pf-quality-control

Expert-level quality control document generator with ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and AS9100D domain knowledge — as an alternative to $5K/yr QMS software for small manufacturers.

Installation

1. Download the pf-quality-control.plugin file
2. Open Claude Desktop and navigate to Settings > Plugins
3. Click Install Plugin and select the downloaded .plugin file
4. The plugin will be installed and available immediately

Note: All data stays local on your machine. No external API calls or cloud storage required.

Why This Exists

Small manufacturers spend $3,600–$12,000/yr on QMS software (QT9 QMS, InspectionXpert) for features they use 20% of. This plugin generates the same professional quality documents — inspection reports, Non-Conformance Reports, CAPA plans, and Certificates of Conformance — included with your subscription, with your data staying on your machine. No subscription, no cloud, no data exposure.

Version 1.1 embeds deep domain knowledge from ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, AS9100D, and AIAG quality tools — so documents include authoritative standard references, expert-level defect classification, and industry-standard methodologies.

Quick Start

1. Run /quality:quality-setup — initializes workspace, prompts for company name, quality standard, and industry sector
2. Run /quality:quality-inspect — generate your first inspection report with AQL sampling recommendations
3. Run /quality:quality-ncr — file an NCR with standards-based defect classification
4. Run /quality:quality-capa [ncr_number] — create a CAPA plan with 5-Why or 8D root cause analysis
5. Run /quality:quality-status — check open NCRs with risk-priority scoring at any time
6. Run /quality:quality-kb [topic] — look up quality standards and guidance on demand

Commands

Command	Description
/quality:quality-setup	Initialize workspace, configure quality standards, generate templates
/quality:quality-inspect	Generate a DOCX inspection report with AQL sampling and AI analysis
/quality:quality-ncr	File a Non-Conformance Report with standards-based defect classification
/quality:quality-capa [ncr]	Create a CAPA plan with 5-Why/8D root cause analysis
/quality:quality-coc	Issue a Certificate of Conformance with standard-specific content
/quality:quality-log	Generate a management-ready quality summary with KPI benchmarks
/quality:quality-status	Quick text summary with risk-priority scoring
/quality:quality-kb [topic]	Look up quality standards, sampling plans, and guidance

How It Works

The plugin uses a star topology — each quality document is generated independently using shared state (quality-register.csv). Lifecycle folders: inbound/ (uploads), processing/ (intermediates), outbound/ (finished documents). A persistent .qc/config.json stores company configuration, quality standard selection, and the NCR counter.

AI-Powered Features

This plugin leverages Claude's AI capabilities combined with authoritative domain knowledge to go beyond simple automation:

• Standards-Based Defect Classification — Classifies NCRs as Critical/Major/Minor/Cosmetic/Documentation using the ISO 2859-1 defect taxonomy with severity definitions, disposition guidance per ISO 9001:2015 §8.7, and CAPA trigger assessment
• AQL Sampling Recommendations — Recommends sample sizes per ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003 Level II General Inspection based on lot size, with configurable AQL levels
• GD&T-Aware Inspection — Detects geometric dimensioning and tolerancing callouts (position, profile, runout per ASME Y14.5-2018), provides measurement guidance including true position formula and MMC bonus tolerance
• Multi-Method Root Cause Analysis — 5-Why (Toyota Production System), 8D (AIAG/Ford, auto-selected for IATF 16949), and Ishikawa 6M fishbone as supplementary analysis. Effectiveness verification per ISO 9001:2015 §10.2.1(f)
• Risk-Priority NCR Triage — Scores open NCRs using adapted FMEA Risk Priority Number (Severity × Age × CAPA-Status) with escalation thresholds
• Management Review Reports — Generates reports aligned with ISO 9001:2015 §9.3.2 management review inputs, including PPM benchmarks, Pareto analysis, COPQ framework, and supplier performance
• Standard-Specific CoC Content — Generates Certificates of Conformance with AS9100D aerospace fields (MTR, special process certs, FAI/AS9102, ITAR country of origin), IATF 16949 automotive fields (PPAP level, PSW), or ISO 9001 standard fields
• Interactive Knowledge Base — Look up ISO clauses, defect classification guidance, sampling plans, root cause methodologies, and KPI benchmarks on demand
• Conversational Data Entry — Accepts natural language input ("bore diameter 25.00 nominal ±0.05 measured 24.98") and parses all fields without requiring structured forms

What It's an Alternative To

SaaS Tool	Annual Cost	Key Overlap
QT9 QMS	$4,800–$12,000/yr	NCR, CAPA, inspection, CoC management
InspectionXpert	$3,600–$9,600/yr	Inspection reports, ballooning
SimplerQMS	$14,400+/yr	Full QMS including CAPA, NCR, CoC

Key Differentiators

• Included with your subscription vs $3,600–$12,000/yr for comparable functionality
• Deep domain knowledge — ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100D standards embedded with specific clause references
• data is processed within the Cowork environment — local processing of quality records
• Customizable DOCX templates — open in Word and change your logo, colors, layout
• No lock-in — quality-register.csv is a plain CSV you own
• Conversational input — no forms to fill out; describe the defect in plain English
• Multi-method root cause analysis — 5-Why, 8D, and Ishikawa methodologies with effectiveness verification

