Introduction

This Computer Based Training & guidance is designed to provide familiarization and training for all DCMA personnel involved with the GIDEP. It is also intended to be a ready resource in addition to simply providing training. CBT is designed to be used by Product Assurance Specialists (Quality Assurance Representatives, Engineers, Industrial Specialists) , Contractors, and Suppliers -- virtually anyone designing, building, testing, or overhauling systems for DoD.

Basic Concept

It is imperative that all DoD activities be aware of part and material problems (non-conformance) as well as unsafe conditions that might adversely affect DoD activities. This is especially true now that the DCMA GIDEP Instruction mandates certain DCMA participation. Significant non-conformances, problems, concerns, and Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) should be documented (per OFPP 91-3) for exchange among DCMA Districts and Contract management Offices (CMOs), and DCMA programs and projects using the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP). This exchange of information permits all DoD activities to benefit by evaluating exchanged non-conformance, problem, concern data, and diminishing manufacturing source data for potential adverse safety or mission impacts on their contractors' programs and projects. In order to obtain the maximum benefit from this information, a basic understanding of DCMA's participation in GIDEP is needed by all DCMA personnel and is critical for those involved in the reporting and investigation of problems with products/processes and safety issues.

• A key distinction to understand is that the GIDEP program makes provisions for submitting information at various times during a non-conformance investigation and while it is still preliminary in nature and lacking complete data. This can allow limited advance notification of a problem, to the benefit and protection of our customers.
• Commonly, a two step approach works well where limited and preliminary initial notification is provided to government is followed a couple of weeks later by further announcement to the larger GIDEP community. Both of these announcement are dealing with preliminary and incomplete data. For example, consider the definition of the very useful Problem Advisory:
• A Problem Advisory "reports non-conformances, which, unlike ALERTs, have a low probability of causing a functional failure. They do however, report problems with products/processes, which do not meet specifications. They can also be used as preliminary ALERTs where there is a suspected problem, which is not completely defined due to lack of data."

CBT School Objectives

Our goal is to provide the students an awareness and general understanding of DCMA's use of GIDEP for the exchange of non-conforming material and DMSMS information. After going through the CBT school, the students will have the necessary knowledge and skill to do the following:

• Understand when the exchange of non-conformance and DMSMS data is required.
• Know all of the types of GIDEP failure experience data types and when to use them.
• Know how to generate and process the GIDEP documents.
• Know what GIDEP and related information data bases are available.
• Understand the roles and responsibilities associated with GIDEP.