The Authorized Engineering Change section of a PPAP submission documents any approved deviations or changes from the original Design Record. These documents provide formal evidence that the supplier has been granted permission to modify design, material, process, or specification requirements.
All engineering changes must be authorised by the customer—typically through a signed and dated document approved by a customer engineer or other designated authority. Unauthorised or undocumented changes are a common cause of PPAP rejection.
What should be included
This section should contain all applicable documents that approve or describe a deviation from the design record, including:
- Marked-up and signed engineering drawings or specifications
- Approved engineering change notices (ECNs / ECOs)
- Applicable engineering permits or waivers
- Temporary or permanent deviation approvals
- Supporting comments or documentation explaining the reason for the change
If the PPAP submission includes changes initiated through a Supplier Change Request (SCR), copies of the approved SCR documentation must also be included in this section.
Why this is critical
Authorized Engineering Change documents ensure that:
- Both supplier and customer are aligned on the current approved design
- Deviations are controlled, traceable, and justified
- Downstream PPAP elements (inspection results, testing, control plans) remain valid
- Regulatory, safety, and customer requirements are not compromised
Any change not supported by approved documentation should be treated as nonconforming and must not be included in a PPAP submission.
Key considerations
- All documents must reference the correct part number and revision level
- Changes must be approved before PPAP submission
- Temporary deviations must clearly state scope and expiry
- Related PPAP elements should be updated to reflect the change
Authorized Engineering Change documentation protects both the supplier and the customer by ensuring transparency, traceability, and control throughout the approval process.