Every problem moves through the same stages. The shaded boxes are gates: Yes continues down, No goes to the note on the right.
- Decision: Does it need a corrective action (risk, repeat, customer, safety or a system weakness)? If yes, continue to the next step.No:Correction only: fix the product, record it on the NCR log, and watch for repeats (B10).
- Decision: Is the cause confirmed with data, and not stopped at a person? If yes, continue to the next step.No:Keep digging. An untested cause is a hypothesis.
- Plan the action, extend it to similar places, and set the effectiveness criterion before it goes in (B08).
- Implement, record the evidence, and let the verification window run.
- Decision: At the end of the window, did the action meet its criterion with no recurrence? If yes, continue to the next step.No:Reopen. Keep the history, go back to the cause, escalate if the risk calls for it (B13).
- Close, and feed what you learned into risk records, training and the next management review.
| Stage | Purpose | Tools | Output | AS9100D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intake | One place for every problem, triaged the same way | B02, D19 | Logged problem, priority, owner | 8.7, 10.2.1 |
| Contain | Protect the customer now | B11, B12 | Suspect product found and held; customer told where required | 8.7 |
| Investigate | Find and confirm the root cause and the escape cause | B04, B05, B06, B07, B03 | Confirmed causes | 10.2.1 |
| Act | Remove or control the cause, here and in similar places | B08, B01 | Action in place, evidence, criterion set | 10.2.1 |
| Prove | Show the action worked | B08 | Verification result, closure | 10.2.1, 10.2.2 |
| Review | Keep the system moving and learn from it | B09, B10, B13 | Weekly decisions, monthly metrics, management review input | 9.1.3, 9.3.2 |
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Clause numbers refer to AS9100D (SAE AS9100 Rev D) unless another document is named. The standards' text is not reproduced here: use your own licensed copy.
Aegis Insights are our own guidance, labeled wherever they appear: how we approach this work, not a requirement of any standard or customer.