Product tools · Handover stage
BetaMRB readiness check: compare your record package with the customer's required final index
The MRB Readiness Check compares your current documentation folder with the customer's MRB instructions and final index. It shows which required documents are present, missing, at the wrong revision, incomplete or still awaiting approval. You get a cited completeness list for document controllers, quality engineers and project managers to close out before handover.
MRB Readiness Check 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 MRB instructions (required)
- VDRL / MDR (optional)
- Current documentation folder (required, several files)
- Final index (optional)
What it checks
- Check document revisions
- Check approval status
- Check document completeness
What you get out
- Each required MRB section or document, matched to what you supplied
- A status for each one: present, missing, awaiting approval, wrong revision or incomplete
- A quote from the MRB instructions or index for each requirement
- CSV or JSON export for your close-out list
Who uses it: Document controllers, Quality engineers, Project managers, Expediting teams.
20 questions about the MRB Readiness Check
What is a manufacturing record book (MRB)?
A manufacturing record book is the set of quality records handed to the customer with the equipment. It typically holds material certificates, welding and NDE records, test reports, calibration certificates, approved drawings and the signed-off ITP. The customer sets its structure in MRB instructions or an index. It is the evidence that the equipment was made and tested as the order required.
What does the MRB Readiness Check do?
It checks presence. It reads the customer's MRB instructions and index, lists every required section and document, and looks for each one in your documentation folder. Each item gets a status: present, missing, awaiting approval, at the wrong revision or incomplete. Each finding quotes the instruction that requires it, so your team can see why it counts.
Which documents do I upload?
Two are required: the customer's MRB instructions and your current documentation folder. You can add the VDRL or MDR and the final index if they are separate. The VDRL helps the check see which revision and approval status each document should have. It reads PDF, Word, Excel and CSV files, and you can upload many documents at once.
Why does the check separate missing from awaiting approval?
Because they need different actions. A missing document has to be found or produced. A document awaiting approval exists but still needs the customer's sign-off, so the action is to chase the review. Mixing the two makes a close-out list hard to act on. The MRB Readiness Check reports them as separate statuses.
How do you check MRB readiness by hand?
Teams usually print or copy the customer's index, then go through it line by line against the folder. For each line they find the document, check its revision against the VDRL, check that it is signed and approved, and note any gaps. On a large order this can mean hundreds of documents, and titles rarely match the index word for word.
What are the most common MRB gaps?
Common gaps are missing documents, documents at an older revision than the VDRL shows, unsigned records, documents still awaiting customer approval, and a superseded copy left in the folder next to the current one. Another is a section in the index with nothing filed under it. These are the cases the MRB Readiness Check is built to find.
What does the customer expect from an MRB?
They expect it to follow their index and instructions exactly: the same sections, in the same order, with each document at its approved revision and signed where needed. They often set the format too, such as a single PDF with bookmarks. An MRB that is incomplete or out of order is usually returned, and that can hold up final payment.
What is the difference between a VDRL and an MRB index?
A vendor document requirements list (VDRL) lists every document the supplier must send during the order, with due dates and review status. The MRB index lists the records that go into the final handover book. Many VDRL items end up in the MRB, but not all. Some records, such as test reports, only appear in the MRB.
Does the check match documents whose titles differ from the index?
It tries to. Index titles and file titles often differ, so the check looks at the document's content, number and type, not only its file name. Where a match is not clear, it reports the item for a person to confirm rather than guessing. You should still review the matches, especially for records with similar titles.
How does the check handle document revisions?
It compares the revision of each supplied document with the revision the VDRL or index expects, if you upload them. A document at an older revision is flagged as a wrong revision, not as present. A superseded copy filed next to the current one is also flagged, so it doesn't end up in the final book by mistake.
Can it read scanned records?
Many MRB records are scans, such as signed test reports or older certificates. Reading them depends on the scan quality, and a poor scan may need a manual check before you count that record as present. We check scanned records with each team during onboarding.
What does "incomplete" mean in the results?
Incomplete means the document is there but something the instructions require is missing from it, such as a signature, a page range, an attachment or a required section. It is different from missing, where no document was found at all. Each incomplete finding quotes the instruction it was checked against, so the gap is clear.
When should I run the MRB Readiness Check?
You can run it at any point once you have the customer's MRB instructions. Running it early, while manufacturing is still going on, shows which records you will need and which are already filed. Running it again before handover gives a final close-out list. Late gaps are the ones that delay shipping and payment, so earlier runs are cheaper.
What do I get back from the MRB Readiness Check?
You get one line for each required section or document, with its status and the document it was matched to. Each line quotes the instruction or index entry behind the requirement. You can export the results as CSV or JSON and use them as your close-out list, or share them with the people who own each missing record.
Does the MRB Readiness Check check the content of each record?
Not in depth. It checks presence, revision, approval status and completeness. It does not check whether a material certificate meets the specification or whether a weld is covered by its NDE report. Those checks belong to other tools, such as the Material Certificate Review and the MRB Traceability Verification, which checks the links between records.
Does it approve the MRB or send it to the customer?
No. It prepares a completeness list for your team. Your document controller and quality engineer decide what to fix and when the book is ready. It does not approve documents, change their status or send anything to the customer. Treat its findings as a careful first check that points to the exact index entries.
What are the limits of the MRB Readiness Check?
It only checks the documents you upload. A record kept in another system will show as missing until you add it. Approval status comes from what the documents and VDRL say, not from the customer's own system. It reads text and tables, not engineering drawings. The tool is in beta, so we review each team's first runs with them.
Who usually owns the MRB at a manufacturer?
It varies. At larger makers a document controller or a quality engineer usually builds the MRB. At smaller makers the project manager often does it alongside other work. Either way, the records come from many people: purchasing for certificates, the shop for welding records, and quality for inspection and test reports. A shared close-out list helps.
Is the MRB Readiness Check available now?
The MRB Readiness Check is in beta. You can request access, and we onboard each team ourselves: we agree a real set of MRB instructions and a documentation folder to start with, run it with you, and check the results together. That way you see how it handles your documents before you rely on it. Document Review is our production tool.
Which tools come before and after the MRB Readiness Check?
Before it, the FAT Readiness Check makes sure the factory acceptance test, often one of the last records, is ready to run. After it, the MRB Traceability Verification checks the links between records, such as tag to heat to certificate, and the MRB Compiler maps your approved records to the customer's index for the final package.
Where it sits in the order lifecycle
Related standards, guides and templates
Try the MRB Readiness Check on your own documents
Tell us which documents you want to check first. We set up your workspace and run the first package with you.