Product tools · Inspection stage
BetaITP validator: check an inspection and test plan against the customer's quality requirements
The ITP Validator checks a proposed inspection and test plan against the customer's quality specification and purchase-order quality clauses. It looks at every stage for the right intervention level, acceptance criteria, procedure reference and record. You get stage-level findings with quotes, for quality engineers and project managers to review.
ITP Validator is in beta. Request access and we onboard each team ourselves: we run your first real documents with you and check the results together.
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What goes in and what you get out
What goes in
- Customer quality specification (required)
- Proposed ITP (required)
- Purchase-order quality clauses (optional)
- Applicable standards (optional, several files)ASME, EN, API or client standards referenced by the specification.
- Inspection agency requirements (optional)
What it checks
- Detect missing manufacturing stages
- Check hold and witness points
- Verify acceptance criteria
- Verify record requirements
What you get out
- One finding per ITP stage or missing stage, with the requirement it was checked against
- A quote from the quality specification, PO clause or ITP for each finding
- Gaps sorted by type: missing stage, wrong intervention level, weak or missing acceptance criteria, missing record
- CSV or JSON export for your ITP revision log
Who uses it: Quality engineers, QA/QC managers, Project managers, Inspection coordinators.
20 questions about the ITP Validator
What is an inspection and test plan (ITP)?
An inspection and test plan lists every inspection and test planned for an item, in manufacturing order. Each line names the activity, the procedure, the acceptance criteria, the record it produces and who takes part. The supplier usually writes it and the customer or its contractor approves it before work starts. It is the shared plan for proving the product meets the order.
What are hold, witness, review and monitor points in an ITP?
They set how each party takes part in a step. At a hold point, work must stop until the named party attends or releases it. At a witness point, the party is invited, but work can go ahead if they don't come after notice. A review point means checking records. A monitor point means spot checks at the inspector's choice. Exact codes vary by customer.
What does the ITP Validator check?
It checks each stage of your proposed ITP against the customer's quality requirements. For every stage it looks at the intervention level, such as hold or witness, the acceptance criteria, the procedure reference and the record the step must produce. It also looks for stages the requirements call for that your ITP leaves out. Each finding quotes the clause it relies on.
Which documents do I upload to the ITP Validator?
Two are required: the customer's quality specification and your proposed ITP. You can add the purchase-order quality clauses, the standards the specification calls up, and the inspection agency's requirements. The more of the customer's requirements you include, the more the check can cover. It reads PDF, Word, Excel and CSV files, so a spreadsheet ITP works as well as a PDF one.
How do you check an ITP against the purchase order by hand?
List every quality requirement from the specification, the PO and its attachments. Then go through the ITP line by line. Tick off each requirement against a step, and check each step's intervention level, acceptance criteria, procedure and record. Anything left unticked is a missing stage. It is slow because quality clauses are spread across many documents and often refer to each other.
What are the most common ITP mistakes?
Common ones are a test the PO asks for but the ITP leaves out, a customer hold point shown as a witness or review point, and acceptance criteria that just say "per code". Others are steps with no procedure number, steps that don't name the record they produce, and an ITP written for a standard product rather than this order's requirements.
Why is "acceptance criteria per ASME VIII" not enough?
A whole code is not an acceptance criterion. An inspector needs to know which clause, table or value decides pass or fail for that step. Citing only a code name leaves room for argument at inspection. The ITP Validator flags acceptance criteria that are missing, weaker than the requirement, or just a code name. It does not treat a cited standard as proof that its unstated requirements are met.
What happens if a customer hold point is shown as a witness point?
The customer loses the right to stop work at that step. If production carries on past a step the customer wanted to hold, the item can be rejected or the test repeated in front of the inspector. That costs time and money. The ITP Validator compares each step's intervention level with what the requirements set and flags any step that has been downgraded.
Can the ITP Validator find a stage that is missing from the ITP?
Yes. It builds the list of required inspections and tests from the quality specification and any PO clauses you upload, then looks for a matching ITP step. A requirement with no matching step is reported as a missing stage, with the quote that calls for it. A common case is a test, such as positive material identification, required only in the PO clauses.
What should each line of an ITP include?
Each line usually has a step number, the activity, the procedure or standard it follows, the acceptance criteria, the record or report it produces, and the intervention level for each party: manufacturer, customer or contractor, and third-party inspector. Many customers also want the sampling extent, such as 100% or a percentage. Your customer's ITP template, if they issue one, decides the exact columns.
What does an EPC contractor expect to see in an ITP?
They expect every inspection and test from their specification and the PO, in a sensible order. They expect their own intervention codes used correctly, clear acceptance criteria, procedure numbers and named records. They also expect it in their template or format if they gave one. An ITP that copies a generic plan without reflecting their requirements is usually sent back with comments.
What does a third-party inspector look for in an ITP?
A third-party inspector checks that the steps they must attend are marked for them, that each step has a procedure and acceptance criteria they can test against, and that the records will prove the result. They also check the notice period for their visits. Clear, specific lines make their visit faster and reduce disputes on the day.
When is an ITP submitted and approved?
Most orders ask for the ITP soon after the purchase order, as an early item on the vendor document list. The customer reviews it, returns comments, and approves it before the inspected steps begin. Some tenders ask for a typical ITP with the bid. Starting production before the ITP is approved risks repeating steps the customer wanted to see.
How is an ITP different from a quality plan?
A quality plan describes how quality is managed for a project or order: who is responsible, which procedures apply and how records are kept. An ITP is narrower. It lists the specific inspections and tests, step by step, with acceptance criteria and intervention points. Many orders ask for both, and the ITP is often an appendix to the quality plan.
How does the ITP relate to the manufacturing record book?
Each ITP step produces a record, such as a material certificate, an NDE report or a pressure test report. Those records, signed off at the right points, make up much of the manufacturing record book (MRB) at handover. A step with no named record is a gap that shows up later as a missing MRB document. Getting the ITP right makes the MRB easier.
What do I get back from the ITP Validator?
You get a list of findings, one per ITP stage or missing stage. Each finding says what was checked, what the requirement says and what your ITP says, with a quote from each source. Findings are grouped by gap type, such as missing stage or weak acceptance criteria. You can export the results as CSV or JSON to track your ITP revision.
Does the ITP Validator approve the ITP?
No. It prepares evidence for your quality engineer, who decides what to change. It does not approve the ITP, sign it or send it to the customer. Approval stays with your team and, in the end, with the customer or contractor. Treat the findings as a careful first review that points to the exact clauses, not as a final answer.
What are the limits of the ITP Validator?
It only checks against the documents you upload. If a requirement sits in a document you didn't include, it can't be found. It reads text and tables, not engineering drawings. It does not know your customer's unwritten preferences or past comments unless they are in the files. The tool is in beta, so we review each team's first runs with them.
Is the ITP Validator available now?
The ITP Validator is in beta. You can request access, and we onboard each team ourselves: we agree a real ITP and quality specification to start with, run it with you, and check the results together. That way you see how it handles your customer's documents before you rely on it. Document Review, our production tool, is generally available.
Which tools come before and after the ITP Validator?
Just before it in the lifecycle, the Welding Qualification Review checks WPS, PQR and welder records. The VDRL/MDR Tracker, earlier still, usually lists the ITP as one of the first documents due. After it, the Inspection Readiness Check confirms a stage is ready to go ahead, and the NDE Coverage Review and Calibration Validity Check confirm that the records the ITP calls for are complete and valid.
Where it sits in the order lifecycle
Related standards, guides and templates
Try the ITP Validator on your own documents
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