The Review Checklist is the operational companion to the Field Guide. While the Field Guide explains the reasoning behind each criterion, the Checklist distills that reasoning into a series of yes-or-no questions that can be completed in a single design review session. It covers geometry, tolerances, material selection, assembly interfaces, documentation completeness, and production readiness.

Each checklist item is phrased as a verifiable question. For example, instead of asking whether tolerances are reasonable, the checklist asks whether each critical dimension has an explicit tolerance callout that matches the intended manufacturing method. This specificity removes ambiguity and ensures that two different reviewers will arrive at the same conclusion for the same part.

The checklist is designed to be completed in under thirty minutes for a typical part. Items that do not apply to a given part can be marked as not applicable rather than skipped, preserving a complete audit trail. When a part passes every applicable item, the reviewer signs and dates the checklist, creating a formal record that the part has been reviewed and approved for the next stage.

Failed items trigger a structured follow-up process. The reviewer documents the nature of the failure, assigns a severity level, and notes the recommended corrective action. This documentation becomes part of the part's permanent record and is invaluable when the design is revisited months or years later. The checklist is available in both PDF and interactive spreadsheet formats.