Production Readiness Review (PRR)

The Production Readiness Review (PRR) assesses a program to determine if the design is ready for production. It assesses if the prime contractor and major subcontractors have accomplished adequate production planning without incurring unacceptable risks that will breach thresholds of schedule, performance, cost, or other established criteria. PRRs are normally performed as a series of reviews toward the end of the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development (EMD) Phase and should be conducted during System Capability and Manufacturing Process Demonstration to identify and mitigate risks as the design progresses.

Definition: The Production Readiness Review (PRR) determines if a systems design is ready for production and if the system developer has accomplished adequate production planning to enter Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) and Full-Rate Production (FRP).

Acquisition System — Figure: Defense Acquisition Process w/PRR

Checklist: Production Readiness Review (PRR)

Production Readiness Review (PRR) Purpose

The purpose of the PRR is to evaluate the full, production-configured system to determine if it correctly and completely implements all system requirements. The review determines whether the traceability of the final system requirements to the final production system is maintained. A successful review is predicated on the determination that the system requirements are fully met in the final production configuration and that production capability forms a satisfactory basis for proceeding into Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) and Full-Rate Production (FRP).

Production Readiness Review (PRR) Review Areas

The following areas of interest should be reviewed during a PRR:

The manufacturing readiness process
Quality management system
Production planning
System requirements compliance
Inventory management
Supplier management

Production Readiness Review (PRR) Questions

A few of the key questions that need to be answered during a PRR are:

Questions: Production Readiness Review Questions

Has the system product baseline been established and documented to enable the system to be produced?
Has a good configuration control process been established?
Are adequate processes and metrics in place?
Have the risks been documented and manageable?
Has the production capability forms been a satisfactory basis for proceeding into Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) and Full-Rate Production (FRP)?
Can the system be produced within the allocated production budget?

Production Readiness Review (PRR) Completion

The successful completion of the PRR is determined by the Technical Review Chair. The results of the PRR and associated manufacturing readiness assessments are typically documented in a written report or out-brief. The results should be reported, based on the criteria documented in the Systems Engineering Plan (SEP), using the PRR checklist.

Follow-on Production Readiness Review (PRR)

A follow-on PRR may be appropriate in the Production and Deployment (PD) phase for the prime contractor and major subcontractors if: [1]

Any changes from the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase system design in materials and/or manufacturing processes are required when entering or during the Production and Deployment (P&D) phase.
Production start-up or re-start occurs after a significant shutdown period.
Production start-up is with a new contractor
The manufacturing site is relocated

Technical Review Standards

IEEE 5288.2 “Standard for Technical Reviews and Audits on Defense Programs” is the standard for technical reviews and audits to be performed throughout the acquisition life cycle for the US Department of Defense (DoD) and other defense agencies. This standard guides the DoD and contractor on what is required during a PRR

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Updated: 10/20/2022

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