Launch basics and quick context

• What's your committed launch date for this product? Options: Within 4 weeks, 4 to 8 weeks, 8 to 16 weeks, More than 16 weeks, No committed date yet
• Tell me about the product configuration you expect to run in the pilot, including variant count and any build options
• How many unique PCB assemblies or mechanical variants are included in that pilot? Options: 1, 2–3, 4–6, More than 6
• When was the last time a representative prototype was produced to production-like tolerances? Options: Within 2 weeks, 2–8 weeks, 2–6 months, More than 6 months, Not yet produced
• Describe the validation milestones you have already passed and the highest-priority tests still outstanding
• Who on your team owns the launch schedule day-to-day and who is the escalation contact for schedule slips?

Where yield and test risks hide

• If your pilot misses the yield target by 30 percent, what immediate business consequence would you face and who must own remediation?
• Which failure modes have shown up in lab prototypes that you expect to see in production? Options: Assembly-induced shorts, Intermittent connectors, Component thermal failures, Firmware boot issues, Mechanical tolerance stack-up, Other
• Walk me through the last time a prototype surprise showed up during a pilot run, what happened, and how long did it take to resolve
• What target first-pass yield do you need in the pilot to keep the launch timeline intact? Options: >95%, 90–95%, 80–89%, <80%
• Are there known test coverage gaps, such as missing boundary tests, no end-of-line functional test, or inadequate burn-in? Options: Boundary testing missing, No automated functional test, No environmental or thermal cycling, Insufficient traceability, Coverage is sufficient
• Which of these outcomes would be a deal stopper: unknown failure rate after 100 units, no in-line test capability, or lack of traceable dispositions? Options: Unknown failure rate after 100 units, No in-line test capability, Lack of traceable dispositions, None of these

Bill of Materials and single-point risks

• Name the single component or component family that, if delayed or found obsolete, would stop your launch immediately
• How many critical long-lead items are on your BOM and what are their typical lead times? Options: None, 1–2 (4–8 weeks), 3–5 (8–16 weeks), More than 5 (16+ weeks)
• Tell me who currently owns primary sourcing for those long-lead parts inside your organization Options: Product engineering, Procurement, Program manager, No single owner
• Do you have qualified alternate parts or approved suppliers for the top five risk components? Options: Yes, for all five, Yes, for some, No alternates available, Not documented
• List any components with known lifecycle risk, such as end-of-life notices or single-source constraints
• Choose your preferred inventory policy for critical parts during NPI, consignment, buy-to-order, or safety-stock Options: Consignment, Buy-to-order, Safety stock held by seller, Hybrid

Who signs, who moves the timeline

• Who holds final production readiness sign-off and would they commit within your target window?
• Describe the chain of approvals and the typical review cycle time for engineering changes
• Count the sign-off gates required before pilot release, for example engineering, quality, operations, procurement Options: 1–2 gates, 3–4 gates, 5+ gates
• When a production risk appears, who can authorize schedule changes or emergency buys?
• Are there non-technical decision blockers, such as finance holds or customer approval steps, that have derailed past launches? Options: Yes, finance holds, Yes, customer approvals, Yes, internal resource constraints, No

Operational readiness and gating constraints

• If we required on-site access to your test lab or production area for two weeks, would you be able to provide it without additional approvals? Options: Yes, immediate access, Yes, with notice, Only with senior approval, No
• List the software systems our team must integrate with, for example your MES, PLM, or ERP, and who owns access
• Do you have available engineering time for collaboration during the pilot, measured in hours per week? Options: >40 hours/week, 20–40 hours/week, 5–20 hours/week, <5 hours/week, No dedicated time
• What physical access restrictions or security clearances could delay onsite engineering work? Options: Badge access only, Visitor escort required, Export control restrictions, No special restrictions
• Identify the regulatory approvals or certifications that must be in place before pilot builds can begin Options: Safety certification, EMC testing, Customs/import permits, No formal approvals required, Other
• Name the one operational prerequisite that would block the pilot from starting, for example tooling, approved samples, or site access

What past ramps taught you and what still worries leadership

• Recall a recurring production problem from past ramps that still worries leadership and tell us why it persists
• How long did it typically take to contain that issue and what resources were required to recover Options: Days, Weeks, Months, Never fully contained
• Summarize supplier failures or parts quality trends that preceded those past ramp issues
• Should the same root cause appear during our pilot, who signs off on contingency spends and how big is the available budget? Options: Program budget covers it, Requires executive approval, No contingency budget, Undecided
• Select which past corrective actions actually reduced time to recover, for example design fix, test addition, supplier change, or process control Options: Design fix, Test addition, Supplier change, Process control, Other

