CONTROL PATH / 01
One controlled plan, several separate evidence events.
Keep sample approval, process checks, lot inspection and buyer release as separate decisions. For each, record the controlling requirement, evidence owner, close-out rule and next action.
Name the order and decision owner
Record the legal seller, production site, product, order, quantity, destination and covered processes. Name who can approve the plan, accept deviations, require reinspection and release each stage.
ISO 10005:2018 gives guidance on preparing, using and revising quality plans. Define your product requirements separately.
If the plan does not state what evidence is needed for a specific decision, it becomes a list of activities instead of a control record.
Lock the approved requirements
List the current drawing, specification, bill of materials, sample, test method, packaging, labels and purchase order. Set a document hierarchy for conflicts and require the factory to acknowledge revisions.
Use a change log for materials, components, tooling, sites, suppliers and methods. ISO 10007:2017 provides configuration-management guidance.
Set checkpoints for the main risks
Map product risks to checks on incoming materials, setup, first output, critical processes, testing, packing and the final lot. Give each check an observable trigger and a hold point.
State which work may continue while a check is open and which work is a hold point. A sample approval, first-piece review, during-production inspection and pre-shipment inspection answer different questions and should retain separate results.
Assign methods and evidence owners
For each checkpoint, record the requirement, method, tolerance, equipment, calibration, inspector competence and evidence owner. Mark checks that could not be observed or tested; keep the source records.
ISO/IEC 17020:2026 covers inspection-body competence, impartiality and consistent operation. Verify the provider’s actual scope, methods, access and report against your requirements.
Define the lot and sample
State the population, locations, unit states, selection method, sample size, defect categories and acceptance rule. Record exclusions and reworked units. Keep destructive tests and process observations separate from unit sampling.
A sampling plan answers a defined lot question; it is not a 100% inspection or a quality guarantee. Use ISO 2859-1:2026 and qualified input where applicable; do not copy a generic AQL or sample size.
Record and contain each finding
Record the unmet requirement, evidence, affected units and locations, containment, decision owner and due date. Keep disputed findings and the factory’s response visible.
Correction removes a detected nonconformity; corrective action addresses its cause to prevent recurrence. The APG nonconformity paper explains the distinction. It is informative guidance, dated 13 January 2016, rather than a product acceptance rule.
Approve changes and verify corrected work
Record the change reason, affected requirements and units, risk review, buyer approval and effective revision. Trace corrected units to the original finding and separate them from untouched production.
Define whether close-out needs a document review, repeated measurement, new test, targeted reinspection, broader sample or full checkpoint. A supplier’s photo or promise can support a record but does not automatically close the finding that triggered the decision.
Put the proposed change, buyer decision and effective revision into a separate control record →
Release one named stage
The authorised buyer records the plan version, evidence, exceptions, conditions and quantities released. Specify the next stage allowed; continuing production does not automatically authorise shipment, payment or confirm product compliance.
When evidence is missing or criteria are not met, use a visible hold, correction or reinspection state. Do not let an inspector, supplier or platform status silently replace the buyer authority defined in the plan.
