Free Engineering Template
Document PCB questions, recommendations and approvals before production release
This editable Excel checklist helps customers, PCB engineers and manufacturing teams record unresolved requirements, identify the source data, explain the engineering recommendation and preserve the customer-approved decision in one controlled file.
Manufacturing experience is useful for identifying risks, but it should not replace the Gerber data, fabrication drawings, specifications and approvals for the current project. When a requirement is missing, conflicting or open to interpretation, the correct response is to document the question and obtain confirmation before changing the design or manufacturing requirement.
The PCB Engineering Question Checklist provides a structured record of that process. It separates customer requirements from factory recommendations and connects each decision to the working-file and production-release record.
What the Template Helps You Control
Missing or Conflicting Information
Record unclear materials, stack-ups, dimensions, tolerances, via structures, finishes, testing requirements or drawing notes.
Engineering Recommendations
Document the recommended option separately from the original customer requirement and explain the technical basis.
Customer Decisions
Preserve the approved requirement, response type, comments, decision date and responsible contact.
Production Release Traceability
Connect resolved questions to the working-file revision, approval status, change record and production-release reference.
What Is Included in the Excel File
- Instructions: scope, workflow guidance, responsibility boundaries and document-use notes.
- Project Information: customer, project, part number, revision, application, contact and review dates.
- Engineering Questions: structured fields for question, source reference, options, recommendation, technical basis and customer response.
- Review Reference: common PCB review items covering materials, stack-up, copper, drilling, vias, surface finish, routing, testing and acceptance requirements.
- Approval & Change Log: working-file status, production release and revision history.
When to Use This Checklist
The checklist is most useful when manufacturing decisions may affect electrical performance, RF behavior, thermal function, mechanical fit, reliability or previously validated design requirements.
- Multilayer and controlled-impedance PCBs
- RF, microwave and high-frequency PCBs
- High-speed digital PCBs
- HDI, blind-via, buried-via and via-in-pad structures
- Rogers, PTFE and hybrid-material stack-ups
- Backdrilled boards and other complex manufacturing structures
- Projects with incomplete, conflicting or revision-sensitive manufacturing data
Recommended Use Process
- Review the source filesCheck Gerber, drill data, stack-up, fabrication drawing, specifications and quotation-stage confirmations.
- Record each unresolved itemReference the exact file, drawing note, layer, dimension or process requirement connected to the question.
- Explain the recommendationState the proposed option and why it is recommended without presenting it as an approved customer requirement.
- Capture the customer decisionRecord the approved requirement, response date, comments and responsible contact.
- Update the working fileApply only the approved requirement and record the corresponding working-file revision.
- Release with traceabilityComplete the approval and change log before production release.