Design &Compliance
Defence and infrastructure work demands exhaustive documentation — inspection records, NCRs, traceability registers, and standards sign-offs. The admin burden is real: hours spent cross-referencing drawings against standards, populating NCR forms, and hunting for missing mill certificates. Agents don't replace the engineer's judgement — they eliminate the paperwork grind so that judgement can be applied where it actually matters.
Why compliance documentation is a strong agent use case
Of all the tasks in Normoyle's workflow, compliance documentation has some of the best characteristics for agent automation:
AS/NZS 1554, AS 4100, and project specifications are stable reference documents. The agent can be loaded with the relevant clauses and apply them consistently across every drawing — no fatigue, no missed pages.
A busy project might have 50–200 drawing sheets requiring compliance review. Doing this manually takes days. An agent reviews every sheet in minutes, with the engineer focusing only on the flagged items.
The agent logs every check it performs — drawing number, revision, clause checked, finding, action. That log is your audit trail, ready for client submission or defence qualification review.
The agent identifies potential non-conformances and drafts NCRs. The engineer confirms and signs. Nothing is closed or certified without a human decision — so an agent error becomes a review item, not a compliance failure.
The agent identifies and documents. It does not certify. Weld inspection sign-off, structural compliance certification, and defence qualification must be performed and signed by qualified, licensed individuals. No matter how accurate the agent becomes, this boundary stays fixed — it's a legal and professional requirement, not a technology limitation.
What the compliance agent handles
| Task | Today (manual) | With agent | Engineer's role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawing review against AS/NZS 1554 | Engineer checks weld symbols sheet by sheet — 1–3 hrs per package | Agent reads every sheet, identifies non-conforming weld callouts with clause references | Review flagged items only — 15–30 min |
| NCR drafting | Engineer writes NCR from scratch: project details, drawing ref, description, clause, disposition | Agent drafts complete NCR for each flagged item in standard Normoyle format | Review, edit if needed, sign and issue |
| Inspection checklist generation | QA officer manually builds checklist from ITP and drawing register — 1–2 hrs | Agent generates project-specific checklist from ITP and drawing register in minutes | Review checklist, add site-specific items |
| Material traceability check | QA officer matches mill certs to BOM line by line — slow and error-prone on large packages | Agent cross-references cert register to BOM, flags missing, expired, or mismatched certs | Action each flag: chase supplier or accept |
| Drawing register maintenance | PM manually updates register when new revisions arrive | Agent identifies when a drawing revision doesn't match the current register and flags for update | Confirm and update register |
Worked example: drawing review and NCR generation
A Defence project requires welded structural steel fabrication to AS/NZS 1554.1 Category SP. The compliance agent is given the drawing package — 12 sheets across assembly and detail drawings. Here's exactly what it finds and what it produces.
What the agent finds on the drawings
COMPLIANCE REVIEW — Project: DEF-2025-047 Standard: AS/NZS 1554.1 Category SP Drawings reviewed: 12 sheets (DWG-001 Rev B through DWG-012 Rev A) Review date: [date] · Status: DRAFT — ENGINEER REVIEW REQUIRED ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SHEET DWG-003 Rev B — Main Frame Assembly ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Finding 01 — NON-CONFORMANCE Location: Detail A, weld between column base plate and 200UC Drawing: DWG-003 Rev B Issue: Fillet weld symbol shows 6mm leg size. AS/NZS 1554.1 Clause 4.5.2 requires minimum leg size of 8mm for 16mm plate thickness (t = 16mm → min weld = 0.7t = 11.2mm, minimum 8mm per table 4.5.2.1) Clause: AS/NZS 1554.1 Cl. 4.5.2 Table 4.5.2.1 Action: [REVIEW NEEDED] — Engineer to confirm required weld size and instruct drawing revision or accept with engineering justification on file Finding 02 — NON-CONFORMANCE Location: Detail C, splice connection at mid-span Drawing: DWG-003 Rev B Issue: Weld symbol indicates butt weld, partial penetration. Category SP requires full penetration butt weld for tension splices per AS/NZS 1554.1 Cl. 3.2.4 Clause: AS/NZS 1554.1 Cl. 3.2.4 Action: [REVIEW NEEDED] — Confirm splice is in tension zone. If yes, weld must be full penetration. Drawing revision required. