Which records belong in the count?

Use the planned qualification and execution records, such as personnel qualifications, process cards and test results. Count the same review unit used to measure pace.

Does witnessing count the entire process cycle?

Enter auditor labor actually reserved for witnessing. A long automatic cycle and a continuously attended operation can require different labor.

Can this replace the special process audit checklist?

No. The applicable checklist and process requirements define evidence coverage. This calculator only budgets the selected work.

How should finding follow-up be estimated?

Use comparable audit records and separate follow-up labor from the original record review and witnessing effort.

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing calculator

Special Process Audit Load Calculator

Estimate auditor labor for a defined special process review. Enter selected records, observed review pace, finding allowance, witnessing effort and reserved hours.

What this calculator does

Combine process evidence review, finding follow-up and witnessing labor for a special process audit plan.

Formula used

Record labor = evidence records ÷ review pace ÷ 60
Follow-up labor = record labor × allowance ÷ 100
Total audit labor = record + follow-up + witnessing labor
Labor margin = budget − total audit labor

Inputs explained

Process Evidence Records: Qualification and process records selected for this audit.
Record Review Pace: Observed process records reviewed per auditor minute.
Finding Follow-Up Allowance: Finding follow-up labor relative to base record review.
Process Witnessing Labor: Auditor hours reserved for witnessing process execution.
Available Labor Budget: Hours reserved for this complete planned work scope.

How to use the result

Best suited to process audit Scheduling, witnessing resource planning.
This does not determine Nadcap audit duration or qualify a special process. Record review pace must be at least 0.001 records per minute. Margins within numerical precision are zero; equality does not confirm spare capacity.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Steel mill PPI stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 8.5% year over year (Census).
The U.S. has 11,691 transportation equipment establishments employing about 1,682,910 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Which records belong in the count? Use the planned qualification and execution records, such as personnel qualifications, process cards and test results. Count the same review unit used to measure pace.
Does witnessing count the entire process cycle? Enter auditor labor actually reserved for witnessing. A long automatic cycle and a continuously attended operation can require different labor.
Can this replace the special process audit checklist? No. The applicable checklist and process requirements define evidence coverage. This calculator only budgets the selected work.
How should finding follow-up be estimated? Use comparable audit records and separate follow-up labor from the original record review and witnessing effort.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06.