A decision model for cost-optimized inspection planning

Inspection planning organizes quality inspections during the production process from incoming goods to delivery. As inspections assess the conformity of product characteristics with their specifications they have a significant influence on guaranteeing product quality and, thus, customer satisfaction. This paper analyses decision situations in inspection planning. The aim is to develop a model for inspection planning which takes use of basic decision theoretical rules The overall evaluation of an inspection plan is based on a trade-off of costs. Thus, the model is provided with an underlying cost structure. The consideration of the whole inspection planning process with all its interdependencies is an extension to existing scientific approaches, which basically focus on the mathematical optimization of one single inspection task rather than taking in a holistic view.