CONTROLLED PLAN / 02
Minimum fields for a reviewable supplier quality control plan
| Plan field | Define before production | Record during execution | Hold when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity and scope | Seller, site, product/SKU, order, quantity, destination and covered processes | Actual site, product, stage and access limits | The observed work cannot be tied to the named order or site |
| Requirement and version | Controlling specification, drawing, sample, method and hierarchy | Exact revision used and any conflict or change request | Production uses an unapproved or ambiguous reference |
| Checkpoint and trigger | Risk, observable milestone, hold/witness rule and permitted work | Date, actual state, populations and unavailable evidence | The required risk or process cannot be observed in time |
| Method and evidence | Characteristic, method, tolerance, equipment, competence and record format | Results, equipment, operator/inspector and source files | A critical check is skipped, substituted or unsupported |
| Sampling and scope | Lot, frame, selection, sample size, categories and acceptance rule | Units selected, locations, exclusions and actual sample | The sample cannot be traced to the defined population |
| Nonconformity control | Classification, containment, disposition and escalation authority | Requirement, evidence, affected units, owner and due date | Affected work is not identified or contained |
| Correction and cause | Correction, corrective-action and close-out expectations | Corrected-work identity, cause evidence and effectiveness check | A promise replaces required correction or verification |
| Buyer release | Authorised reviewer, decision states and next hold point | Dated evidence version, exceptions, conditions and exact action allowed | No authorised person owns the next-stage decision |
DECISION STATES / 03
Keep every checkpoint in one explicit state
| State | Minimum record | Permitted next action |
|---|---|---|
| Not ready | Missing baseline, trigger, access, method or responsible party identified | Resolve the named gap before production or inspection proceeds |
| Plan approved | Plan version, scope, checkpoints, authority and supplier acknowledgement recorded | Begin only the work authorised by the approved plan |
| Check open | Checkpoint started; results or buyer review remain incomplete | Continue only work expressly allowed while the check is open |
| Correction required | Nonconformity, affected work, containment, correction and owner recorded | Correct the named issue; keep affected work controlled |
| Reinspect | Corrected-work identity, method, sample/scope and close-out criteria approved | Repeat the named evidence event before release resumes |
| Buyer release | Authorised reviewer, date, evidence version, exceptions and exact next stage recorded | Proceed only to the named stage and next hold point |
| Hold | Reason, affected scope, containment and escalation owner visible | Do not proceed until a new buyer-owned decision is recorded |
What certificate records can show
A certificate list does not define checks for your order. On 21 August 2026, we queried a licensed commercial platform for qualification and licence records for 45 Chinese manufacturers selected from the NHTSA vehicle-manufacturer list.
| Record | Companies with records | Median returned |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification certificates | 36 of 45 | 8 |
| Administrative licences | 40 of 45 | 5.5 |
Use the records to identify what needs checking. Agree product characteristics, sampling, corrective action and approval authority separately in your control plan.
This selected vehicle-manufacturer cohort does not represent all Chinese suppliers. Returned counts can be capped or incomplete; they do not establish total holdings, current validity or product conformity. Read the certificate study and its limits.
METHOD / 04
How this checklist was prepared
Official sources were reviewed on 5 September 2026. The eight steps and decision tables are Currawong’s practical synthesis; the source list explains what each reference supports.
We have not reviewed your supplier, product, order or inspection evidence. Use qualified product and destination-market input to set the actual requirements. This guide does not approve production, shipment, payment or compliance.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 05
Official sources used for this guide
Reviewed 5 September 2026. Recheck the applicable standard, scope and buyer requirements before making a production or release decision.
- ISO 10005:2018Official ISO record for guidance on establishing, reviewing, accepting, applying and revising quality plans; ISO lists the edition as current and confirmed in 2023.
- ISO 10007:2017Official ISO record for configuration-management guidance across a product or service lifecycle; ISO lists the edition as current and confirmed in 2023.
- ISO/IEC 17020:2026Official ISO record for competence, impartiality and consistent operation of bodies performing inspection.
- ISO 2859-1:2026Official ISO record for AQL-indexed acceptance-sampling schemes used for lot-by-lot inspection by attributes.
- ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group: Review of nonconformityOfficial informative paper used only for the nonconformity, correction and corrective-action distinction. It is not treated as a product requirement or industry benchmark.
COMMON QUESTIONS / 06
Keep the plan inside its defined evidence boundary
- Is a supplier’s own QC checklist enough?
- It can be an input. The buyer still needs to confirm that the current scope, revisions, checkpoints, methods, exception rules and release authority answer this order’s risks.
- Should I use one fixed AQL for every product?
- No universal value is supplied here. Define the lot question, risks, contractual rules and applicable standard with qualified input; keep destructive tests, critical characteristics and regulatory requirements outside a copied generic number.
- Is correction the same as corrective action?
- No. Correction addresses the detected nonconformity. Corrective action addresses its cause to reduce recurrence. The plan should show when each is required and how close-out will be verified.
- Does a passed checkpoint release the shipment?
- Only if an authorised buyer record expressly releases that named stage and every separate shipment-release condition is met. A first-piece or in-process result does not automatically release the final lot.
- Does this replace destination-market compliance work?
- No. Product safety, labelling, testing, technical documentation, import, social, environmental and worker-safety obligations need their own applicable criteria and qualified review.