There are certain occaisions when your told by the duty QA guy that its acceptable to work outside the'box'.
Ah, but is the QA guy certifying it? ...and if he is supporting the decision with documentation, it is the priviledge of his position and as the NAA's 'representative' at the company.....and he will be (hopefully) working to an MOE/ CAME also.
A statement like that depends very much on circumstances, how much the engineer values (and understands) his certification priviledges, and how big his balls are.
It's not something for a book on common practice 'handy tips'.