FIELD METHOD / FIVE EVIDENCE GATES

Move missions into controlled manufacturing.

Use five evidence gates to move an industrial mission through platform choice, proof, industrialization, pilot production, and release.

How does an industrial mission become a manufacturing program?

The work advances through five evidence gates: mission definition, platform decision, system proof, industrialization, and pilot release. Each gate ends with an artifact and an explicit decision.

Gate 01

Define the mission

Describe the job, environment, payload, operating envelope, autonomy, communications, data, flight team, deployment, safety needs, and business constraints.

Ask: What must happen in the field, and what evidence will establish success?
Produce: Mission and system-requirements brief
Do not assume: That a preferred aircraft already satisfies the job.

Gate 02

Choose build, adapt, or source

Compare existing platforms, bounded configurations, adaptations, and new development against the same requirement.

Ask: What is the least-complex path that meets the requirement and business case?
Produce: Platform decision record
Do not assume: That custom development is necessary or undesirable before comparison.

Gate 03

Prove the system

Test the highest-risk mission assumptions and identify remaining technical, operational, regulatory, and commercial questions.

Ask: What evidence would change the platform or program decision?
Produce: Proof plan and open-risk register
Do not assume: That one successful demonstration establishes production readiness.

Gate 04

Industrialize the product

Resolve controlled parts, sourcing, tooling, assembly, work instructions, inspection, test, configuration, acceptance, and records.

Ask: Can another trained team build and accept the product from controlled information?
Produce: Manufacturing-readiness plan
Do not assume: That engineering knowledge will transfer informally without variation.

Gate 05

Pilot and release

Use a bounded lot to close deviations and release the product, supply chain, process, test basis, records, and support model.

Ask: What must be true before repeat production and deployment are authorized?
Produce: Production release package
Do not assume: That schedule pressure is evidence of readiness.

HANDOFF MAP

Keep ownership visible across the program.

Decision	Accountable perspective	Evidence needed
Mission and deployment	Program and operations owner	Use context, constraints, acceptance, support model
Product and integration	Technical owner	Architecture, interfaces, proof, open risks
Manufacturing release	Production and quality owners	Controlled parts, process, inspection, test, records
Regulatory path	Assigned regulatory and operating owners	Scope-specific responsibilities and approvals
Commercial basis	Program and finance owners	Funded scope, deployment range, lifecycle economics

FIELD DECISION

Move the program only when the next decision has evidence.

Start with a non-sensitive mission summary and identify the gate the program must clear next.

Email Your Component RFQ