Non-Conformance Reports

Create and manage Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs) in IEMSuite to document quality failures, track root causes, and record corrective actions.

A Non-Conformance Report (NCR) is the formal record of a quality failure. NCRs document what failed, why it failed, and what corrective actions were taken - creating a permanent paper trail for compliance and continuous improvement.

What Is an NCR?

NCRs in IEMSuite are created when:

  • A QC inspection job is marked as FAILED (auto-created)
  • A user manually creates an NCR for an issue found outside a formal inspection
  • A customer complaint triggers a quality review of a shipped lot

NCR Creation

1

NCR is created automatically on QC Fail

If you failed an inspection, the NCR is pre-populated with the lot, product, inspection job, and failing parameters.

2

Add a title and description

Summarize what the non-conformance is in plain language.

3

Set severity

Choose from Minor, Major, or Critical. See Severity Levels below.

4

Assign to a responsible team member

The assignee will investigate and drive resolution.

5

Set a target resolution date

Defaults to 5 business days. Critical NCRs default to 24 hours.

6

Save

NCR is created in OPEN status. The linked lot remains in QUARANTINE.

Severity Levels

MINOR

Small deviations that do not affect product safety or core function. Example: cosmetic defect, label misalignment.

MAJOR

Significant deviations that affect product quality or compliance. Example: out-of-spec nutrient content, wrong fill weight.

CRITICAL

Safety issues or regulatory violations. Example: contamination, undeclared allergen, dangerous foreign object. Triggers immediate escalation.

Root Cause Analysis

The NCR detail page includes a Root Cause section where you document:

  • Immediate cause (what specifically failed)
  • Contributing factors (process, equipment, human error, supplier quality)
  • Root cause category (from a configurable dropdown)
  • Supporting evidence (photos, lab reports, attachments)

Root Cause & Corrective Action

Each NCR carries three free-text fields you fill in as the investigation progresses:

  • Root cause - what actually caused the non-conformance
  • Corrective action - what you're doing to fix this specific occurrence
  • Preventive action - what you're changing so it doesn't happen again

You can also assign the NCR to a team member and record a financial impact estimate (scrap cost, rework cost, customer credit, etc.).

NCR Status Lifecycle

An NCR moves through six statuses as you work it:

OPEN→INVESTIGATING→CORRECTIVE_ACTION→VERIFICATION→CLOSED

An NCR can also be set to VOID at any point if it was raised in error. Closing an NCR (status CLOSED) records a closed timestamp for reporting.

The NCR record tracks the investigation itself - it does not automatically change the linked stock lot's status. Releasing a quarantined lot back to AVAILABLE(after rework) or moving it to REJECTED is a separate action you take on the stock lot or through a follow-up QC inspection.

NCR Reports

In the Inventory → Quality Control → NCRs tab, view:

  • NCRs by date range, severity, product, or supplier
  • Average time to resolution
  • NCR rate by product or supplier (used for supplier scorecards)
  • Open NCR aging report
Export NCR history to CSV or PDF for audit submissions and supplier review meetings.
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