Special characteristic
A special characteristic is a: ‘Product and process characteristics designated by the customer, including governmental regulatory and safety, and/or selected by the organisation through knowledge of the product and process.’ Ref Automotive Industry Action Group, Advanced product quality planning (APQP) and control plan reference manual, second edition, Southfield, MI: AIAG, 2008.
Special requirements are: ‘Those requirements identified by the customer or determined by the organization, which have high risks of not being achieved, thus requiring their inclusion in the risk management process; Factors used in the determination of special requirements include product or process complexity, past experience, and product or process maturity; Examples of special requirements include performance requirements imposed by the customer that are at the limit of the industry’s capability, or requirements determined by the organization to be at the limit of its technical or process capabilities.’ Ref Aerospace series - Requirements for advanced product quality planning and production part approval process, British Standards Institution, BS EN 9145, 2018.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Advanced product quality planning.
- Bill of quantities breakdown structures.
- Construction Innovation Hub.
- Construction product approval process.
- Construction quality planning.
- Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA).
- Poka-yoke.
- Product Breakdown Structure.
- Product design requirements.
- Product validation.
- Production readiness review.
- Project quality plan.
- Quality control.
- Quality in construction projects.
- Quality.
- Six Sigma.
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