Overview
Control plans define how manufacturing processes will be monitored and controlled to ensure product quality. The Control Plan Risksheet provides a structured interface for automotive manufacturing engineers to:
- Organize manufacturing processes and their corresponding quality characteristics
- Assign measurement and inspection methods to critical characteristics
- Document target values, tolerances, and acceptance criteria
- Link to process failure modes (PFMEA) for closed-loop quality assurance
- Define reaction plans for out-of-specification conditions
The configuration uses a three-level hierarchical structure that mirrors the manufacturing process flow:
Hierarchical Data Structure
| Element | Level | Work Item Type | Purpose |
|---|
| Process Step | 1 | processStep | Manufacturing operation or assembly station |
| Product Characteristic | 2a | characteristic | Output quality attribute (measured on finished part) |
| Process Characteristic | 2b | characteristic | Process parameter (measured during manufacturing) |
| Control Method | 3 | (server-rendered) | Inspection technique, sampling frequency, reaction plan |
Product Characteristics are measured on the manufactured part (e.g., “Sensor housing wall thickness”). Process Characteristics are measured during manufacturing (e.g., “Injection mold temperature”). Both link to the same control plan item for unified control strategy.
Column Groups and Organization
The Control Plan Risksheet organizes columns into four semantic groups with color-coded headers:
Process Step Group
Identifies the manufacturing operation being controlled.
| Column Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
process_step | Link (processStep) | — | Links to the manufacturing process step work item; provides context for which operation requires controls |
equipment | Dynamic Picker (systemElement) | — | Manufacturing equipment via queryFactory filtering: returns systemElement items with equipment type and backlink to selected process step |
// Equipment picker filters systemElement items:
- Query: systemElement items with backlink to processStep
- Filter: systemElement.type = "equipment"
- Result: Only equipment assigned to this process step appears
Characteristics Group
Documents the quality parameters being monitored.
| Column Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
product_characteristic | Dynamic Picker (characteristic) | — | Product quality attribute; filtered by equipment linkage using queryFactory |
process_characteristic | Dynamic Picker (characteristic) | — | Process parameter; filtered by same equipment linkage for context-aware selection |
characteristic_class | Formula (merged) | — | Unified classification display showing SC (Special Characteristic) or CC (Critical Characteristic) from either characteristic type; product classification takes precedence if both exist |
target_value | Formula (merged) | — | Consolidated specification target from product or process characteristic using specFormula; automatically selects appropriate target regardless of characteristic type |
tolerance | Formula (merged) | — | Combined tolerance/allowable variation from product or process characteristic using toleranceFormula; typically displayed as ± range or min/max bounds |
// Characteristic class (SC/CC classification):
characteristicClass = productCharacteristic.classification || processCharacteristic.classification
// Target value (specification):
targetValue = productCharacteristic.targetValue || processCharacteristic.targetValue
// Tolerance (allowable variation):
tolerance = productCharacteristic.tolerance || processCharacteristic.tolerance
Methods Group
Defines how characteristics will be inspected and monitored.
| Column Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
measurement_method | Text | — | Inspection technique: Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), visual inspection, functional test, destructive test, statistical method, etc. |
sample_frequency | Text | — | Sampling schedule: 100% inspection, every Nth part, statistical batch sampling (per ANSI/ASQ Z1.4), continuous online monitoring |
sample_size | Number | — | Quantity of parts sampled per batch or time period per IATF 16949 PPAP frequency tables |
acceptance_criteria | Text | — | Decision rule: parts are accepted if measurement ≤ target + tolerance, or specific pass/fail thresholds |
responsibility | Link (user/role) | — | Name of manufacturing or quality engineer responsible for control execution |
Reaction Plan Group
Documents corrective actions for out-of-specification conditions.
