Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for aerospace and aviation manufacturers.
A checklist built from how aerospace and aviation manufacturers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Quotation from drawing and specification
- Orders, flow-downs and delivery dates
- Routing, work orders and scheduling
- Material, heat and lot traceability
- Inspection, first article and nonconformance
- Outside processing and special processes
- Gauge calibration and shipping records
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners and plant heads
- For planners and estimators
- For machinists and operators
- For inspectors and the quality manager
- For stores and purchasing
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Quotations by outcome: open, won, lost
- Work orders by machine and status
- Bar, plate and forgings issued to each job
- Lots out with vendors and their promised return
- Nonconformance reports by cause and state
- Gauges coming due for calibration
- Shipments and billing by customer
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Accounting software export
- Barcode scanners
- Document storage
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is it for machining, assembly or both?
- Can we trace a serial number to its material?
- How are drawing revisions controlled?
- Can it handle first article inspection?
- Does it follow aerospace quality standards?
- Can parts go out to vendors for special processes?
- Can our open orders and heat-numbered stock be loaded?
- Who owns the data?
- What does it cost?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Revisions live in several places
- Traceability is rebuilt after the fact
- Outside processes lose track of the part
- Nonconformances are closed on paper
- Gauges and tooling fall out of date
Prefer to talk it through? See the aerospace and aviation manufacturers page.