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SHEET DWG-007 Rev A — Bracket Detail ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Finding 03 — QUERY (not confirmed non-conformance) Location: Bracket to column connection Drawing: DWG-007 Rev A Issue: Material grade not specified on detail. All other drawings specify Grade 350. Cannot confirm without explicit callout. Clause: Project Spec Cl. 2.1.1 — all structural steel Grade 350 unless noted Action: [REVIEW NEEDED] — Add material grade callout to DWG-007 or confirm Grade 350 applies by default per spec ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SHEETS WITH NO FINDINGS: DWG-001, 002, 004, 005, 006, 008–012 All weld symbols, material grades, and tolerances checked. No non-conformances identified on these sheets. SUMMARY Total sheets reviewed: 12 No findings: 9 Queries (not confirmed): 1 (DWG-007) Non-conformances: 2 (DWG-003) NCRs drafted: 2 (see below — engineer review required)
The NCRs the agent drafts
For each confirmed non-conformance, the agent immediately drafts a complete NCR in Normoyle format, ready for the engineer to review, edit, and issue:
NON-CONFORMANCE REPORT ⚠ DRAFT — ENGINEER REVIEW AND SIGN-OFF REQUIRED BEFORE ISSUE NCR Number: NCR-DEF-2025-047-001 [auto from register] Project: DEF-2025-047 Date raised: [date] Raised by: Compliance documentation agent Reviewed by: [engineer name — to complete] NON-CONFORMANCE DESCRIPTION Drawing DWG-003 Rev B, Detail A shows a 6mm fillet weld between the 200UC column and 16mm base plate. AS/NZS 1554.1 Table 4.5.2.1 requires a minimum fillet weld leg size of 8mm for plate thickness 16mm ≤ t < 20mm. The specified 6mm weld does not meet this minimum. REFERENCE Standard: AS/NZS 1554.1:2014 — Structural steel welding Clause: 4.5.2 Minimum size of fillet welds, Table 4.5.2.1 Drawing: DWG-003 Rev B, Detail A PROPOSED DISPOSITION [Agent draft — engineer to select and confirm] Option A: Revise drawing to specify 8mm minimum fillet weld. Requires drawing revision to Rev C. Option B: Accept 6mm weld with engineering justification on file, documenting calculated adequacy for the applied loads. Requires signed engineering assessment. STATUS: OPEN ASSIGNED TO: [engineer name — to complete] RESPONSE DUE: [date — to complete] ───────────────────────────────────────────── Reviewed and approved by: _________________ Date: _________ [Licensed engineer]
On a 12-sheet drawing package, the manual compliance review and NCR drafting would typically take a qualified engineer 3–4 hours. The agent completes the review in under 5 minutes and produces two complete draft NCRs. The engineer spends 20–30 minutes reviewing the findings, confirming the non-conformances, choosing dispositions, and signing. The technical judgement is unchanged — only the time spent on paperwork is eliminated.
Setting up the compliance agent
What to load as reference material
The compliance agent's quality depends entirely on what you give it to work with. Load all of these before running any review:
- Relevant AS/NZS standard clauses You don't need to upload the entire standard — load the sections most relevant to your project type. For structural welding: AS/NZS 1554.1 sections 3 (workmanship), 4 (design), and 5 (inspection). For structural steel: AS 4100 sections 9 (connections) and 12 (fabrication). Extract as plain text or PDF and upload to the Claude Project.
- Project specification The spec defines the contractual requirements — material grades, weld categories, surface treatment standards, inspection hold points. This is where the agent gets the project-specific rules that override or supplement the standards.
- Drawing register A list of all drawings: number, title, revision, date, applicable standard. The agent uses this to track what's been reviewed and flag any drawing not yet checked.
- ITP (Inspection & Test Plan) Defines what gets inspected, at what stage, by whom, and to what acceptance criteria. The agent uses this to generate checklists and identify inspection hold points that need sign-off before fabrication can proceed.
- NCR register The running log of all NCRs on the project. The agent reads this to auto-number new NCRs and avoid duplicates. It only writes to this register in DRAFT status — an engineer must promote to OPEN.
- Material traceability register Your current register mapping mill certificates to BOM items. The agent identifies gaps — items without certificates, expired certs, or grade mismatches.
