Documenting quality failures properly
A non-conformance report is the record of something that went wrong, the stock it affected, and what you did about it. Its job is to make sure a failure ends in a fix rather than in a conversation someone half remembers.
In IEMSuite an NCR is tied to the lot and the inspection that triggered it, which is what makes it useful later: from a customer complaint you can reach the shipment, the lot, the inspection, and the NCR without reconstructing anything from email.
Step 1 - Raise it
From Inventory → Quality Control, usually straight off a failed inspection, choose Create NCR. It gets an NCR number for tracking.
Step 2 - Classify it honestly
Severity drives how urgently the NCR gets handled, so it is worth being accurate rather than diplomatic:
| Severity | Use it when |
|---|---|
| MINOR | Cosmetic or paperwork issue with no product safety or fitness impact |
| MAJOR | Product is out of specification or unfit for its intended use |
| CRITICAL | Safety, regulatory, or contamination issue |
Then set the category, which is what makes the reports aggregate into something you can act on: appearance, contamination, out of specification, labeling, packaging, documentation, process error, supplier issue, or other. Six months of categorised NCRs tells you whether your problem is a supplier or your own line.
Step 3 - Contain the stock
Quarantine the affected lot so it cannot be consumed or shipped while the NCR is open. This is not a note for the warehouse team; a quarantined lot is refused by allocation. See Holding and releasing stock.
Containment is the step most often skipped under time pressure, and it is the one that turns a quality issue into a recall.
Step 4 - Work it through its states
An NCR moves through a fixed sequence so nothing stalls in "someone is looking at it":
| State | What has to happen to leave it |
|---|---|
| OPEN | Triage: severity, category, affected lots |
| INVESTIGATING | Establish the root cause |
| CORRECTIVE_ACTION | Do the thing that stops it recurring |
| VERIFICATION | Confirm the fix actually worked |
| CLOSED | Nothing outstanding |
| VOID | Raised in error |
Verification exists because corrective action on its own is a plan. An NCR that goes straight from corrective action to closed records an intention, not an outcome.
Step 5 - Decide what happens to the stock
Closing the NCR does not release the lot on its own. Release it back to AVAILABLE if it was cleared, or reject it if it was not. Rejected stock stays in the system for traceability and write-off; it never becomes sellable again.
A worked example
A receiving inspection on a shea butter lot measures a peroxide value above spec.
- The inspection is set to FAIL, so the lot goes to QUARANTINE
- An NCR is raised: severity MAJOR, category out of specification, supplier issue noted
- Investigation finds the shipment sat on a dock in summer heat
- Corrective action changes the delivery terms and adds a temperature check to receiving
- Verification confirms the next two deliveries pass
- The NCR closes, the original lot is rejected and written off
What you keep is not just a disposed lot: it is the reason your receiving procedure now has a temperature check.
FAQ
Does raising an NCR block the stock automatically?
Quarantine the lot as part of the NCR. Once quarantined, it cannot be shipped or consumed.
When can I release the lot?
After verification, when you are confident the material is fit. Release moves it back to AVAILABLE.
Can one NCR cover several lots?
Yes, when the same failure affects several lots of the same material. Quarantine each of them.
What is VOID for?
An NCR raised by mistake. It is kept rather than deleted so the record stays complete.
Do I need NCRs if I am not regulated?
They pay for themselves the first time a customer asks what happened. If you sell food, cosmetics, supplements, or anything with a lot number on the label, assume you will be asked.