| Column Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
reaction_short_term | Text | — | Immediate action when out-of-spec part detected: stop production, hold and inspect, quarantine lot, sort and inspect all parts |
reaction_long_term | Text | — | Root cause analysis and corrective action: adjust equipment, change supplier, revise process parameters, implement additional control |
escalation_trigger | Text | — | Condition triggering management escalation: repeated out-of-spec, trending data shows drift, capability index Cpk < 1.33 |
escalation_owner | Link (user/role) | — | Manager notified when escalation trigger activates |
Visual Encoding and Cell Styling
SC/CC Classification Badge Rendering
Special and Critical Characteristics are highlighted with color-coded badges:
| Classification | Badge Color | Row Background | Usage |
|---|
| SC | Orange (#ff8c00) | Light orange (#ffe4cc) | Special Characteristic requiring documented control per IATF 16949 |
| CC | Red (#c62828) | Light red (#ffcccc) | Critical Characteristic with safety or functionality impact |
| (none) | Gray | White | Standard characteristic without special designation |
// Cell decorator for characteristic_class column:
if (productCharacteristic.classification === "CC" || processCharacteristic.classification === "CC") {
cellStyle = "background-color: #c62828; color: white; font-weight: bold;";
badge = "CC";
} else if (productCharacteristic.classification === "SC" || processCharacteristic.classification === "SC") {
cellStyle = "background-color: #ff8c00; color: white; font-weight: bold;";
badge = "SC";
}
// Row header decorator applies light background to entire row:
rowStyle = (classification === "CC") ? "#ffcccc" : (classification === "SC") ? "#ffe4cc" : "white";
Workflow Views
The Control Plan Risksheet includes progressive disclosure views supporting the manufacturing control planning workflow:
| View Name | Columns | Purpose |
|---|
| Identify Characteristics | Process Step, Equipment, Product/Process Characteristic, Class, Target, Tolerance | Initial planning: which characteristics require control at each process step |
| Configure Methods | …Measurement Method, Sample Frequency, Sample Size, Acceptance Criteria | Define inspection strategy: how and how often will characteristics be checked |
| Reaction Planning | …Reaction Short-term, Reaction Long-term, Escalation Trigger, Owner | Prepare contingency: what happens if out-of-spec is detected |
| Full Control Plan | All columns | Complete control strategy review and audit trail |
| Summary | Process Step, Equipment, Class (filtered to SC/CC only) | Executive view showing only critical characteristics requiring special control |
Integration with PFMEA
The Control Plan Risksheet integrates with Process FMEA (PFMEA) to create closed-loop quality assurance:
Cross-Reference Workflow:
- Create PFMEA document analyzing process failure modes per process step
- PFMEA identifies risk controls needed (e.g., “Implement in-process temperature monitoring”)
- Create or update Control Plan document for same process steps
- For each process failure mode, ensure a corresponding characteristic and measurement method exists in control plan
- Link control plan items backward to PFMEA causes they address
| Property | Value | Description |
|---|
name | ”Control Plan” | Display name shown in Risksheet header |
description | ”Manufacturing control plan for process characteristics and inspection methods” | Tooltip and documentation reference |
hierarchyDefinition.levels | 3 | Three-tier navigation: Process Step → Characteristic → Control Method |
hierarchyDefinition.zoomColumns | [“process_step”, “characteristic”, “control_method”] | Zoom drill-down sequence |
rowNumbering | true | Display row numbers in risksheet grid |
rowLinking | true | Enable hyperlinks within row headers for item navigation |
Configuration Properties
{
"metadata": {
"version": "1.0",
"type": "controlPlan",
"moduleType": "risksheet",
"created": "2024-01-15",
"lastModified": "2024-02-15",
"author": "Configuration Manager",
"standardsApplicable": ["IATF 16949", "AIAG-VDA FMEA", "ISO 9001"]
}
}
Level Controls and Expansion
| Property | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
levelControls.L1.name | String | ”Process Step” | Label for level 1 header |
levelControls.L1.zoomColumn | String | ”process_step” | Column used for drill-down navigation |
levelControls.L1.collapsible | Boolean | true | Allow users to collapse level 1 groups |
levelControls.L2.name | String | ”Characteristic” | Label for level 2 (characteristic being controlled) |