Other paths you're considering

• Identify the alternative path you are most seriously considering instead of engaging an external NPI partner Options: Keep work in-house, Use incumbent contract manufacturer, Engage different contract manufacturer, Delay launch, Other
• Select the option that best describes your fallback if the external partnership is delayed Options: Scale internal team, Extend supplier contracts, Push launch date, Split launch across sites
• Explain the conditions that would need to hold true for you to stay with the current approach instead of switching partners
• Has anyone internally proposed solving this without an outside partner, and if so who would lead that effort Options: Yes, engineering, Yes, operations, Yes, procurement, No one has proposed it
• Point to the key risk that would remain unaddressed if you stayed with the incumbent or chose an internal route

Acceptance gates and success metrics

• Assuming the pilot achieves your target metrics, what would still prevent leadership from signing off that same week
• Choose the quantitative acceptance gates that are non-negotiable for you, for example first-pass yield, cycle time, parts availability, or test coverage Options: First-pass yield, Cycle time, Parts availability, Test coverage, Documentation completeness
• How will you measure test coverage and traceability during pilot runs, and who owns that validation internally
• Provide the roles that will sign the acceptance documents and approve the final first article
• State the minimum parts availability threshold you require before pilot builds begin Options: 100% of parts on order and available, Critical parts only, 50% of BOM available, No strict threshold

Decision gating and next steps

• Point to the single contractual or scheduling hurdle that would stop you from starting NPI in the next two weeks
• Mark the milestones you would require on the payment schedule, for example prototype completion, pilot acceptance, first articles, production release Options: Prototype completion, Pilot acceptance, First articles, Production release
• How soon could you commit to a pilot start date if all operational prerequisites are met? Options: Immediately, Within 2 weeks, Within 4–8 weeks, Longer than 8 weeks, Unsure
• Provide the reviewers of commercial terms and typical review durations from legal, procurement, and program management
• Outline the documents or demos that would shorten legal and purchasing approval on your side Options: Process validation report, Test fixture demo, First article samples, Detailed BOM and alternates, Nothing shortens their review
• Finally, what would make you feel confident enough to sign a mutual commitment after the pilot proves the acceptance gates — immediate supply commitments, milestone schedule, or fixed pricing? Options: Immediate supply commitments, Milestone schedule with penalties, Fixed pricing for initial volume, A combination of the above, Other

• NPI Solution Experience Session

• Confirm the current state and its cost to your team
• You confirm that the demonstrated NPI workflow addresses the yield, test coverage, and BOM risks you described.
• Provide the latest BOM revision, known ECOs, and your committed launch date before the follow-up planning session.
• Walk through the NPI end-to-end workflow mapped to your product
• You agree to the acceptance criteria and pilot outputs that will be used to judge production readiness.
• Seller to deliver a tailored NPI plan with milestones, acceptance gates, sample schedule, and ECO governance within five business days after receipt of the BOM.
• Show typical pilot outputs and acceptance criteria using your scenarios
• Seller to run a preliminary BOM validation and supply risk summary and return a prioritized list of critical part lead-time risks.
• You commit to the immediate information required to finalize a tailored NPI plan and timeline.
• Confirm the specific yield targets and test coverage thresholds you require for production release.
• Demonstrate ECO handling and change-order governance
• Validate the fit with your needs
• Agree next steps and immediate commitments

• NPI Solution Experience Session
• NPI Solution Experience Deck
• NPI Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• BOM lock-down and alternate sourcing
• Pilot component procurement and kitting
• Production process development and routing
• Pilot production run with yield analysis
• First article inspection (FAI) and report
• Test fixture design and fabrication
• Production test program development and validation
• Engineering change order (ECO) implementation
• Root-cause failure analysis and corrective actions
• Work instructions and production documentation package
• Supply chain qualification and vendor onboarding
• Low-rate initial production and ramp-to-rate support

BOM lock-down and alternate sourcing

• Which BOM revision do you want treated as the baseline for pilot builds (provide revision number or date)?
• List the top long-lead components from your BOM by manufacturer part number (MPN) and current lead time in weeks.
• Do you require we qualify alternate manufacturers or form-fit-function alternates for any specific part numbers? Options: Yes, No
• Who in your organization is authorized to approve the approved manufacturer list (AML) and part substitutions?
• Are there packaging, shelf-life, or moisture-sensitive device (MSD) constraints on any BOM items we must manage? Options: Yes, No
• What kitting quantities do you want for pilot versus production (example: kitting per 10 boards, per 50 boards)?

