Critical Design Review

A Critical Design Review (CDR) is the formal design gate review that authorizes release of the design for prototype or production build. CDR confirms that detailed design is complete, all requirements have design solutions, analysis and test data support the design's compliance with requirements, drawings and specifications are ready for release, the BOM is complete and costed, and manufacturing is ready to build from the released documentation. CDR is the highest-stakes design review: errors that pass CDR undetected become expensive hardware problems.

CDR artifacts include: released drawings and specifications, final BOM with supplier quotes, detailed interface specifications, analysis reports (thermal, structural, power), DVT test plan, risk register with mitigations in place, manufacturing readiness assessment, and a complete requirements compliance matrix showing design coverage of every requirement. CDR board members typically include systems engineering, design engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality, and program management.

CDR exit criteria define what 'complete' means. Common criteria include: no open must-fix design issues, all requirements traced to design solutions, DVT test plan reviewed and approved, BOM within cost targets, manufacturing sign-off on design for manufacturing compliance, and regulatory strategy confirmed. Projects that skip CDR or hold a perfunctory CDR to meet a schedule date typically pay the cost later — in DVT failures, production rework, or post-launch field issues.