First Article Inspection
An inspection of the very first unit built or installed of a repetitive item, such as a typical hotel guest room or a precast panel, verifying it meets spec before the contractor proceeds to fabricate or install the remaining units, catching a systemic error once instead of after it's already been repeated dozens or hundreds of times. Distinct from a [[concept-mock-up|mock-up]], which is often a standalone sample built specifically for approval and torn down afterward, a first article inspection checks the actual first unit in the real production run itself.
Why it matters
Catching a mistake in unit one of two hundred is far cheaper and faster to fix than catching the same mistake in unit one hundred fifty, once rework has to chase down every unit built in between.
On a real project
On a hotel renovation, the owner's representative and general contractor inspect the first fully finished guest room prototype in detail before crews start work on the remaining one hundred ninety-nine rooms.
Who this matters most to
A QA/QC Inspector performs and documents the inspection. A Owner's Representative signs off before the contractor is authorized to proceed to the remaining units.
Where this goes wrong
A contractor proceeds to build out an entire floor of rooms using the same tile layout approved in the first article, but a subtle grout color mismatch isn't caught until the owner walks room forty. The rework now spans dozens of finished rooms instead of the one unit the inspection was supposed to catch it in.