Dealing with Review Item Discrepancy in Space Projects

The success of a Space Project Lifecycle depends heavily on the feasibility, design, and development phases. Here the technical and commercial reviews are conducted. These reviews assess whether the project is meeting expected outcomes and requirements baselines. When discrepancies are found, they are recorded as Review Item Discrepancies or RIDs. This article will discuss the different aspects of RIDs and how to deal with them.

What is a Review Item Discrepancy (RID)?

Reviewers may identify items that are not compliant with a requirement, objective or design goal during the review of a project and record them. These items are called Review Item Discrepancies (RIDs) Forms.

To resolve a RID, the project team must determine whether the reviewer is correct and, if so, take corrective action to bring the project into compliance. Depending on the severity of the issue, corrective action may involve an escalation to a higher level in the organisation and changes to the project plans, design or implementation. In some cases, it may even be necessary to stop the project.

A RID can help you consider options and make decisions that are best for the project. Taking swift and appropriate action to resolve RIDs is essential to ensuring the success of any project.

A RID should be made if there’s a genuine problem to be addressed, as opposed to if clarification is needed. Only real requirement issues should be reported in a RID; clarifications are handled outside the review.

Typically, the term RID is used for large-scale reviews where thousands of documents are being reviewed. With the RID Management solution of the ECLIPSE Suite, you can manage RIDs effectively during these types of reviews.

How is a RID found in the engineering process?

Review Item Discrepancies can be found during reviews such as the System Design Reviews (SDR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and Test Readiness Review (TRR).

The client typically conducts these reviews looking for any potential flaws or issues that could impact the project’s success. RIDs can also be found during audits conducted.

The reviews and audits are done on large data packages, presentations, code, processes, procedures, and other project documentation.

How is a RID recorded?

A RID form is prepared on behalf of the review team, summarising the review findings and identifying critical issues for attention. Because the RID forms are used to document the identified concerns, questions, and answers that resulted from the examination of documents, they need to contain accurate and concise information. Typical information in a RID form includes:

• Project ID, document ID and document title
• Document identifications
• Related systems and subsystems
• Discrepancy/violated the requirements
• Suggested solutions
• Responses
• Recommendations
• Signatures
• Status of the RID (withdrawal/open/closed)

Your RID forms and processes may need to be tailored to fit your client’s requirements. E.g. this is the case with many space projects which use ECSS standards.

How are RIDs managed?

RID management ensures that all RIDs are properly processed, tracked and closed out in a timely manner. This includes creating, updating and maintaining the RID database; assigning responsibility for each RID; and preparing status reports and project management dashboards.

To resolve problems identified through RIDs, the review team and the customer/supplier communicate to consolidate their findings and make recommendations for RID closure.

When the review group examines the supplier project team’s responses to the RIDs, several statuses can be given to the RID, such as open, released, submitted, closed and voided.

It is important to ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied with the resolution before closing the RID. In some cases, it may be necessary to recreate a RID if new information comes to light or the original resolution is unsatisfactory.

What examples of corrective actions could be taken to address a RID?

Some examples of corrective actions that could be taken to address a RID include:

• Making changes to the project plans, design or implementation
• Conducting additional testing or analysis
• Modifying procedures or processes
• Making changes to the project schedule
• Providing additional training to staff
• Implementing new controls or safeguards
• Take any other necessary action to address the underlying issue identified in the RID.

What are the consequences of not resolving a Review Item Discrepancy?

If a RID stays unresolved, it could result in the project failing to meet its requirements, objectives or design goals in later stages. This could ultimately lead to the project being scrapped entirely. In some cases, resolving a RID after the fact may also be possible, but this is usually more expensive and time-consuming than taking care of it upfront.

How can I prevent Review Item Discrepancies?

There are a few things you can do to help prevent RIDs:

• Make sure everyone on the project team understands the requirements, objectives and design goals.
• Use templates and a structured process.
• Conduct regular reviews of the project plans, design and implementation.
• Have a team review the project periodically.
• Make sure to address any RIDs that are found promptly.

What is the difference between a Non-Conformance (NC) and a Review Item of Discrepancy (RID)?

Most quality assurance professionals are familiar with the term “non-conformance.” A non-conformance is any product or service that does not meet the specified requirements, including anything from a manufacturing defect to incorrect labelling. A Review Item Discrepancy (RID), on the other hand, is a potential non-conformance identified during a data package’s review process.

For example, if an auditor finds that a document does not meet the requirements of a certain specification, they will create a RID report. If a product fails to meet the requirements set, then a Non-Conformance Report (NCR) will be made.

Finding RID’s through Document Reviews

Documentation is a key part of any quality assurance program; property documentation management systems record what should be done, when, and how (also known as traceability). When properly maintained, documentation can be valuable for finding review items of discrepancy (RIDs).

Because RIDs are discrepancies between the actual product or service and the documented requirements for that product or service, document reviews are essential to finding RIDs. Document reviews can be done manually or with the help of software tools such as the ECLIPSE Software Suite.

Use ECLIPSE Sofware Suite for your RID management

The ECLIPSE Software Suite is a comprehensive set of tools designed to streamline and improve space project management. One of the benefits of using ECLIPSE is that it can help you keep track of RIDs throughout the project lifecycle.

ECLIPSE can be used to create and manage RIDs and track their progress through the investigation and resolution process. In addition, ECLIPSE provides a central repository for all project documentation, making it easy to find the information you need when conducting document reviews.

If you are looking for a software solution to help with RID management, contact us or explore the RID Management Solution page for more information.