A nonconformance system needs an owner for the system and a named person at every step. Agree this table with your plant manager before you start, and write the names, not just the roles, into your procedure's attachment.
| Role | Owns | Does | Decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anyone who finds it | The first hour | Stops, tags and holds the product; tells the supervisor and quality | Nothing about the product: that comes later |
| Supervisor or area lead | The area | Raises the NCR with the finder; stops the operation or puts a check in place; moves tagged product to the cage | Whether the operation can run with a temporary check |
| Hold-area custodian | The cage | Controls access; keeps the cage log; places and lifts system holds; releases product only on a signed disposition | Nothing about the product |
| Quality engineer | Each NCR | Investigates, contains, prepares MRB cases, dispositions routine NCRs, requests customer authorization, keeps the log current | Rework to the drawing, scrap, return to supplier |
| Material review board | Non-routine dispositions | Evaluates, decides, records the justification; meets weekly | Use-as-is, repair, non-standard rework, safety-related and suspect cases |
| Design authority | The design | Approves use-as-is and repair: the customer for build-to-print, your engineering for your own designs | Whether the part still meets its design intent |
| Customer | The contract | Authorizes use-as-is and repair where the contract requires it; receives notice of delivered nonconforming product | Whether to accept |
| Supplier quality engineer | Supplier NCs | Returns, corrective action requests, supplier notifications | Acceptance of the supplier's response |
| Quality manager | The system | Chairs the board; runs the monthly review; escalates; reports to management review | Closure; escalation; who sits on the board |
| Plant manager | Resources and backing | Clears blocks; backs a hold when the schedule hurts; accepts risks above the quality manager's authority | Resources and escalated cases |
Who sits on the board
The board needs two members to decide: one with authority for the quality decision (the quality manager or a delegated quality engineer) and one engineer who can judge form, fit and function. For parts the customer designs, your engineer advises and the customer's design authority approves. Invite production, supplier quality, purchasing or planning when a case needs them, but they do not make the quorum. A delegated quality engineer may stand in for the quality manager on routine cases; write down which ones.
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A management aid, not certification or a registrar audit. Using it does not by itself show conformity to AS9100D or any other standard, and your customers' requirements may add to it.
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.