Non-conformance reports (NCR) lifecycle

An NCR is the record of anything that failed to meet spec. It carries the finding through investigation, disposition (accept, rework, scrap, return), and closure, with corrective/preventive actions logged along the way.

When to use

Use an NCR for every defect, failed delivery or process breach that needs an owner, a fix and proof the fix worked.

Before you start

Open /quality/ncr. Permissions: quality:read to view, quality:write to create and comment, quality:approve to assign, change status and verify.
Toggles: quality.require_root_cause_on_ncr and quality.require_corrective_action_on_ncr (both default on) are required before review / resolution; quality.ncr_due_date_required and quality.ncr_verification_notes_required (default off, on for new companies) require a due date to assign and notes to verify.

Open an NCR

An NCR is raised automatically from a failed inspection, or manually in Quality → NCR → New NCR. Capture the defect, severity, and affected quantity.

Investigate and disposition

Assign an owner, record root cause, and choose a disposition — accept as-is, rework, scrap, or return to supplier.

Escalate if needed

High-severity or overdue NCRs escalate to the quality manager so critical issues are not sitting idle.

Close

Once corrective actions are verified, close the NCR. The full history stays on record for audit.

Assign with a due date

Assign the NCR to a responsible user and set a due date. The list highlights overdue and unverified NCRs.

Discuss and attach evidence

Use comments and attach files (viewing attachments needs documents:read).

Verify the corrective action

Verification records who confirmed the fix. It does not close the NCR on its own.

Create many at once

Several NCRs can be created in one go, for example after a stocktake or a damaged delivery.

Quality — Non-conformance report lifecycle and escalation

Statuses

Status	Meaning	Who moves it
Open	Defect recorded.	Anyone with `quality:write`, or the system on a failed inspection.
Under review	Being investigated; root cause recorded.	Approver (`quality:approve`).
Resolved	Corrective action done.	Approver (`quality:approve`).
Closed	Finished; history kept.	Approver (`quality:approve`).
Reopened	A closed NCR can only go back to open.	Approver (`quality:approve`).

Tips & common mistakes

Record the root cause before moving to review; the system blocks it otherwise.
Corrective and preventive actions live inside the NCR — there is no separate CAPA record.
Verify before closing so the audit shows who confirmed the fix.
Use the overdue list weekly rather than waiting for escalation.

Running an inspection (two-step submit)Pass-rate reporting