Conformity records
Conformity-records evidence review for certification teams
This review checks the conformity records that establish a test article or installation was what the certification data says it was when it was tested. It runs before a submittal, in response to a finding, or when a design change casts doubt on prior conformity, and it is done by or with the team responsible for the compliance package. The work examines article identity, as-built configuration, and test eligibility, confirming each conformed item traces to a controlled configuration and that the conformity was established before the test it supports. You receive a gap list, an evidence map linking each test result to the conforming article behind it, and a closure sequence for compliance management.
When this review is needed
- A certification test campaign is complete and the conformity records behind each article need checking before the data is submitted.
- A finding asks whether a test article conformed to the intended configuration at the time it was tested.
- A design change occurred after conformity was established and the affected tests may no longer be eligible.
- Articles were conformed by more than one party and the records have to be reconciled into a single defensible account.
The problem
Conformity is a moment in time, and test evidence only holds if that moment was captured correctly. An article has to be identified, its as-built state has to be established against a controlled configuration, and conformity has to be in place before the test runs. In practice conformity records get written to different templates by different inspectors, articles get modified between conformity and test, and the paper trail linking a specific serialized article to a specific test result gets thin exactly where a finding will probe it.
What gets reviewed
- Article identity confirmed down to the serialized or lot-controlled level the test relied on
- As-built configuration of each conformed article reconciled to a controlled configuration
- Conformity established before the test it supports, with dates that hold in sequence
- Test eligibility confirmed for each result cited as compliance evidence
- Post-conformity modifications identified and their effect on test validity assessed
- Conformity references checked against the agreed certification basis for the article
What gets validated
- Each test result names a specific article whose identity is fixed in the conformity record
- The as-built configuration on the conformity record matches a controlled configuration, not a marked-up interim state
- Conformity dates precede the test dates for every result relied on for compliance
- No approved change was embodied on an article between conformity and test without a re-conformity
- Conformity records from different inspectors reconcile to one account of the same article
Evidence normally required
- Conformity records and inspection reports for the test articles and installations
- The controlled configuration each article was meant to be built to
- Test plans and reports that cite the conformed articles
- Change records covering any modification of the articles during the campaign
- The agreed certification basis and any prior findings touching conformity
Common discrepancies
- A test result relying on an article whose serialized identity is not fixed in any conformity record
- Conformity established against an interim, uncontrolled configuration rather than a released one
- A modification embodied after conformity that was never re-conformed before the test ran
- Two conformity records for the same article that describe different as-built states
What is at stake
If conformity cannot be shown for the article a test relied on, the test result stops supporting compliance and may have to be repeated on a properly conformed article. Repeating a certification test is expensive and slow, and if the article has since been modified or consumed, re-establishing the evidence can mean rebuilding to the tested configuration from scratch.
Move from findings to resolution
Identify gaps against the means of compliance.
How the work runs
Fix each article's identity
Confirm the conformity records pin the serialized or lot-controlled identity every cited test relied on.
Reconcile as-built to controlled
Check the conformed configuration against a released baseline rather than an interim state.
Check the sequence
Confirm conformity preceded each test and that no unre-conformed change intervened.
List and order the gaps
Record each unsupported result and sequence re-conformity or re-test by dependency.
What the buyer receives
- A gap list naming each test whose supporting conformity is incomplete or out of sequence
- An evidence map linking each cited test result to the conforming article and configuration behind it
- A closure sequence ordered so re-conformity or re-test is scheduled against dependency, not article number
Who uses the output
- Compliance management confirming every cited test rests on a properly conformed article before submittal
- Conformity and quality staff correcting or re-establishing the records flagged as incomplete
- Certification leadership deciding whether a result stands or a test has to be repeated
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review sits between the test campaign and the compliance submittal, confirming the articles behind the results were what the data claims. Its gap list drives the re-conformity or re-test decisions that have to be made before the affected results can be relied on in a finding.
Start with a single asset
Confirm requirements trace through verification.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
Conformity expectations are framed by FAA order and by the EU implementing rules, and the two systems attach conformity to their own inspection and authorized-signatory arrangements. The review notes where a conformity established for one authority needs a parallel record or witnessing arrangement before the same test can support a finding under the other.
Regulatory limits
The review checks that conformity records establish article identity and configuration and precede the tests they support. It does not perform conformity inspection, issue a conformity determination, or accept any article as conforming. Those acts rest with authorized inspectors and the authority.
What this review does not cover
- Performing or witnessing conformity inspection of any article
- Issuing conformity statements or accepting an article as conforming
- Re-running certification tests or rebuilding articles to a tested configuration
Specific to this review
- Conformity is dated evidence: a record that establishes the right configuration but after the test still fails, because the article's state at test time is unproven.
- The most damaging gap is a post-conformity modification, because it silently invalidates a test that otherwise looks fully supported.
- Serialized identity is what a finding probes first, and it is the field most often left implicit when one inspector conforms many similar articles.
Sources
U.S. Government (eCFR). Type certificates, STCs (Subpart E), TSO authorizations (Subpart O), PMA (Subpart K), and export airworthiness approvals (Subpart L).
Federal Aviation Administration. FAA type certification process, certification basis establishment, and compliance findings.
European Union / EASA. EASA design and production certification, STCs, ETSO authorizations, and EASA Form 1 release.
Frequently asked questions
A test passed and the report looks complete. Why look at conformity again?
A clean test report proves what happened to the article on the bench, not that the article matched the certified configuration or that conformity was in place first. Findings turn on that link, so the review checks it before an authority does.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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