MEMORANDUM
To: Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 instructor
From: Elton Kok, ENGL 301 student
Date: November 13th, 2020
Subject: Progress Report
I have written below my progress report for the formal report assignment about improving the QC inspection process for the QC raw materials department at Sanofi Pasteur Toronto site. This progress report outlines important information pertaining to the report such as audience and purpose.
Audience of the report
This report is intended for management and directors of the raw materials quality control department at Sanofi Pasteur Toronto. The current manager of the raw materials department is Anh Nguyen and the deputy director of the raw materials department is Bo Li. These two individuals have extensive knowledge of the processes in this department, how the work done at this department impacts the company as a whole, and the power to implement change in the department.
Purpose of the report
The purpose of this report is to explore the implementation of a digital documentation system in contrast to the paper based documentation system currently in place in the QC raw materials department at Sanofi Pasteur Toronto. Other companies and departments within Sanofi Pasteur have been moving from paper documentation to a digital documentation system over the past years as technology has advanced. Digital documentation has advantages over paper as it greatly reduces the company’s carbon footprint and does not require physical storage.
Significance of the report
The investigation into implementing a digital documentation system has significant advantages. Sanofi Pasteur relies on LEAN manufacturing principles which strives to eliminate waste in the manufacturing process. Paper documentation generates significantly more waste and can often have duplicated information across several pages. A digital documentation system can significantly reduce paper waste generated in the department reduce the redundant information that propagates through various forms. Ultimately, a digital documentation system can serve to increase efficiency and minimize the chance of human error.
Research plan
This report attempts to investigate the following:
- Understanding why paper documentation is still being used
- Gather statistics of how much paper is used per release batch
- Cost analysis of paper usage
- Interviews with the managers and directors
- Interviews with current employees
- Opinions on the current paper documentation
- Opinions on replacing paper with digital documentation
- Analyze survey questions
Writing schedule
November 15 – Contact and inform managers, directors, and employees of the QC raw material department of this report.
November 16 to 22 – Send surveys to managers, directors, and employees. Schedule times for interviews.
November 27 – Finish conducting interviews and data analysis.
December 1 – Create initial draft of the report and post on team forum
December 12 to 13 – Revise draft based off peer review
December 15 to 16 – Finishing touches and re-reading report
December 17 – Deadline of Formal Report posted on team forum
Thank you for taking the time to read this progress report. Any insights and suggestions are welcomed.
Enclosures:
Hello Elton,
Thank you for posting this Progress Report. Your progress and plans look good – but the survey introduction needs correcting. Research must follow a set of strict ethical rules. Surveys participants must be informed that participation is both voluntary and autonomous. Please do review the Instructor’s Blog with the example and correct the introduction to the attached survey.
Questions have too many choices – keep the range of answers at 5
Once you have corrected the Introduction to the survey, you are good to go. Thank you and enjoy.