A layered process audit (LPA) is a quality management tool designed to ensure consistent adherence to standard operating processes at all organizational levels. By involving multiple layers of management in the audit process, LPAs create a structured way to monitor and reinforce critical aspects of production or service steps.
Understanding how LPAs work and the benefits your organization can gain from this type of audit will help with implementing decision-making factors, including how often to conduct an LPA and how they correlate with traditional process audits.
What Is a Layered Process Audit?
An LPA helps mitigate risks like rework, product recalls, customer complaints and reputational damage. It focuses on verifying manufacturing processes. The layers refer to different levels of the organization, including management and staff, who conduct the same set of audits to align high-risk production steps with their documented processes. By systematically auditing processes at multiple organizational levels, LPAs ensure that everyone is aligned with an organization’s quality and safety standards.
How Does an LPA Work?
An LPA approach enhances accountability and fosters a corporate culture of continuous improvement, making it an effective strategy for maintaining high operational efficiency standards. Key elements of an LPA include:
- Focusing on key processes: The audit targets critical processes directly impacting product quality and operational efficiency.
- Standardized checklists: Auditors use standardized checklists to evaluate proceedings and confirm consistency in manufacturing and assessments.
- Immediate feedback: Audit findings are assessed immediately, so corrective actions can be taken to resolve bottlenecks before they escalate.
- Routine audits: LPAs can be done daily, weekly or annually for ongoing monitoring and quick adaptation.
Benefits of Implementing Layered Process Audits
LPAs encourage ongoing assessment and refinement, driving organizations to boost their operational performance. Specific benefits include:
1. Enhanced Quality Control
LPAs’ multilayered approach means all production and operations are regularly assessed. This proactive approach helps maintain product integrity and reliability, which are vital in aerospace and defense applications.
As LPAs are designed to target critical processes that directly impact product quality, organizations can make sure key processes operate within their specified parameters. These audits also enable immediate corrective actions, consistently improving output quality.
2. Increased Efficiency
Identifying inefficiencies that may slow down production reduces the need for rework, saving time and resources and maintaining production schedules. With more visibility into process performance, manufacturers can better allocate resources where they are needed most. LPAs also provide valuable data stakeholders can use to identify trends and make informed decisions about where to implement process changes to further boost efficiency.
3. Improved Compliance
Industries like aerospace and defense are subject to stringent regulations and standards, like AS9100 and ISO 9001. LPAs help organizations consistently adhere to these requirements, helping to avoid the risk of noncompliance, penalties or contract loss. These audits also generate comprehensive documentation, providing process performance traceability for audits and regulatory reviews.
What Is the Scope of an LPA?
LPAs are tailored to the organization’s priorities and can vary depending on the industry and specific needs. In addition to enhancing quality control checks, areas covered in an LPA include:
- Process adherence: LPAs focus on verifying that employees follow standard work instructions, making sure they use equipment as intended and follow safety protocols.
- Workplace safety: LPAs often include 5S compliance checks — sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. These checks, alongside adherence to safety protocols, reduce risks and maintain productivity.
- Preventive maintenance: Auditors verify that tools and machines receive routine maintenance and that equipment operates within specific parameters.
- Documentation: LPAs also ensure the proper maintenance of calibration records and logs, which is particularly important in industries where traceability is key.
Customizing LPAs for Your Organization
By adjusting the scope of an LPA to align with industry-specific needs, organizations can make sure audit processes meet internal objectives and comply with customer and regulatory requirements.
In the defense industry, LPAs can focus on areas like testing military-grade components, weapon system assembly and adherence to classified handling procedures. Audits may include checking that sensitive components are labeled and stored correctly according to relevant defense standards.
Differences Between an LPA and a Process Audit
The primary differences between an LPA and a traditional process audit are their frequency, structure, focus and scope. While traditional audits focus on a broader sense of compliance, LPAs emphasize frequent, targeted checks that allow for real-time adjustment.
Structure and Execution
In an LPA, multiple levels of management participate in the audit, each focusing on their respective areas of expertise. The audit emphasizes consistency and adherence to standardized processes across all levels, from the shop floor to upper management. The checklist is tailored to each layer’s perspective to focus on critical steps.
A single auditor or team typically handles the traditional process audit. Its scope is usually more broad, covering overall procedural and standard compliance. This audit approach aims to comprehensively understand effectiveness without the multiple perspectives an LPA provides.
Frequency and Depth
LPAs are designed to be quicker processes, so they can be conducted more frequently, whether daily or weekly, to ensure immediate non-conformance detection. Each session takes a short amount of time, such as 30 minutes or less, focusing on key aspects that impact process performance and quality.
Traditional process audits occur quarterly or annually, depending on the organization’s requirements. These audits are more in-depth and last longer. They assess a system’s overall health, including its efficiency, effectiveness and long-term adherence to standards. The focus is on a thorough evaluation rather than a quick, frequent check.
How to Implement an LPA
When you partner with a reliable third-party auditor, they will follow these steps to conduct your organization’s LPAs:
- Scope definition: Based on your industry requirements, they will identify critical practices, areas of focus and quality checkpoints.
- Checklist development: Auditors will create a standard layered process audit checklist for each layer of management involved in the audits, ensuring they cover critical parameters.
- Establish audit layers: Auditors in management are identified and receive specific roles, confirming each layer audits processes relevant to their expertise.
- Schedule audits: They will schedule the frequency of your audits to create consistent coverage without disrupting your daily operations.
- Conduct audits: Managers conduct the audits, using their checklists to verify processes and record their findings.
- Implement corrective actions: Following the findings, you may address identified issues immediately and start tracking corrective actions.
Start Your LPA With Unitek
LPAs can help organizations maintain consistent product output and improve process adherence. This quality management tool’s structured approach and frequency quickly help identify potential areas of concern and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Unitek is a third-party supplier auditing company with over 50 years of industry experience. We work closely with organizations in the aerospace, defense and aviation industries. Our technical specialists’ extensive industry knowledge allows us to develop customized solutions for your company, including layered process audit checklists for manufacturing, delivering results that lead to process improvement.
Contact our experts today to learn more about our program audit services.