Is there such a thing as a contamination control mindset? A quick web scan for the definition of “mindset” came up with a couple I thought interesting. Simply put, “a way of thinking about things” or, possibly more ominously, “a set of beliefs of a person (or perhaps a company) that affects the outcome of all their endeavors.”

The need to address contamination control issues typically arises for any of a number of reasons. Your Quality Control group is concerned about a growing product rejection rate attributable to particulate contaminants. Perhaps one of your potential clients has a requirement that its products be manufactured in a cleanroom with a specific cleanliness classification. Possibly the technology of the marketplace has advanced and there is a need to upgrade a facility to match that of the competition. Is the implementation of the existing protocol, falling back on “the way we always did it” or drawing on our contamination control mindset, going to be sufficient?

Maybe so....maybe no.

What follows is a project mindset, a protocol, a series of steps, a way to do it, which, when properly implemented, has served the industry well over the years.

It includes:

Needs Assessment, wherein client and design team explore the reason for the project, the corporate environment, budget restraints, schedule window, client history/experience with similar projects, and other “soft” issues. It’s the opportunity for all stake holders to get together and make their needs/desires known and for the design team to become expert in the “hard” issues such as client process support needs, material flow, personnel flow, raw material storage, production goals, janitorial resources, maintenance capability, etc., etc., etc. Followed by…