What is QTrendControl?
QTrendControl is software tool for statistical analysis and trending of inspection results, for purpose of continuous process improvement. It is based on principles of quality management and improvement methodologies such as SPC, PAT and Six Sigma. Typical examples of inspections are:
- Physical and chemical analysis of raw materials, packaging materials, bulk and finished products (pharmaceutical, diary, cosmetics, food & beverage and similar process industries)
- Physical, chemical and microbiological inspections of industrial utilities, such as purified water, compressed air, nitrogen, clean steam etc.
- clean-room conditions monitoring (air pressure, air velocity, humidity, temperature etc.)
- in-process quality control parameters in manufacturing process
- defects and defectives counting
In this article, we will present major features implemented in the program.
Main Menu
Upon successful login to database server, main menu dashboard is opened.
Master Data and Settings
Organization Structure and Inspection Matrix
By clicking on the button "Organization Structure and Inspection Matrix" you can open form for managing master data.
Users assigned to role "data_reading" can view master data, but only users assigned to role "master_data_admin" can insert, edit and delete data.
Form consists of several tabs:
- Tabs related to Organization Structure
- Organization
- Departments, Plants and Areas
- Lines and Devices
- Inspection Points and Inspection Parameters
- Inspection Types and Inspection Parameters Templates
- Product Catalogue
Organization Structure
QTrendControl enforces hierarchical definition of organization elements and inspection points related to organizational elements.
When defining inspection matrix, you need to follow following workflow: Organization-->Department-->Plant-->Area--->Line-->Device-->Inspection Point-->Inspection Parameter.
Each of the nodes in this flow is mandatory to be defined. However, you can leave some nodes with blank or dummy names. For example, if you don't have production lines and device for certain production area, you might name Line and Device "None", "Dummy" or just leave blank name and assign all inspection points for the area to this blank line and device item.
Keep in mind that this tabs are in hieararchical relationship - if you, for example, click on the tab "Lines and Devices", only record belonging to currently selected Organization, Department, Plant and Area in previous tabs will be shown.
Organization
In the Organization tab, you can define general info about your company or institution.
Note that in each organizational node, you have three check boxes: "Reporting?", "Input?" and "Active"
If "Reporting?" is checked, then this node will be available for selection criteria for generating reports. If "Input" is checked, then new inspection data entering is enabled for this organizational element. Option "Active?" is used to enable or disable certain organizational element for both reporting and new inspections input.
Departments, Plants and Areas
In this tab you can proceed with definition of departments, plants and areas for the currently selected organization.
Lines and Devices
In this tab you can proceed with definition of lines and devices for the currently selected area (area is selected in previous tab). Terms "Line" and "Device" are here used in most general sense. In most cases, line will designate a production line consisting of several devices, i.e. machines. However, line can also mean a facility or utility system, for example purified water or clean steam facility. It can also designate a group of laboratory equipment, e.g. several HPLC devices connected to the same LIMS system, etc.
As already discussed, if you don't have production lines and devices in certain area, or you wish to assign all inspection point directly to an area rather than to production lines and device, then you have to define "dummy" transitional line and device (e.g. "All lines", "None", "All" etc.).
Inspection Points and Inspection Parameters
 In this tab you can define inspection points and respective inspection parameters, for the currently selected device (device selected in previous tab).
Each inspection point is associated with an inspection type, which can be chosen from a combo box list. Off course, you must first define inspection types, which is a prerequisite for definition of inspection points.
Each inspection point can contain one or more inspection parameters, which you can insert manually or using predefined templates. If you need to define multiple inspection points of the same type, you are advised to utilize templates. By using templates for inspection types, you can greatly increase speed of inspection matrix definition, because you don't need to configure manually each parameter all over again.
Scroll the inspection parameters subform to see all available columns, there are many of them and they don't fit on one screen.
Inspection Types and Inspection Parameters Templates
In this tab you can define Inspection Types to be associated with inspection points, as well as related templates to be reused when defining inspection parameters in the inspection matrix.
Product Catalog
Product catalog is an optional feature, it is not mandatory to be filled. If you, however enter products, you will be available to use it as one of the selection criteria in reporting.
Settings
 If you click on the button "Settings", application will open form for managing lookup tables essential for QTrendControl functioning. Only user who is member of system_admin role can edit these tables. This form is to be used only for language localization purpose.
In this form, system administrator can localize: data types, requirement types, limit types, limit kinds, time units, organization elements for selection criteria in reporting and organization elements used for data input. He can also edit list of clean-room classes.
Input and Correction of Inspection Results
Input of Inspection Results
If you click the button "Input of Inspection Results", application will open form for inspection results input. Only users who belong to data_input role can enter new inspections into the database.
Form has two main tabs: "Enter inspection results" and "Templates for inspection results input".
Tab "Enter inspection results" has two sub-tabs:
By default, "Define And Generate Input Form" is opened.
On this screen user can define parameters to be used for dynamic generation of actual data input form.
There are two basic approaches to generation of data input form: ad hoc and template-base approaches.
a) Ad-hoc approach
This approach enables user to flexibly define organizational elements and selection criteria to be used for input data form generation. By default, all organizational elements are available for selection criteria.
You can choose an organizational element to be used for data input form generation, on each of the organizational structure level: department, plant, area, line, device, inspection type and inspection point.
Notice that organizational elements are in hierarchical relationship: Department-->Plant-->Area-->Line-->Device-->Inspection Point. If you leave superior hierarchy level empty, then all subordinated level elements are available. If you select an element on a superior level, then all subordinated levels are filtered and constrained only to elements belonging to the chosen superior element.
For example, if we leave Departments combobox blank and click on the Plant combobox, we will be able to choose between all plants.
If we first choose a department in the Department combobox, then llist of available plants will be constrained only to plants belonging to the chosen department.
The same principle applies to all comboboxes.
Define your selection criteria and then click on the button "Generate Data Input Form".
This will generate new data input form in the tab "Enter Inspection Results (Data Input Form).