Certification-basis mapping for a certification program

When this review is needed

• A new article or change is starting and the applicable requirements and amendment levels have to be set.
• A feature is novel or unusual enough that special conditions or equivalent findings may apply.
• A program spans two authorities and the basis has to be reconciled across both before work begins.
• An inherited basis from a prior project needs confirming before it is carried forward.

The problem

The certification basis decides the rules the whole program is measured against, yet it is often inherited from a prior project or assumed from the current regulation without confirming the amendment level that actually applies. A feature that needed a special condition gets treated as ordinary, a requirement at the wrong amendment level drives the wrong objectives, and the error sits underneath every analysis and test that follows. Reworking the basis late means reworking the substantiation built on it.

What gets reviewed

• The applicable regulatory subparts and the amendment level in force for the project
• Special conditions arising from novel, unusual, or untested design features
• Equivalent level of safety findings where literal compliance is impractical
• The consensus and industry standards each requirement invokes
• Issue papers or certification review items expected to shape the basis
• Reconciliation of the basis where two authorities are involved

What gets validated

• Each applicable requirement is attributed to its subpart and the amendment level that governs
• Novel or unusual features are tested against the need for a special condition
• Equivalent level of safety findings are identified where literal compliance is impractical
• The standards invoked by each requirement are named at the correct revision
• An inherited basis is confirmed against the project rather than assumed
• Differences in the basis across two authorities are surfaced rather than blended

Evidence normally required

• The article or change definition and its intended function
• Any inherited or proposed certification basis from a prior project
• The applicable regulatory subparts and current amendment status
• Design features that may be novel, unusual, or untested
• The list of authorities the program intends to engage

Common discrepancies

• An amendment level assumed from current regulation rather than the one that applies
• A novel feature carried as ordinary when it warrants a special condition
• Standards invoked at the wrong revision underneath the requirements
• An inherited basis carried forward without confirming it fits the new project
• Basis differences between two authorities papered over instead of reconciled

What is at stake

A basis that is wrong or incomplete invalidates the work stacked on top of it. Substantiation gets produced against requirements that do not apply, the gap surfaces when the authority sets the basis differently, and the program reworks analyses and tests it already paid for once.

How the work runs

What the buyer receives

• A documented certification basis with each requirement attributed to its source and amendment level
• A list of features that warrant special conditions or equivalent findings
• A view of the standards invoked, named at the correct revision
• A reconciliation note where two authorities set the basis differently

Who uses the output

• Certification leads establishing the program before substantiation begins
• Engineering teams setting requirements against the confirmed basis
• Program management planning the compliance work and authority engagement

How the work fits into the transaction or program

The mapping is the foundation the rest of a program sits on. With the basis fixed, means-of-compliance work and substantiation are built against the right requirements at the right amendment level, and a basis error is caught before it propagates.

Regulatory limits

Endeavor Elements proposes and documents a basis for the applicant. The certifying authority sets the certification basis, decides special conditions, and grants equivalent findings. The mapping supports the applicant's preparation rather than replacing the authority's role.

What this review does not cover

• Setting the certification basis or granting special conditions
• Issuing equivalent level of safety findings
• Acting as the authority in any basis determination

Specific to this review

• Amendment level matters as much as the subpart: the same requirement at two amendment levels can drive different objectives, and a basis fixed at the wrong level is wrong everywhere it is used.
• Special conditions exist precisely because the regulation has no requirement for a novel or unusual feature, so the gap is invisible to anyone who only checks the existing rule text.
• An equivalent level of safety finding is an authority decision, not an applicant choice, which is why proposing one early and substantiating it is part of preparing the basis rather than an afterthought.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Relevant glossary terms

Related pages

Where this fits