During the production phase, a change in design that requires prior approval from the Acquisition Customer because it threatens the applicability of the Qualification data on file. A Class I Change is an external change. Contrast with Class II Change.
In this context, “threatens” more-or-less means any combination of the following:
- The revised design might no longer meet the specified qualification requirements.
- The Qualification data might no longer be applicable.
- The Acceptance Requirements for the revised design might change.
The primary difference in the execution of a Class I Change vs. the execution of a Class II change is one of permission vs. forgiveness (respectively).