Production-ready system prompt
ROLE You are a compliance documentation assistant for F&D Normoyle Engineering. You support quality and engineering staff with drawing review, NCR generation, inspection checklist creation, and material traceability checking. YOUR TASK When given drawings and project documents, you will: 1. Review each drawing sheet against the loaded standards and spec 2. Identify and describe any non-conformances or queries 3. Draft an NCR for each confirmed non-conformance 4. Generate inspection checklists when asked 5. Check material traceability registers for gaps 6. Maintain a running review summary MANDATORY RULES - Always cite the specific clause number for every finding - Distinguish between NON-CONFORMANCE (clear breach) and QUERY (possible issue requiring engineer clarification) - Never raise an NCR status beyond DRAFT without engineer instruction - Never mark any NCR as CLOSED — that requires human sign-off - Never certify compliance — you identify and document only - Never modify drawing register revision history - Flag if any standard clause you're applying is from a version you cannot confirm matches the project specification FOR EACH DRAWING SHEET REVIEW: 1. Record: Drawing number, revision, title, date 2. Check material grades vs project specification 3. Check all weld symbols vs AS/NZS 1554 (category per spec) 4. Check dimensional tolerances vs applicable standard 5. Check any connection details vs AS 4100 if applicable 6. Note: FINDING / QUERY / NO FINDING for each check 7. For each FINDING: clause ref, location, description, action NCR FORMAT (all NCRs are DRAFT until engineer approves): - NCR number (auto from register — next sequential) - Project, drawing number, revision, date - Non-conformance description (plain English, specific) - Standard and clause reference - Proposed disposition options (2 options minimum) - Status: DRAFT - Assigned to: [leave blank for engineer] - Sign-off line: [leave blank for engineer] WHAT YOU DO NOT DO: - Do not contact clients or external parties - Do not approve or close NCRs - Do not issue documents — all output is DRAFT for engineer review - Do not accept that a non-conformance "probably doesn't matter" - Do not assume a drawing is correct because it's been revised
Material traceability for defence work
Defence contracts require unbroken material traceability — every piece of steel in the finished component must be traceable back to a specific mill certificate, heat number, and test report. Gaps in this chain can result in non-acceptance of the entire fabrication, regardless of actual quality.
This is one of the most time-consuming QA tasks Normoyle faces on defence projects. An agent can automate the matching and gap-identification work entirely.
How the traceability check works
# Prompt to send the agent: "Check the material traceability register for Project DEF-2025-047. For each BOM line item confirm: 1. Mill certificate exists 2. Certificate grade matches the specified grade 3. Heat number is recorded against the BOM item 4. Certificate date is within 12 months of fabrication start Flag any gaps. Output as a table." # What the agent does: read_bom() → loads BOM: item, spec, qty, drawing ref read_cert_register() → loads mill cert register: cert no., grade, heat no., date, BOM item linked cross_reference() → matches each BOM item to its certificate check_grade() → confirms cert grade = specified grade check_date() → flags certs > 12 months old at fab start flag_gaps() → items with missing, expired, or mismatched certs # Agent output (example): TRACEABILITY REPORT — DEF-2025-047 Generated: [date] · Status: DRAFT — QA REVIEW REQUIRED Item Description Cert No. Grade Heat No. Status ──── ──────────────────── ───────── ─────── ──────── ────────────── M01 200UC60 Gr300 — 6m MC-4471 300 H2241A OK M02 16mm PL Gr350 — 12m MC-4472 350 H2241B OK M03 SHS 150×150×8 Gr350 MC-4473 350 — ⚠ HEAT NO. MISSING M04 M24 bolts Gr 8.8 — — — ⚠ NO CERT ON FILE M05 12mm PL Gr350 — 8m MC-4401 350 H1987C ⚠ CERT DATE 14 MONTHS AGO — VERIFY GAPS REQUIRING ACTION: M03: Heat number not recorded — obtain from supplier or cert M04: No mill certificate on file for structural bolts — chase supplier M05: Certificate age exceeds 12-month threshold — QA officer to accept or request current cert from supplier
On a defence project, the client's quality representative may audit the traceability register at any time. A gap found during audit — even on a minor item — can trigger a hold on the entire fabrication package pending resolution. Running the agent traceability check weekly during fabrication catches gaps while there's still time to chase suppliers, rather than discovering them during final inspection.
Generating inspection checklists
Every fabrication project needs inspection checklists — what to check, at what stage, to what acceptance criteria. Building these manually from the ITP and drawing register is slow and the result varies in quality depending on who writes them.
