Managing Engineering Change Orders and Delegation Limits in Manufacturing
Delegating engineering change authority by financial limit and technical classification eliminates plant line stoppages while preserving configuration control.
Deviation Authorization
Meaning
Administrative approval for a temporary departure from released technical specifications allows production to proceed without halting the line. A deviation authorization typically defines the specific batch or quantity for which the non-conforming condition is tolerated. This mechanism prevents assembly lines from freezing while formal drawing revisions are processed.
Technical Scope
Engineering evaluation establishes the limits of the approved variance to ensure that form and function remain uncompromised. The evaluation often involves physical testing of prototypes or simulation of the assembly under extreme conditions. When the deviation affects safety or critical dimensions, the authorization is rejected and scrap or rework is ordered instead.
Risk Assessment
Operational risks include the potential for downstream assembly failures and long-term reliability issues in the field. Quality departments must verify that the temporary change does not introduce unexpected stress or wear on adjacent components. If the deviation is approved prematurely to meet delivery deadlines, the cost of potential field recalls can far outweigh the savings of avoiding a short production delay.
Demonstrating capability during this period requires tighter inspection intervals at subsequent assembly stations.
Production Control
Tracking systems log each authorization to prevent the temporary variance from becoming a permanent assembly standard. Once the specified batch is completed, the line must return to standard design requirements.