The values in the 'Actual value' and 'Result type' fields can be changed.

      Reporting of specific lines is done in 'Lab Inspection Request. Open' (LIS200).

  4. Report lot result

    You report lot result when you wish to report the total quality of the lot, after all the testing is completed and reported. You do this in 'Lab Inspection Request. Report Result' (LIS210).

    Inspections are then marked with the appropriate result type, for approval or rejection. Only LI requests with status 50='All details reported' should be reported. However, it is possible to report a lot result before all other results are completed, but a warning signal is given.

    The lot result is reported in 'Lab Inspection Request. Open' (LIS200/E). In the 'Status controlling' field, you can specify if the result of an LI request should determine whether the lot is approved or rejected. If this field is selected, the lot's on-hand balance status is specified either as 2=approved result or 3=rejected.

    For manufactured items the activity is then completed in 'Quality Inspected Item. Put away' (PMS130), if the 'Status controlling' field has been selected. For purchased items the activity is completed in 'Purchase Order. Inspect Goods' (PPS310).

  5. Generate and print lot certificate

    When the lot is reported, a lot certificate can be generated and printed. This can be done for separate certificates or in a general print run. The information in a lot certificate cannot be changed. However, selected information can be included in the printout. Only lots with status LI request 60=rejected or 70=approved can be printed.

    General printouts are generated in 'Lot Certificate. Print' (LIS660). Individual certificates are printed in 'Lab Inspection Request. Open' (LIS200) or in 'Lot/Serial Number. Open/Connect to Item' (MMS235).

    Lot certificates can also be imported to a PC-based program such as Excel for further processing and printed from there.