An agent generates consistent, project-specific checklists in minutes. Here's what a generated checklist looks like for a structural steel welding package:
INSPECTION CHECKLIST — Structural Steel Welding Project: DEF-2025-047 · Drawing: DWG-003 Rev B Standard: AS/NZS 1554.1 Category SP Generated by: Compliance agent · Engineer review required before use PRE-WELD CHECKS [Hold point — QA sign-off required before welding] □ Material grade confirmed vs drawing callout (Grade 350) □ Mill certificate on file and grade matches □ Heat number recorded in traceability register □ Joint preparation: root face, root gap, bevel angle per WPS □ Fit-up dimensions within tolerance per AS/NZS 1554.1 Cl. 5.2 □ Preheat applied per WPS (if required — check plate thickness) □ Welder qualification certificate current and covers this WPS □ WPS approved and available on shop floor IN-PROCESS CHECKS [Witness point — QA to observe] □ Weld run sequence per WPS □ Inter-run temperature within limits (max 250°C between runs) □ Visual inspection between runs — no cracks, porosity, undercut □ Electrode/wire specification matches WPS □ Shielding gas flow rate confirmed (MIG/TIG only) POST-WELD CHECKS [Hold point — QA sign-off required before proceeding] □ Visual inspection: all welds per AS/NZS 1554.1 Table 6.1 - No cracks - Undercut ≤ 0.5mm (Cat SP) - Overlap — not permitted - Weld size: minimum leg size confirmed (6mm or per drawing) - Weld profile: smooth transition, no abrupt changes □ Weld symbol on drawing matches weld produced □ All weld starts and stops ground smooth □ Spatter removed □ Distortion within tolerance per drawing NDE REQUIREMENTS [Per ITP — check project-specific requirements] □ Visual inspection (VI): 100% of all welds — Cat SP mandatory □ Magnetic particle inspection (MPI): per ITP hold points □ Ultrasonic testing (UT): full penetration butt welds if specified □ NDE reports filed in project quality file DIMENSIONAL CHECKS □ Overall dimensions vs drawing ± tolerance □ Connection hole positions vs drawing ± 2mm □ Camber/sweep within AS 4100 limits □ Bolt gauge and pitch vs drawing Inspector: _________________ Date: _______ Sign: _________ QA review: _________________ Date: _______ Sign: _________ ⚠ DRAFT — Engineer/QA to review before issue to shop floor
Key standards the agent works with
| Standard | Covers | Key clauses to load | Normoyle application |
|---|---|---|---|
| AS/NZS 1554.1 | Structural steel welding — welded connections in buildings and structures | Cl. 3 (workmanship), Cl. 4 (design), Cl. 5 (inspection & testing), Table 4.5.2.1 (min weld sizes) | Most structural fabrication projects — primary welding standard |
| AS/NZS 1554.5 | Welding of stainless steels | Cl. 4 (design), Cl. 5 (workmanship), Cl. 6 (inspection) | Architectural metalwork, food-grade and marine applications |
| AS 4100 | Steel structures — design and fabrication requirements | Cl. 9 (connections), Cl. 12 (fabrication), Cl. 14 (inspection) | Structural steel packages — connection checks and fabrication tolerances |
| AS/NZS 3992 | Pressure equipment — welding and brazing qualification | Cl. 4 (WPS requirements), Cl. 5 (welder qualification) | Pressure vessel or piping work — less common but critical when applicable |
| Project spec | Contract-specific requirements that override or supplement standards | Materials section, welding section, inspection section, hold points | Always the primary reference — load this first and load it fully |
You don't need to load entire standards documents — they're large and most clauses won't be relevant to a given project. Instead, extract the specific clauses that apply to your scope and paste them into the system prompt or upload as a focused reference file. For a typical structural welding package, the relevant AS/NZS 1554.1 content fits comfortably in a two-page text extract. Ask the agent to work from your extract, and note clearly which version it's from.
Hands-on exercise: compliance agent review
This exercise uses Claude.ai Projects. You need access to a past project's drawing package (at least 3–4 sheets) and the relevant standard clauses. Anonymise client details if needed.
- Set up a Claude Project called "Normoyle Compliance Agent" Separate from the estimating agent — each agent has its own project with its own system prompt and reference files.
- Paste the system prompt Copy the full compliance agent system prompt from above. Add any project-specific rules your team uses that aren't in the standard template.
- Upload your reference documents Upload: the relevant AS/NZS 1554.1 clause extract (sections 3, 4, 5), your project specification welding and inspection sections, and the drawing register for your chosen past project.
- Upload 3–4 drawing sheets and run the review Send this prompt: "Please review the uploaded drawings against AS/NZS 1554.1 Category SP and the project specification. Identify all non-conformances and queries, cite the relevant clause for each, and draft an NCR for any confirmed non-conformances."
- Compare to the actual project record Check the agent's findings against the NCRs that were actually raised on this project. Note: what did it catch that was real? What did it flag that wasn't a genuine issue? What did it miss?
- Refine the system prompt For each missed finding: add a specific rule. For each false positive: clarify the flagging criteria. Log your changes with the date. Retest on the same drawings before moving to a live project.
Common mistakes with compliance agents
Loading clauses from AS/NZS 1554.1:2004 when the project requires 2014. The agent applies what you give it. Always confirm the required version from the project specification and note it explicitly in the system prompt.
Instructing the agent to close NCRs to "clean up" the register. This is never acceptable — NCR closure requires an engineer's confirmation that the non-conformance has been resolved. The agent status must stay at OPEN or DRAFT.
Running checklist generation without uploading the ITP. The agent will produce a generic checklist based on the standard — which may miss project-specific hold points and witness points that are contractually required.
Issuing agent-flagged NCRs without engineer review. The agent identifies possibilities — the engineer confirms whether a genuine non-conformance exists. Some flags will be false positives, especially on complex or non-standard details.
Assuming bolts, washers, and consumables don't need traceability. On defence projects, every item in the structural assembly may require it. Check the project specification — client requirements vary significantly.
Uploading documents with security classifications to a cloud AI tool without checking clearance requirements. If in doubt, speak to management before uploading any defence project documentation. See Module 5 for data security guidance.