cancelling the cancellation?
Link Xue said:
Could anybody tell me the what the difference is between MIL-STD-105D & MIL-STD-105D E? Thank you very much.
Regards,
Link
MIL-STD-105E (10 MAY 1989) paragraph 6.3 says:
MIL-STD-105E said:
6.3 Changes from previous issue. Vertical lines or asterisks are not used in this revision to identify changes with respect to the previous issue due to the extensiveness of the changes.
As you and others have noted, this standard was canceled in February 1997 and replaced by ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993,
Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes. (This is now ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003, which can be puchased from
ASQ.)
The 1997 cancellation was itself revised in March 2001 by cancellation notice 2. That one says that 105E is canceled
without replacement. It also says that new Department of Defense aquisitions should consider the use of MIL-STD-1916 (1 APRIL 1996),
DOD Preferred Methods for Acceptance of Products. The emphasis of this standard appears to be on
process control and
quality management systems - consider that the ISO 9000 series standards are referenced in it. There
is a
grossly simplified version of Z1.4 sampling tables and explanations but it is not the principal emphasis. For example, here are paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Foreword (emphasis added):
MIL-STD-1916 said:
6. Sampling inspection by itself is an inefficient industrial practice for demonstrating conformance to the requirements of a contract and its technical data package. The application of acceptance sampling plans involves both consumer and producer risks; and increased sampling is one way of reducing these risks, but it also increases costs. Suppliers can reduce risks by employing efficient processes with appropriate process controls. To the extent that such practices are employed and effective, risk is controlled and, consquently, inspection and testing can be reduced.
7. The following points provide the basis for this standard:
a. Contractors are required to submit deliverables that conform to requirements and to generate and maintain sufficient evidence of conformance.
b. Contractors are responsible for establishing their own manufacturing and process controls to produce results in accordance with requirements.
c. Contractors are expected to use recognized prevention practices such as process controls and statistical techniques.
That sounds a lot like the modern concept of a quality management system, doesn't it. It's certainly not the military acquisition system I was part of for many years ... at least until Secretary Perry started shaking things up.
Most US Department of Defense standards and specifications (including canceled ones) are available online through the Document Automation and Production Service (
DAPS) in Philadelphia. Before you can access the system, you have to complete an online
registration form and wait up to a few days for approval. The main documents that are visible but
not available are DOD-adoped commercial standards - such as ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003. As always, since commercial standards are copyrioghted intellectual property they have to be purchased through the approriate sources.