How to Design an Effective In-House Training and Educational
Program in Critical Cleaning and Contamination Control
Barbara Kanegsberg
We do workshops at conferences all the time (see “Upcoming Conferences & Programs” in
this newsletter); such workshops provide value. Attendance at conferences
is valuable. However, to get everyone on the same page and to make sure that
it’s the right page for your application, nothing beats an in-house
training or educational program. An in-house program can be geared to your
specific product and processes. In addition, for some strange reason, it
is easier to discuss company-specific problems and ideas if your competitors,
high-level representatives of key regulatory agencies, and auditors from
customers are not grinning at you from across the room. However, achieving
a successful in-house training or education program in critical cleaning
and contamination control requires preparation.
Here are some suggestions to getting the right program content that we
have found to be successful with a range of clients and in a variety
of corporate
cultures. If you have questions or would like some help, please contact
us – it’s
what we do for a living!
Educate
Make the program, or workshop, or seminar an educational one, even if
your management is accustomed to training programs. Sure, you have
to have goals;
and you have to have do’s and don’ts; and you have to follow
applicable specifications and standards. However, in our experience, most
people we know are not trained sea lions; and they respond more productively
when you acknowledge their brainpower.
Of course, the first step is to educate yourself.
Customize
Even basic courses in critical cleaning and contamination control ought
to be customized to the needs of your employees and to what your
company hopes
to achieve. Generic information about cleaning may not resonate with
engineers who have immediate product cleaning, contamination, and
yield issues.
We typically ask about the motivation and goals for setting up an
in-house course, the current product line, the future product line,
any safety,
regulatory, customer, military, or FDA constraints. We place even
basic cleaning information
in the context of immediate goals and problems.
Invite the right people; build a team
Who requires education or training in critical cleaning? You will
see more effective results if you educate (or train) all those
who can
influence or are affected by critical cleaning. The “guest list” may in part
be determined by your management. If you have the option, invite additional
key people involved directly with cleaning and contamination control. Also
include those who need to understand the importance of critical cleaning
and surface quality to be sure that the cleaning is successfully integrated
into the full process. Such related job functions can include product design,
purchasing, safety/environmental, Q.C., and facilities/maintenance.
Provide key supply chain members with an understanding of cleaning & contamination
control
Think outside the box, even outside the company. We participate
in programs that involve key members of the supply chain. For
complex processes,
many sub-assemblies and components are purchased. To achieve
tight process control,
you have to pin down the chemicals and processes used by the
supply chain. If there are company-sensitive issues, set up
an additional
program that
involves key supply chain members. The most cost-effective
way to
get the supply chain on the same page is to involve them in
the in-house cleaning
course.
Understand the audience
Who will participate in the course?
For longer courses, it is often a good idea to provide a 30-minute
to two-hour introduction and executive overview and then
to invite – you guessed
it! - executives and managers. This overview should contain an introduction
to cleaning and contamination control and also give a bird’s eye view
of the rest of the program. In addition to allowing managers to understand
what their employees will be learning, the introduction provides managers
with an opportunity to provide input and suggestions, even if they can’t
stay for the entire program.
Before and during the program:
Ask for input
Ask again
Ask for clarification
We always ask for input, because cleaning and contamination
control are complex issues. Concerns and problems can
be company-specific or even
department specific.
You and your co-workers can invaluable for spotlighting
specific problems; that’s the first step toward a solution. We ask for photos, because
some problems are best illustrated visually. Incorporate the photos into
the presentation. In addition, data including testing, failure analysis,
defect rate, and trends can point the way toward what education is needed.
If you are considering a new process, determine what has been tested and
the impact of successes and failures.
Even if you know everything about your fabrication
process, obtain input for the program. People are
busy, so ask
actively. This
may require emails,
phone calls, even walking up to your co-workers and
(gasp!) talking to them.
Keep the program non-commercial
We are often asked if representatives of cleaning
technologies should attend and/or participate in
the educational
program. The answer
is: sometimes,
in well-defined areas. However, to keep all your
options open and to allow for very frank open interchange
and
discussion of all
technologies, the
program should be conducted by independent experts.
Everyone has built-in
biases;
and technical representatives can provide very
positive contributions, particularly in terms of the technologies
they offer. However,
it is reasonable to expect
that their motivation will be to show how their
particular technology can be adapted to your problem, so they
can sell product. Participation
by
vendors at certain programs or portions of programs
may be appropriate. Utilize their
expertise appropriately.
In general we suggest that educational and training
programs be conducted by individuals or groups
who are independent
of specific
cleaning
agents, cleaning processes, and related technologies.
When you want to sort out issues and consider
all your options, stay independent. Understand
the
biases and
affiliations of all of your
advisors.
Improvise
There will be surprise questions and comments,
because it is unlikely for everyone to be
on the same page.
Surprises often
provide great
opportunities to solve problems and improve
processes (please see Part One, this issue).
Understand the options for cleaning and contamination
control. Be prepared to speak extemporaneously.
We find it handy
to have a “flip chart” or
a white board to address last-minute questions.
