Inspection execution

Quality Manager creates an inspection for the part or assembly under review, chooses incoming, in-process, final or service work, sets the planned date and assigns an Inspector. The subject reference gives the team a common case to discuss. The inspection stays planned until the assigned work begins. Inspectors then record each characteristic as a linked check, so a result can be read with its own requirement, observation and attachment.

A final inspection of a revised assembly is a useful pilot case. Quality Manager identifies the assembly in the subject reference and assigns the person who will examine it. Inspector opens the inspection, checks the requirement for each characteristic, records what was observed and marks the result. A photograph or document can be attached to the relevant check. The evidence stays with that check when the inspection moves to review.

• Assignment. The inspection carries its type, planned date, subject and responsible person.
• Characteristic evidence. Each linked check keeps the requirement, observation, result and attachment together.
• Submission. The inspection reaches review after linked checks have recorded requirements and results.

Agree how the team identifies a subject in the inspection number and subject reference. Define when inspectors use incoming, in-process, final and service types. Choose what evidence belongs on each characteristic and which observations need an attachment. These choices make it easier for a reviewer to find the exact result behind an overall decision.

Agree who creates inspections and who is responsible for recording linked checks. Quality Manager can use the open inspection list to see planned and active work. Inspector can use the assigned list to keep daily work separate from the review queue. Keep the same naming convention for the first pilot cases so a check can be found from its inspection.

Run the revised assembly through a characteristic that passes and one that fails. Inspect the recorded requirement and result on both checks before submitting. Leave a result pending on a test copy and confirm that the case stays out of review. Then complete the missing result and send the inspection to the reviewer. The reviewer should be able to open the same subject, see the linked checks and reach the evidence without asking the inspector to reconstruct the test.

The handoff is the moment when the Inspector has finished recording, not an acceptance decision. The reviewer decides that outcome in Inspection disposition.

• My inspections — Assigned work with subject, type, scheduled date and current status.
• Open inspections — Planned, active and review cases for the quality team’s daily queue.
• Inspections in review — Cases whose linked results are ready for a reviewer decision.

Inspection to disposition follows a case from assignment to the reviewer decision. Start with a pilot lists the setup decisions to settle first.