TSE ISO/TR 8550-2

TSE ISO/TR 8550-2 is the part of a guidance document on selecting and using acceptance sampling systems for lots of discrete items that focuses on sampling by attributes. Its subject is acceptance inspection where each item in a lot can be individually identified, separated from the others, and judged against a specification as conforming or nonconforming.

What attribute-based sampling means

In general technical terms, attribute sampling is used when product characteristics are countable or classifiable rather than treated as continuous measurements. That makes it well suited to yes/no decisions such as presence or absence of a defect, pass/fail classification, or conformance to a stated requirement. The scope points to a broad range of application areas, including finished products, components and raw materials, services, work in process, stored materials, maintenance operations, data or records, and administrative operations.

Why the distinction matters

• Each item in the lot has an equal chance of being included in the sample, which is central to representative sampling in this context.
• Acceptance sampling supports decision-making from a limited sample instead of inspecting every item in the lot.
• The guidance is about choosing and using sampling systems, programs, and plans; it is not itself a product test method.
• Although written mainly with manufacturing and fabrication in mind, the subject extends conceptually to other product and process types defined in ISO 9000 terminology.