Feature Comparison

Feature	This Plugin	QT9 QMS	InspectionXpert
Inspection Reports	✅ Full + AQL sampling	✅ Full	✅ Full
Non-Conformance Reports	✅ Full + ISO 2859-1 taxonomy	✅ Full	⚠️ Basic
CAPA Plans with 5-Why/8D	✅ Full + Ishikawa + effectiveness verification	✅ Full	❌ None
Certificate of Conformance	✅ Full + standard-specific content	✅ Full	❌ None
Quality Dashboard	✅ Text/DOCX + RPN scoring	✅ Full UI	⚠️ Limited
Quality Knowledge Base	✅ Interactive	❌ None	❌ None
Industry KPI Benchmarks	✅ PPM/DPMO/COPQ	✅ Built-in	❌ None
Standard-Specific Config	✅ ISO/IATF/AS9100/13485	✅ Full	⚠️ Limited
Supplier Management	❌ None	✅ Full	⚠️ Basic
ERP Integration	❌ None	✅ Full	⚠️ Limited
Statistical Process Control	⚠️ Cp/Cpk context only	✅ Full	✅ Full
E-signature Workflow	⚠️ Manual (Adobe Sign)	✅ Built-in	❌ None
Cloud Backup	❌ None (local only)	✅ Cloud	✅ Cloud

Estimated Cost per Use

Disclaimer: Token estimates are approximate and based on typical usage patterns measured from skill prompt sizes. Actual costs vary with input data size, conversation length, and complexity. Estimates use Claude Sonnet 4.6 pricing ($3/1M input, $15/1M output). Cowork and Claude Desktop subscription users (Pro/Max/Team) are not charged per-token — these estimates apply only to direct Anthropic API usage. Running stages individually in fresh sessions uses fewer input tokens than running the full pipeline sequentially, because pipeline mode accumulates conversation history across stages.

Per skill (run individually in a fresh session):

Stage	Skill Prompt	User Input	Total Input	Output	Est. Cost
quality-inspect	~4.3K	~800	~9.5K	~4.3K	~$0.09
quality-ncr	~4.5K	~800	~9.7K	~4.5K	~$0.10
quality-capa	~4.8K	~800	~10.0K	~4.8K	~$0.10
quality-log	~4.5K	~800	~9.7K	~4.5K	~$0.10
quality-kb	~2.3K	~800	~7.5K	~3.0K	~$0.07
quality-coc	~3.4K	~800	~8.6K	~3.4K	~$0.08
Standalone total			~55.0K	~24.5K	~$0.53

Full pipeline (all stages in one session — context accumulates):

Stage	Base Input	+ History	Total Input	Output	Est. Cost
quality-inspect	~9.7K	0	~9.7K	~4.3K	~$0.09
quality-ncr	~9.9K	~5.1K	~14.9K	~4.5K	~$0.11
quality-capa	~10.3K	~10.3K	~20.6K	~4.8K	~$0.13
quality-log	~9.9K	~16.0K	~25.9K	~4.5K	~$0.15
quality-kb	~7.7K	~21.3K	~29.0K	~3.0K	~$0.13
quality-coc	~8.8K	~25.1K	~33.9K	~3.4K	~$0.15
Pipeline total			~134.1K	~24.5K	~$0.77

Running the full pipeline once typically costs $0.54–$1.00 in API tokens (Claude Sonnet 4.6).

Known Limitations & Workarounds

This is a Claude Cowork plugin, not a traditional SaaS application. It has architectural constraints you should know about before adopting it.

Limitation	Impact	Workaround
No persistent database	Quality register is a CSV file; no relational queries	Use quality-log with filters; export to Excel for advanced analysis
No automated CMM data import	Measurement data entered conversationally or via CSV	Export CMM output to CSV; upload to inbound/ for batch processing
No real-time collaboration	One user at a time; CSV not suitable for concurrent writes	Assign one person as quality record owner
No ERP push integration	NCRs and CAPAs not automatically sent to ERP	Export quality-register.csv to ERP manually
E-signature is manual	CoC requires manual routing to Adobe Sign/DocuSign	Follow e-signature workflow: outbound/pending-signature/ → Sign → approved/
No FDA 21 CFR Part 11	Inspection records and NCRs are not validated records per 21 CFR Part 11	Not recommended for FDA-regulated medical device manufacturers
Statistical Process Control	Cp/Cpk context only — no control charts or trending	Export quality-register.csv data to Minitab or Excel for full SPC

Context & Performance Guide

Session management: Claude's context window (200K tokens) is shared across the session. For the best results, start a fresh session for each quality workflow. The plugin saves state between commands.

Data volume guidance: quality-log is tested with up to 500 NCR records. For larger registers, use date_range or part filters to scope the analysis.

Tips for best results:

• Provide clear, specific defect descriptions for NCRs — vague descriptions produce vague root cause analysis
• For inspection reports with many characteristics (>20), upload a CSV to inbound/ rather than entering conversationally
• Keep company configuration current in .qc/config.json
• Run quality-status before starting work to see current open items with risk-priority scores
• Use quality-kb to look up standard requirements before generating documents

Degradation signals: If responses become shorter or skip sections, start a new session.

Requirements

• Claude Desktop with Cowork mode enabled
• Python 3.10+ (included in Cowork)
• python-docx (installed automatically by quality-setup)

Important Disclaimers

• AI-Generated Content: This plugin uses AI (LLM) technology which can produce inaccurate or incomplete outputs. All content should be treated as a starting point and reviewed for accuracy before use.
• Not Professional Advice: Outputs do not constitute legal, financial, tax, medical, or other professional advice. Consult qualified professionals before making decisions based on generated content.
• No Compliance Guarantee: References to industry standards, regulations, or guidelines are for informational purposes only. This plugin does not guarantee compliance with any law or regulation. Users are responsible for verifying all outputs meet their specific regulatory requirements.
• No Endorsement or Affiliation: Mention of third-party products, standards, or organizations does not imply endorsement, partnership, or certification by those entities.
• Standards References: The plugin references ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, AS9100D, ISO 13485:2016, and other published standards. Organizations must purchase and reference the actual standards from ISO, SAE, AIAG, or ASQ. The plugin's knowledge base is a reference aid, not a substitute for the full standards.