Running a QC inspection

Checking quality before stock moves on

A QC inspection is how you prove a lot meets spec before anyone can ship it or cook with it. In IEMSuite the inspection is not a form you fill in for the file: its result changes the lot's status, and the lot's status decides whether the allocation engine is allowed to touch it.

Quality control is available on Growth plans and above.

What "Pending QC" actually means

New stock does not arrive usable. A lot that has been received or produced but not yet inspected sits in PENDING_QC, and that is a hard state, not a label:

• It is excluded from FIFO and FEFO allocation
• It cannot be consumed by a production batch
• It cannot be picked for a shipment, manually or automatically

So "Pending QC" answers the question "why can I see this stock but not ship it?" The stock is real, it is counted, it is in a location, and it is deliberately unavailable until someone signs off on it. Clearing it is the inspection.

The four lot statuses

Before you start

The lot you are inspecting has to exist, so receive it or produce it first. See Receiving inbound stock and Creating a production batch.

Step 1 - Open Quality Control

Go to Inventory → Quality Control. The screen shows pending inspections, inspections in progress, and lots currently in quarantine.

Step 2 - Create the inspection

Start an inspection and fill in the details:

• Inspection type - receiving, in-process, final, or periodic
• Inspection date
• Inspector
• Lot number, the lot under test
• An inspection number, assigned automatically

The type matters for traceability more than for the workflow. A receiving inspection tells you your supplier shipped something out of spec; an in-process inspection tells you your own process drifted. The distinction is what makes the record useful six months later.

Step 3 - Record what you measured

Add a test parameter for each measurement, with the value you got and the value you expected. Parameters carry units, so pH, percentage, temperature, and weight are all recorded as numbers rather than as a note someone wrote.

This is the difference between "passed inspection" and a record you can defend in an audit or use to argue with a supplier. A pass with three measured values behind it survives scrutiny; a pass with a tick box does not.

Step 4 - Set the result

There are three outcomes:

Conditional is the one people expect to behave differently. It does not mean "use it but be careful": it quarantines the lot. If a lot is good enough to use, pass it; if it needs a second look, conditional keeps it out of production until that second look happens.

Step 5 - Act on a failure

A failed inspection is the start of a process, not the end of one. Raise a non-conformance report so the root cause gets investigated, and keep the lot in quarantine until the NCR closes.

FAQ

What does "Pending QC" mean?

The lot is waiting for a quality decision. It counts as stock but it cannot be shipped or consumed, and the allocation engine skips it entirely, so there is no path where untested material reaches a customer by accident.

Can I inspect against measured values rather than pass or fail?

Yes. Record each test parameter with its measured and expected value, then set the overall result. The parameters stay attached to the lot.

What is the difference between a failed and a conditional result?

Both quarantine the lot. Conditional means you want another look; fail means it did not meet spec and normally opens an NCR.

Does every lot need an inspection?

Only if your process says so. Lots that are not put into PENDING_QC are available immediately. QC gating is there for the material where it matters, usually incoming raw material and finished goods.

Who can approve an inspection?

Whoever your role setup allows. Permissions are per action, so inspecting and releasing can be separate people. See Roles and permissions.