Board defects

A board defect records the board serial, revision, reference designator and defect code. It links to an inspection through its operational record. Those identifiers let a reviewer go from a quality observation to the inspected board and the affected location. The revision matters when the same reference designator changes meaning between board designs. Agree a consistent code convention with the people who capture defects before daily use begins.

Disposition can be Review, Rework, Scrap or Accepted. Review is the point at which the inspector hands the attributed observation to the person deciding what happens next. Rework and Scrap state a disposition; Accepted says the reviewer has accepted the scope. The board defect record keeps its own disposition alongside the related inspection status so the team can see both decisions.

• Capture. Inspector chooses the inspection first, then records the board serial, revision, reference designator and defect code against it.
• Attribution. The operational record link keeps the defect with the inspection that supplied the quality context, including other check observations and evidence.
• Disposition. Quality Reviewer reviews the attributed defect and chooses among Review, Rework, Scrap and Accepted according to the physical decision made.

The Board Defects screen is useful during capture and triage. The saved review list focuses the reviewer on records still at Review, while the related inspection lets them compare the defect with the check outcome.

Set the format for serials and revisions, and decide who owns the defect-code vocabulary. A reference designator should identify a location on the stated revision rather than a generic board area. Agree when a repeated observation on the same board requires another defect record and when it belongs in the existing inspection’s check evidence.

Decide who may set the final disposition and what evidence the reviewer expects for Rework or Scrap. A board defect can point to an inspection marked Review or Rejected, but the board disposition and inspection outcome serve different questions. Train the team to inspect both before deciding whether a linked nonconformance needs containment.

Inspector inspects a board with a visible defect at a reference designator. They record the board serial and revision, select the current inspection and enter the defect code. The record starts at Review. Quality Reviewer opens the attributed case, checks the inspection’s observations and chooses Rework. The manufacturing team can use the board identity and disposition to carry out its separate physical work.

Run a second case where the revision is wrong or the board serial is missing. Correct that identity before the reviewer accepts the case; a plausible defect code alone cannot identify the affected board. For Scrap, confirm the reviewer can return from the disposition to the same inspection and any linked nonconformance. For Accepted, confirm the decision is distinguishable from an inspection marked Accepted.

• Board defect review — Attributed board observations awaiting a disposition, with serial, revision and reference designator together.
• Inspection status board — The related inspection’s place in the wider quality decision queue.

See board and ESD evidence and inspection review.