Pilot component procurement and kitting

• Do you want us to procure all pilot components or will you supply some assemblies or long-lead parts? Options: We supply all long-lead parts, We will supply some parts, Please procure all components
• Which part numbers require lot- and date-code traceability in the pilot kits?
• How should you have parts kitted: board-level pick lists, full-BOM kits, or per-assembly sub-kits? Options: Board-level pick lists, Full-BOM kits, Per-assembly sub-kits, Other
• What packaging and labeling requirements must be met for incoming kits (barcode format, kit manifest style)?
• When do you need pilot kits delivered relative to the planned pilot start date (number of days)? Options: 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, Custom
• Are there export control, RoHS, or conflict-minerals declarations required for specific parts you will flag to us? Options: Yes, No

Production process development and routing

• Provide the PCB layer stack and target assembly class (IPC assembly class) you expect us to assume for process development.
• Identify the process steps that you consider special controls (conformal coating, selective solder, reflow-profile characterization).
• Who in your team will own DFM sign-off for panelization and routing decisions?
• How many distinct production routings or SKUs must we support during pilot (for example 1, 2, 3+)? Options: 1, 2, 3+
• By what process control parameters (for example target Cpk, solder paste volume range) should you have us validate repeatability?
• Should process flow diagrams, operation sheets, and first-article route cards be included in the handoff package to your operations team? Options: Yes, No, Partial (specify)

Pilot production run with yield analysis

• Specify the planned pilot quantity and the sample size you want used for yield analysis.
• Define the yield threshold (example: percent pass or defects per million) that you will accept as a successful pilot allowing progression to LRIP (low-rate initial production).
• List the test stages you require during pilot to gather failure-mode data (in-circuit test, boundary-scan, functional test, X-ray). Options: In-circuit test (ICT), Boundary-scan/JTAG, Functional test, X-ray / AOI, Other
• How will you provide firmware or calibration images and how should we verify programmed units during the pilot?
• Identify the reviewer roles for the pilot yield analysis report and the turnaround time you require for their review.
• Indicate any environmental or stress tests (for example temperature cycling, vibration) you require included in the pilot to validate reliability.

First article inspection (FAI) and report

• Specify the FAI standard or checklist you want used (for example IPC acceptance criteria plus drawing callouts).
• Define the acceptance criteria (dimensional tolerances, electrical test pass rate, firmware verification) that will validate the FAI and permit freezing production documentation.
• Provide the approver roles for the FAI report and the archival format you require (PDF, traceable spreadsheet). Options: PDF, Traceable spreadsheet, Proprietary PLM format, Other
• Should the FAI include sample-level traceability (serial numbers linked to component lots)? Options: Yes, No
• When should first-article samples be delivered to your engineering team for their parallel review relative to pilot completion? Options: Before pilot start, During pilot, Within 7 days of pilot completion, Custom
• Please attach any dimensional drawings, CAD models, or inspection gauge references you will supply for FAI comparisons.

Test fixture design and fabrication

• Indicate the electrical interfaces (connector types and pinouts) you need the fixture to present.
• State the critical mechanical tolerances from the assembly drawing that the fixture must hold for reliable contact and alignment.
• Confirm whether the fixture needs built-in temperature or environmental conditioning for thermal verification or stress testing. Options: Yes, No
• Include the boundary-scan or in-circuit programming headers (by PCB reference designator) that must be accessible on the fixture.
• State the owner of reference test vectors and golden firmware images that we should use for fixture verification.
• Enter the target cycle time per unit the fixture should support during in-line testing (seconds per unit).

Production test program development and validation

• Describe the device-level tests (for example boundary-scan vectors, ICT parametric checks, functional sequences) you require in the production program.
• How will you provide golden reference units or golden logs that the test program must validate against?
• Name the approver role and the traceability artifacts you require for production test program validation.
• Select whether you require staged validation: bench validation, pilot validation, pre-production validation, or none. Options: Bench validation, Pilot validation, Pre-production validation, None
• Enter the failure thresholds that should trigger hold-and-release or rework flows during production testing (for example 5% rework rate or specific defect codes).
• Select the preferred test data destination for program output: local CSV, MES integration, cloud traceability repository, or other. Options: Local CSV, MES integration, Cloud traceability repository, Other

Engineering change order (ECO) implementation

• Describe which ECO level (board-level, assembly-level, firmware-only) you expect will trigger a new pilot build. Options: Board-level, Assembly-level, Firmware-only, Other
• Name who will raise and approve ECOs during pilot and list the required ECO fields you require (example: revision, reason, affected PNs).
• How long is the target turnaround time from ECO approval to implementation on the production line (days)? Options: 1-3 days, 4-7 days, 8-14 days, Custom
• Please confirm whether prototype-only workarounds are acceptable to close high-priority ECOs during pilot. Options: Acceptable temporarily, Not acceptable, Case-by-case
• Detail the documentation updates (for example BOM, assembly drawings, software baselines) that must accompany each ECO deployment.
• Please attach any required rollback procedures and define the acceptance gates you expect for rollback decisions.

