Proactive FAI Planning is Critical to Prevent Production Delays
Published .
Applicable Standards
AS9102Related
- AS9100
Topics
- fai
- production-planning
- first-article-inspection
- schedule-delay
- process-validation
- as9102
A supplier initiated a First Article Inspection (FAI) on a part from the first production run, treating it as a final quality gate before shipment. The manufacturing process was considered complete, and the product was awaiting final inspection and FAI report generation.
During the FAI, numerous documentation gaps and process verification issues were discovered late in the cycle. This treatment of the FAI as a singular event, rather than a planned process, failed to identify planning oversights until the part was ready to ship.
Key Takeaways
- The discovery of these issues halted the initial shipment, leading to significant schedule delays and requiring unplanned resource allocation to complete corrective actions and generate a conforming FAI package.
- During the FAI, numerous documentation gaps and process verification issues were discovered late in the cycle.
- This treatment of the FAI as a singular event, rather than a planned process, failed to identify planning oversights until the part was ready to ship.
Best Practice
Organizations must treat the FAI as a comprehensive project requiring proactive planning before the first production run, per AS9102. Integrating FAI planning activities concurrently with manufacturing is essential to validate process capability and prevent last-minute discoveries that delay delivery.
Reflects the recommended position based on community discussion and expert review.
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