5.4 Quality Assurance & RMA

RMA (Return Material Authorization) is not a waste disposal channel; it is a forensic feedback loop. A loose RMA process bleeds margin through unjustified credits and obscures critical design flaws. Treat every return as a financial claim against the manufacturing process that requires validation, attribution, and settlement.

Phase 1: Authorization & Gatekeeping

Do not issue an RMA number without pre-validation. Blind acceptance creates a backlog of scrap that consumes warehouse capacity and engineering cycles.

Validation Logic

• IF Warranty Status = Expired → THEN Issue Quote for Repair (Out of Warranty) or Reject.
• IF Serial Number ≠ Sold Unit (Gray Market/Swap) → THEN Reject immediately + Flag account.
• IF Symptom = "Does not work" (Vague) → THEN Require specific failure mode (e.g., "Won't boot," "Error Code 5") before issuance.

The "Digital Triage" Requirement

Require the customer to upload photos of the unit and serial label before shipping.

• Check: Screen cracks, water damage indicators, port abuse.
• Action: If Customer Induced Damage (CID) is visible, deny warranty claim immediately to save shipping costs.

Phase 2: Incoming Triage & Verification

Upon physical receipt, execute a standardized intake to segregate liability. The receiving dock is the first line of defense against transit damage claims.

Intake Protocol

1. Inspect Packaging: Note external box damage on the carrier receipt. If ignored, the carrier liability is void.
2. Verify Contents: Match received Qty and SN against the RMA authorization.
3. Sanity Test: Perform a Level 1 Functional Test (Power On / Basic IO).

Disposition Logic

• IF Unit Passes L1 Test → THEN Classify NDF (No Defect Found). Charge NDF fee if contractually allowed. Return to customer.
• IF Unit Fails L1 Test → THEN Route to Failure Analysis (FA).
• IF Tamper Seals Broken → THEN Void Warranty → Classify CID.

Pro-Tip: High NDF rates (> 10%) indicate a gap between your factory test coverage and the customer's application environment. Do not just return NDF units; investigate the gap in your test fixture coverage.

Phase 3: Failure Analysis (FA) Routing

Assign FA resources based on defect complexity and value. Do not deploy Level 3 engineering resources for trivial component failures.

FA Hierarchy

• Level 1 (Technician): Visual inspection + Test Fixture logs.
  • Goal: Confirm failure mode.
• Level 2 (Debug Engineer): Component swap + Signal tracing (Oscilloscope/Multimeter).
  • Goal: Identify faulty PCBA node.
• Level 3 (Component Vendor/Design): X-Ray, Decapsulation, Cross-section.
  • Goal: Root cause semiconductor or PCB fabrication defects.

The FA Request Template (Mandatory Fields)

To escalate to L2/L3, the initial request must contain:

1. UUID/MAC: Unique identifier for traceability.
2. Reported Failure: Customer's exact description.
3. Observed Failure: Technician's validation (verified/not verified).
4. Environmental Data: Temp, Voltage, Uptime at failure (if available).
5. Logs: Dump of error history/registers.

Phase 4: Cost Attribution & Commercial Resolution

Once the root cause is defined, assign financial liability. This drives the credit note or invoice decision.

Cost Attribution Matrix

Final Checklist