Root-cause failure analysis and corrective actions

• How should you want failures discovered during pilot prioritized for root-cause analysis (by severity, by volume, by customer impact)? Options: Severity, Volume, Customer impact, Mixed
• Detail the analytical outputs you require from failure analysis (for example X-ray images, cross-sections, test logs, 8D reports).
• Declare the approver role for corrective action implementation on the line and the evidence your team will accept that fixes are effective.
• Outline the containment measures you require while root-cause analysis is underway.
• Please indicate whether corrective actions are expected to include design changes, process controls, or supplier changes. Options: Design changes, Process controls, Supplier changes, Combination
• How soon do you require a documented corrective action plan after detection (for example within 7 days)?

Work instructions and production documentation package

• Choose your preferred work instruction formats for assembly operations (step-by-step SOP, visual work map, video-assisted instructions). Options: Step-by-step SOP, Visual work map, Video-assisted, Combination
• Please indicate whether torque values, label placement, and measurement checkpoints must be explicitly called out on each operation sheet. Options: Yes, No, Partial
• How do you require revision control and distribution to be handled for production documentation (PDM, controlled PDFs, PLM change notices)? Options: PDM, Controlled PDFs, PLM change notices, Other
• Please provide the owner of the master bill-of-process and the point of contact your team will use for documentation gaps.
• Please indicate if operator training records and sign-offs are required as part of the delivery package. Options: Yes, No, We will provide
• Please list any translation or localization languages required for work instructions at your production sites.

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW) — NPI Program
• Manufacturing & Supply Agreement
• Order Confirmation / Purchase Order
• Change Order & ECO Governance
• Acceptance Test Protocol & First Article Criteria
• Milestone Payment Schedule
• Supply Lead-Time & Allocation Commitment
• Service Level & Warranty Addendum
• Data Protection & Compliance Addendum

• Go-live Health Check (weeks 1-4 post-production release)
• First Ramp Measurement (weeks 4-10)
• Ramp Stabilization and Lessons Learned (around month 3-6)
• Ongoing Operational Review (quarterly)

• Confirm next quarterly review date and owners for pre-work and metric pull.
• Agree the set of configuration changes to lock into Production Configuration to sustain yield improvements.
• Publish a concise lessons-learned record that will be used to update NPI playbooks and training materials.
• Publish the lessons-learned summary and update the NPI checklist and work instructions.
• Execute the change-control steps to freeze agreed Production Configuration items.
• Close or re-prioritize remaining ECOs with target dates and verification criteria.
• Update training plans to reflect process and test-program changes for production operators.
• Quarterly metric review
• Confirm production yield and on-time delivery remain at or above Solution Scope targets or have an agreed remediation plan.
• Prioritized backlog of defects and enhancements with committed resolution dates.
• Supply chain risks for the next quarter identified with mitigation plans.
• Publish the quarterly metric dashboard and backlog prioritization to the shared workspace.
• Initiate alternate sourcing or buffer stock actions for any components flagged as at-risk.
• Schedule targeted working sessions for any stubborn defects not closing on schedule.
• Reconfirm launch owners and access
• Named production owners and site access schedule confirmed and published.
• Top 3 go-live blockers identified with containment actions and resolution dates.
• Pilot build status and first-article disposition recorded for follow-up.
• Publish confirmed owner and site access roster to the shared workspace.
• Document and circulate the pilot first-article disposition and any immediate nonconformance records.
• Open remediation tickets for each go-live blocker with target resolution dates.
• Schedule focused field support or engineering presence for any unresolved containment actions.
• Present first ramp metrics vs Solution Scope targets
• Determine whether production yield and critical part on-time availability are on track to meet Solution Scope targets.
• Document root causes for the top metric gaps and commit concrete corrective actions with target dates.
• If applicable, confirm incumbent has been retired or a retention/archival plan is in place to prevent dual-system workarounds.
• Create ECO tickets for each design/process change required, with target closure dates and verification steps.
• Initiate expedited sourcing or part qualification for any critical component shortages.
• Publish failure-mode summary and containment actions for shop-floor distribution.
• Schedule next checkpoint to verify corrective action effectiveness and movement toward targets.
• Aggregate ramp performance and trend analysis
• Confirm which ECOs resolved the key failure modes and which remain open with owners and dates.
• Deployment and pilot validation
• Open issues and enhancement backlog
• ECO and defect disposition audit
• Diagnostic on failures and supplier constraints
• Incumbent wind-down confirmation (if replacing an incumbent)
• Lessons learned and process improvements
• Early process adoption and usage signals
• Supply chain and parts risk review
• Agree corrective actions and ECO closure plan
• Continuous improvement and monitoring cadence
• Lock changes into Production Configuration
• Open issues and containment actions
• Agree immediate remediation actions
• Confirm timeline to stabilized production