Also called non-conformity, discrepancy report, CAR
What is a non-conformance report?
The document raised when something does not meet the specification, recording what, how much, and what was decided.
What else it is called
- Other names
- non-conformity, discrepancy report, CAR
- In French
- rapport de non-conformité
Related entries
Understanding non-conformance report
The document raised the moment something is found not to meet its requirement, whether that is an incoming shipment, a part in process, or a customer complaint arriving after delivery.
A usable report answers four questions: what failed, against which stated requirement, how much material is affected, and what the disposition was. The disposition matters because it carries an approval: use as is and repair both mean shipping something that does not meet the drawing, which on a customer-controlled part needs the customer’s written concession rather than an internal signature.
Two more questions separate a quality system from a filing habit. Why it happened, established properly rather than recorded as operator error, and what was changed so that it does not recur. Corrective action is where the value is and where most systems quietly fail, because closing the report is satisfying and changing the process is work.
In practice
A file of non-conformance reports with dispositions but no root causes tells an auditor exactly what they need to know about the system, and none of it is good.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a non-conformance and a corrective action?
The non-conformance is the event and the record of what was decided about the affected material. The corrective action is the change made so the cause does not produce another one. One non-conformance can be closed without a corrective action if the cause is understood and accepted; a pattern of them without any is an audit finding.
Who can approve shipping a non-conforming part?
Internally, whoever your procedure names - usually quality together with engineering. On a part built to a customer’s drawing or specification, use as is and repair need the customer’s written concession. Granting it yourself is the kind of thing that surfaces years later during a warranty dispute.