levelControls.L2.zoomColumn | String | ”characteristic_class” | Display characteristic classification in header |
levelControls.L3.name | String | ”Control Method” | Label for level 3 (inspection technique) |
levelControls.L3.expandByDefault | Boolean | false | Leave level 3 collapsed initially (faster loading for large risksheets) |
Column Group Definitions
Four groups organize columns by workflow stage:
{
"columnGroups": [
{
"id": "process",
"title": "Process Step",
"color": "#2196f3",
"columns": ["process_step", "equipment"]
},
{
"id": "characteristics",
"title": "Characteristics",
"color": "#9c27b0",
"columns": ["product_characteristic", "process_characteristic", "characteristic_class", "target_value", "tolerance"]
},
{
"id": "methods",
"title": "Methods",
"color": "#4caf50",
"columns": ["measurement_method", "sample_frequency", "sample_size", "acceptance_criteria", "responsibility"]
},
{
"id": "reactions",
"title": "Reaction Plan",
"color": "#ff9800",
"columns": ["reaction_short_term", "reaction_long_term", "escalation_trigger", "escalation_owner"]
}
]
}
Cell Decorators and Visual Styling
| Decorator | Target Column | Logic | Effect |
|---|
scccBadge | characteristic_class | If classification = “SC” or “CC”, render colored badge | Orange/red badge on characteristic class cell |
scccRowBackground | (all columns) | Apply light background to entire row based on characteristic_class | Light orange/red background for SC/CC rows |
measurementMethodIcon | measurement_method | Map method name to icon: CMM → :fontawesome-regular-ruler:, Visual → :fontawesome-regular-eye:, Functional → :fontawesome-regular-circle-play: | Visual icons for quick method identification |
frequencyLabel | sample_frequency | Render frequency as badge (100% = red, Statistical = orange, Continuous = green) | Color-coded frequency indicator |
Dynamic Picker Filtering
Characteristic and Equipment pickers use queryFactory to provide context-aware filtering:
// Equipment picker for selected process step:
queryFactory({
type: "systemElement",
filters: [
{ field: "systemElementStatus", operator: "equals", value: "equipment" },
{ backlink: { role: "assignedTo", workItem: "processStep" } }
],
sort: { field: "name", direction: "ascending" }
})
// Characteristic picker for selected equipment:
queryFactory({
type: "characteristic",
filters: [
{ link: { role: "linkedTo", workItem: "equipment" } }
],
sort: { field: "name", direction: "ascending" }
})
// Returns unified classification from both characteristic types
function mergeCharacteristicClass(productChar, processChar) {
// Product characteristic takes precedence
if (productChar && productChar.classification) {
return productChar.classification; // "SC" or "CC"
}
if (processChar && processChar.classification) {
return processChar.classification;
}
return ""; // Unclassified
}
// Consolidates specification from product or process characteristic
function mergeTargetValue(productChar, processChar) {
if (productChar && productChar.specTarget) {
return productChar.specTarget;
}
if (processChar && processChar.specTarget) {
return processChar.specTarget;
}
return "";
}
// Consolidates allowable variation from either characteristic type
function mergeTolerance(productChar, processChar) {
if (productChar && productChar.tolerance) {
return productChar.tolerance; // e.g., "±0.05 mm"
}
if (processChar && processChar.tolerance) {
return processChar.tolerance;
}
return "";
}
| Type | Purpose | Link Role |
|---|
| processStep | Manufacturing operation; level 1 parent | — |
| characteristic | Product or process quality parameter; level 2 data source | — |
| systemElement | Equipment assigned to process steps | assignedTo |
| controlPlanItem | Individual row in control plan risksheet | — |
| processFailureMode | PFMEA failure mode; defines control requirement | mitigatedBy |
| riskControl | Control measure for risk mitigation; referenced in reaction plan | — |
Cross-References
- Start with PFMEA: Complete Process FMEA before creating control plans — failures identified in PFMEA inform control strategy
- 100% Inspection for CC: Critical Characteristics typically require 100% inspection or continuous online monitoring
- Statistical Sampling for SC: Special Characteristics often use ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 statistical sampling per IATF 16949
- Document Traceability: Link each control plan item back to the PFMEA failure mode it addresses for closed-loop quality assurance
- Review with Operations: Ensure measurement methods and reaction plans are feasible with available manufacturing equipment
