Is anyone successfully using Kinetic for aerospace where the contract review process flows with how the software was designed? Has anyone customized a contract review within Kinetic? If so, can you share how you are doing it or how you did it? Since getting our AS9100, the contract review process has slowed us down significantly and we are struggling. Any information would be helpful. Thanks!
Hello Shawn,
Can you describe, in general, how the contract review process works - outside of Kinetic? From a business perspective, what does it need to track?
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Cre8tive offers an Aerospace and Defense module that may be worth looking at. Custom ERP Solutions for Compliant Industries | CTND
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Please clarify what you are referring to regarding the Contract review process.
We are an Aerospace manufacturer that is AS9100 certified.
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From what I can tell, our process flow is all jumbled. According to our QC manager that worked at a previous company that was in aerospace, the job# is important for starting the CR process. The way our jumbled system currently works is this. Quote → PO comes to Sales → Sales notifies engineering that an internal cross reference part number needs to be created. (at that time they also create the method). Once the PN is done → Sales Creates the SO → Scheduling Creates the Job# and schedules the job → Sales then starts the CR process now that they have the job# to tie to the SO and quote → Engineering finishes any prints → QC signs off that we have met all necessary criteria → Production manager says whether the job needs to be rescheduled if the CR process has taken too long to start the job on time → Traveler is printed and hits the floor. If at any point, there is something missing that is needed from any department, it gets “kicked back” to get that information added before the next person signs off on it. Some of these only take a day to get through if they’ve been through CR before and others which are brand new parts have taken a week, or at times get hung up somewhere for at times 2-3 weeks before they move on to the next person. Before CR, new parts took at most 3-4 days before the traveler could hit the floor waiting on material to start the job. This is just new to us, so we may have to change our process flow, but the QC manager says the CR review must be done this exact way. I’ve been looking at Cre8tive’s solution and will be bringing it up but only after we decide on some other things that are in the works. Hopefully this clears up the muddy situation we are in and help with any suggestions.
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Do you have the Project Module?
I’m not sure I would be starting with a job… Maybe that’s all the QC Manager had previously. 
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is the CR process your review of the Customer Contract?
My understanding of the AS9100 process is its unique to each business. we have SOPs and other requirements that are unique to us that are defined in our AS9100 process. There is nothing limiting us from making changes to that process though other than the FAA rules. If you have an internal process that is not supporting a lean manufacturing process, i would push for that process to be changed.
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We have a number of modules that we more than likely aren’t using correctly if at all. We have the Project Management module.
The job# may have been all he had before in order to tie things together. Right now, we use a separate spreadsheet that is filled out in each area with Sales and Engineering carrying most of the workload. I created a BAQ that is used as a dashboard that has most of all of the information that Sales needs so that all they need to do is export it to another tab on this spreadsheet and they just enter in the job# and it fills in all the other important information for them so that don’t have to look each item up in multiple kinetic screens. Trying to automate as much of this as possible so that it isn’t user input that is slowing things down.
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Oh, I would HIGHLY recommend looking deeper into the Project module instead of trying to reimplement it in jobs. (Sorry QA Manager).
A Project tracks ALL quotes, orders, jobs, etc.
AND it has check lists:
And cost tracking and various billing/revenue recognition options.
It may not have all you use today, but it’s a LOT closer to that document above.
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Thank you for the suggestion. As far as I know, our company has had this since Epicor was implemented 5 years ago, and I don’t think our provider even bothered showing us how to use it. I’ve been here 2 years now and I’ve finally been able to start digging into what we have and what we use. This might be the option that could help us out. I’ll have to look at the videos on how it works. Appreciate the input!
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