A product change notification is useful only after the team determines where the affected component is used. Forwarding the email to engineering does not establish whether purchased stock, pending assembly work, or a future board revision needs action. Create an applicability map before judging the technical impact.
TI’s PCN policy describes notice information including affected products, change details, qualification information, and implementation timing. Read the complete notice and its current revision. A short distributor summary may omit the identification details needed for your particular BOM.
Resolve the exact component identity
Match affected manufacturer orderable numbers against the approved manufacturer list, purchasing records, and internal component database. Include approved alternatives that are not currently the preferred source. Search by controlled identifiers rather than a shortened family name or a spreadsheet description.
Map each match to board revision, product variant, and assembly location. Distinguish released designs from prototypes and inactive products still requiring service support. Record a reviewed no-impact conclusion where a superficially similar part is outside the notice’s scope.
Turn the map into an action record
| Record | Decision it supports |
|---|---|
| Exact affected part and notice revision | Whether the component is in scope |
| Used-on board and variant list | Which engineering owners must review it |
| Stock and order status | Where changed material may enter production |
| Implementation identification | How old and changed material can be distinguished |
Ask for clarification when the notice does not explain how the changed material will be identified. Do not infer a precise production cutoff from the notice date alone. Existing distributor inventory and open shipments can complicate the transition. Record any agreed identification method at receiving so the engineering decision can be applied to actual material.
Choose validation from the actual change
- List the product assumptions potentially affected.
- Review the manufacturer’s supplied qualification evidence.
- Identify application conditions that require additional checking.
- Assign samples, tests, owners, and completion dates.
- Record acceptance, restrictions, or unresolved questions.
A manufacturing-site change and a changed electrical limit may need different reviews. Avoid automatically repeating every historical test, but do not equate a manufacturer’s qualification statement with proof that every application-specific interaction is unchanged.
Close the notice only when the applicability decision and required actions are documented. Link it to the relevant component records so later purchasers can find the disposition. If the notice changes again, compare the revision before reusing the earlier conclusion. The orderable-part comparison guide helps prevent a shortened part number from hiding an affected option.
Move from reading to a build-ready project
Use the fabrication and assembly checklists to prepare drawings, production files and test requirements.
Open the DFM checklist