Section 6 Technology Qualification stage 3: execution, review and certification

6.1.1 This stage contains the process related the execution of the qualification activities, review of the outputs and issue of the TQ Certificate.

6.2.1 Qualification execution should strictly follow the endorsed TQP. The results of each activity should be reported in accordance with the TQP, traceable to the specific component(s) or CTE(s) arising from the technology appraisal.

6.2.2 LR will participate in qualification activities (e.g. review design analysis, witness testing) where defined in the TQP. In addition, LR will normally support the client’s execution of the plan by monitoring the progress of execution and providing advice to ensure that the objectives of the TQ are achieved. The nature and extent of this support should be agreed before the start of the execution stage.

6.2.3 If, during a qualification activity, a result is obtained that was not expected (deviation or failure), then this should be recorded, and the cause and mechanism of the failure should be investigated using an appropriate technique. This may then require the earlier stages of the TQ process to be revisited, including review of the technology goals and update of the TQP.

6.2.4 Deviation from the endorsed TQP should follow a documented management of change process; the TQP should be updated to incorporate any agreed deviations, within a reasonable period of time.

6.3.1 TQ is usually an iterative process. It should be anticipated that, during execution of the TQP, changes will prompt parts of the TQ process to be repeated.

6.3.3 The parts of the technology appraisal to be repeated should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the reason for the change, but may include revisiting the system decomposition (e.g. where the technology concept is revised), the technology maturity assessment and the technology risk assessment.

6.3.4 If the technology appraisal report (the summary of TQ stage 1) is affected, it is expected that the corresponding report(s) is (are) revised.

6.3.5 If any part of the TQP is affected by the changes then the plan should be revised, and then reviewed by LR so that the Statement of Endorsement can be reissued accordingly.

6.4.1 As described earlier, the results of each activity should be reported in accordance with the TQP. It is important that the outcome of each qualification activity is clearly reported and made available soon after completion of each activity (to support progress measurement, and as the results of one activity may impact other TQ activities; it may also prompt review of the TQP itself).

6.4.2 On completion of the plan’s execution, it may be beneficial for the activity reports to be compiled in a single document to present an overview of the complete TQ process (and to provide a single reference on the TQ Certificate).

6.5.2 The objective of these reviews is to confirm that the technology uncertainties, identified through the technology appraisal, have been addressed, such that the confidence in the CTEs has been increased to a level commensurate with equivalent, mature, technologies (effectively this means that the TMLs of the respective CTEs have reached a sufficient level to ensure that the technology is capable of achieving its stated goals).

6.6.1 Upon the satisfactory review of the TQP outputs, LR may issue a TQ Certificate for the technology.

6.6.2 The TQ Certificate confirms the technology’s readiness for the next stage(s) of its development (e.g. detailed design, field testing, or integration) or for its application. It confirms that the technology uncertainties identified in the technology appraisal have been addressed through execution of the plan.

6.6.4 It is recommended to limit the certificate’s content to the minimum (listed above), with any supporting information (detailed comments on TQP execution, recommendations, summary of the technology appraisal, etc.) provided in a separate report, to be referenced on the TQ Certificate.

6.6.5 The TQ Certificate should have a stated validity period of four years, conditional on the client keeping LR informed as to the application of the technology (e.g. its performance and operational experience) and its further development (e.g. design changes). It is not expected that the certificate will be required after this period (due to further technology developments and product development during this time) however the period may be extended upon application by the client, subject to further reviews by LR, as required.

6.6.6 It may be beneficial to issue the TQ Certificate more than once through the execution of the TQP, for example at defined milestones in the client’s development programme (e.g. corresponding to a minimum TML achieved by all CTEs). Any intermediate issues of the TQ Certificate should clearly describe the development stage that it is issued at, with reference to specific qualification activities in the TQP that have been (or not been) completed. Other than at completion, the timing of issue of the certificate should be agreed with the client and recorded in the TQP.