An AI knowledge base for factory quality teams

Two drawings for the same product

Suppose an inspector is preparing to inspect a customer order. The order specifies an approved drawing at revision two, meaning the second version of the document. The library also contains approved revision three. The approved change record says the new drawing applies to later orders and that this order remains on revision two. The inspector wants to find the required surface finish.

An assistant could answer: “This order specifies revision two. The approved change introduces revision three for later orders, so open the earlier drawing for this order.” Links alongside the answer should let the inspector open the order, the applicable drawing, and the change record. They can then read the surface-finish requirement in the drawing that covers their order. Finding the newest file alone would not explain why the earlier one is needed.

The inspector reads the drawing and inspects the product under the plant's procedures; the people responsible for acceptance still make that decision.

Where the answer lives today

Before choosing a tool, walk through the search with an inspector. The order may already link directly to the approved drawing, with the link simply hard to find. Improving access in the existing system could solve that problem. A separate knowledge base has a stronger case when the inspector opens an order in the ERP, searches another library for the file, and still has to ask an engineer to explain the change.

Your existing software may already hold the necessary connections. Microsoft's Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management documentation on engineering versions describes version-specific documents and effective dates. It also explains that tracking versions in transactions depends on configuration and company practice. Ask your administrator whether your system records a version for each order. Having a product name in the ERP does not establish how the firm keeps that information.

In our example, both the order and the approved change explain which drawing to use. Another plant may record that relationship differently. When talking with a provider, show how your quality team finds the applicable drawing today. That will help establish whether you need easier access to the current tool or a way to bring several sources together.

When the documents leave a question open

If the order points to an earlier drawing but the change record does not explain which orders the new revision covers, the assistant should identify that gap. The inspector then needs an answer from whoever owns the product documentation, such as the engineer designated by the plant. They can send a focused question with both drawings and the order. The date a file was uploaded cannot supply the missing explanation.

Keep the engineer's clarification with the order or drawing, somewhere the quality team can read it. The next inspector can then find the decision alongside the document they need, instead of looking again for someone who remembers the case.

Customer materials may have different access restrictions. The assistant should use documents the employee is allowed to read. Searching for a similar product should not expose another customer's restricted drawings. If the goal is to share documents with customers outside the plant, that is a separate scope covered in our article on customer quality-document portals.

Starting a project with Syntalith

Syntalith builds Company Brain applications that help employees find answers in company documentation. For a quality team, an initial scope could cover one product family where people frequently need to explain differences between drawing revisions. Once we agree on the scope, we can connect order information with the documentation so an inspector receives a link to the applicable drawing and an explanation of why it was selected.

Involve both the person maintaining the documentation and an inspector who uses it. The first can check whether the answer accurately reflects the recorded decisions; the second can judge whether it helps them find the requirement they need.

For an initial conversation, describe the last time your team was unsure which revision to open and the tools they used to find it. See Syntalith's pricing page for commercial information.