Inspectors are the last people between a defect and the customer, so their competence deserves its own attention. Beyond reading the drawing, an inspector must choose a gauge that can actually see the feature, use it the same way every time, apply the sampling plan, record what was measured, and know when to stop and ask. Most inspection escapes we have examined came from the first two.
| What an inspector must be able to do | How we check it |
|---|---|
| Read the drawing, its notes and its revision, including GD&T on the features they inspect | Questions on a current drawing from the area |
| Choose a gauge that can detect the requirement (range, length, resolution) | Give a characteristic and a gauge crib; ask for the choice and the reason |
| Use the gauge the same way as other qualified inspectors | Side-by-side inspection; for visual or go/no-go checks, an agreement check (below) |
| Apply the sampling or inspection plan | Work checked on real lots |
| Record exactly what was measured | Records sampled against the parts |
| Stop, segregate and report when something is wrong | Ask what they would do; watch for it on the job |
An agreement check for visual and go/no-go decisions
Where an inspector decides accept or reject by eye or with a go/no-go gauge, measuring competence means checking that inspectors agree with each other and with a known answer. A simple version of the published attribute agreement method works in a small shop: select 20 parts, about half good and half bad, including some close to the limit, with the right answer for each agreed by your best judges; have each inspector judge every part twice, in a different order, without seeing earlier answers; then count. Each inspector should agree with themselves, with each other, and with the known answer on nearly every part. Missing a bad part matters more than rejecting a good one.
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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.