A realistic pilot is narrow, operational, and integration-light: one site, one product family or cell, one NCR workflow variant, and a limited set of users. The goal is to prove data capture, traceability, routing, and cycle-time improvement without forcing a full QMS, ERP, or MES replacement. Scope depends heavily on existing processes, data quality, validation expectations, and change-control discipline.

There is no universal “good” non-conformance (NCR) cycle time for aerospace. Reasonable targets vary by product risk, customer requirements, and system maturity. Many plants move from 20–45+ days baseline toward segmented targets like 24–72 hours for simple defects and 5–10 working days for complex MRB cases, with clear definitions and robust digital workflow.