Corrective Action Request (CAR)

A corrective action request is a type of change request that documents a problem with a product or process and
requests the root cause of a non-conformity be investigated and removed.

Non-Conformity (or Non-conformance request – NCR)

A non-conformity is a non-fulfilment of a requirement. This non-conformance is post-realisation – meaning that the
intention was to conform to requirements, but something went wrong. However, a non-conformity contrasts with a
deviation. Deviation is pre-realisation – meaning that permission was given in advance not to comply with the
requirement, within certain limits.

The requirement could be many things - including:

– a specification of parameters like maximum pressure or working temperature, or maximum level of contaminents,
or minimum level of a particular compound.
– a procedure which should be followed.

It is noteworthy that the requirement can also come from many different sources:

– international standard,
– national standard,
– company technical requirement (TR) – built up over many years of specific experience in their industry and
geographic area.

The significance of this is that making judgements regarding non-conformities can be complex if different authorities
may need to be involved, depending on the requirement. This can be very time-consuming.

A deviation request asks for permission to make a product (or service) that does not comply with certain
requirements, within certain limits.
This is pre-realisation.
In contrast, a non-conformance report (NCR) is a post-realisation documentation of a nonconformity - meaning that
the intention was to conform to requirements but something went wrong.

Definition of Deviation Permit

A deviation permit is a form of permission to make a product (or service) that does not comply with certain
requirements, within certain limits.
This is pre-realisation.

A deviation permit is generally given for a limited quantity of products and services or period of time, and for a
specific use.
It may be issued (after a review process) in response to a deviation request.

Non-conformance procedure and flowchart

What is a non-conformance?

A non-conformance 'occurs' when something (a product, process, output, piece of work) does not meet
specifications or requirements which were previously defined by a customer, regulatory body, internal procedure or
agreement between one or more parties.

In simple terms, a non-conformance is a result of something going wrong, either in the output of work or in the
process itself.

Non-conformances can be extremely costly for a number of stakeholders.

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  They can be costly to producers or suppliers who invest at a lot of time and money upfront in inventory and
supplies
 They can be costly to contractors and subcontractors who rely on other company's goods and services to get
the job done to spec
 They can be costly for consumers and end users who may suffer injuries, issues or fatalities resulting from
high consequence non-conformances.

Because of the high cost of non-conformances, companies work extremely hard to create procedures and processes
which 'catch' non-conformances and action them as early as possible – in the form of corrective actions.

Non-conformances can be reactively identified by customer complaints, inspections or internal/external audits - or

they can be proactively identified and rectified through normal testing procedures and good internal processes.

What does a good non-conformance procedure look like?

As was foreshadowed above, there are multiple elements and dimensions to a good non-conformance procedure,
much of which has to do with creating processes which prevent non-conformances from taking place.

But because we are looking at the non-conformance procedure and flowchart, we will focus on the procedure which
takes place after a non-conformance has been identified.

The purpose of a non-conformance procedure is to document non-conformances, action non-conformances and to

ideally stop similar non-conformances from occurring in the future by identifying the root cause.

The non-conformance report you see below (NCR) is a framework for following a good non-conformance procedure.
In practice, it's also how many companies (especially construction and other industrial companies) properly
document, action and then track non-conformances.

You'll notice that there are a few key elements to this non-conformance procedure:

 Identifying and documenting the non-conformance (With evidence/proof in the form of photos)
 Identifying who was at fault for the non-conformance (was it a supplier, contractor)
 Recommended corrective actions
 Root cause analysis
 Preventative actions which will stop the non-conformance from occurring again
 Close out signatures once both or all parties have rectified and closed the non-conformance.

When documented in this way, it becomes far easier to see what a good non-conformance procedure looks like - and
becomes easy to implement a strong framework for non-conformances which everyone can use and rely on.

A non-conformance procedure example flowchart

What happens when the person who identifies the non-conformance documents it?

Does he or she send it to someone internally or externally?

These questions can be answered by a con conformance procedure flowchart. These flowcharts, which are
sometimes 'real' and stuck on a wall or established on a document and other times more informal and understood,
enable companies to follow a reliable process for quickly moving and rectifying non-conformances.

A good non-conformance flowchart or 'workflow' is the workflow which gets non-conformances from identification
to corrective action as quickly as possible - while touching and informing all the necessary stakeholders.

While companies can have slight variations and nuance in how they setup their non-conformances (often guided by
how many employees they have), at most companies, this workflow or flowchart looks like this:
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 1. An inspector, auditor or normal employee detects, or identifies and then reports the non-conformance
2. A manager (sometimes project manager, quality manager) then evaluates the non-conformance, confirms
who was responsible, and then creates or approves the corrective action plan
3. The at-fault party (internal, supplier, subcontractor) then agrees to and performs the corrective action -
while working on and collaborating with the initial 2-step parties to establish preventative actions
4. Once the corrective action is complete, the teams together (from steps 1,2,3) or a quality management team
or manager validate the report and actions, see whether it was effective, and then communicate potential
improvements or actions
5. Finally, the non-conformance is closed and work can begin as normal

Streamlining how you manage and move non-conformances through your flowchart

You can probably see already that repeating this non-conformance procedure regularly can turn into a logistical
headache.

Every new non-conformance has a different responsible party, and every non-conformance must be dealt with
properly.

However, you'll also note from the above non-conformance flowchart that the flow of non-conformances will remain
largely the same for every non-conformance on a project or at a specific company.

Because of the repeat and consistent nature of non-conformances, much of the work and procedure can be
automated through corrective and preventative action software, and smart project management tools.

And it works like this.

1. When a non-conformance is created by the inspector, auditor or worker, it enters the workflow
2. When this identifier signs off on the non-conformance declaring that all of its details have been captured and
documented, the non-conformance report then moves to the approvers column, who gets an instant
notification that the non-conformance is ready for their judgement and approval
3. The manager then opens the report, agrees to the responsible party based on the evidence, confirms the
corrective and/or preventative actions and then signs off the report
4. If the non-conformance is external (subcontractor, supplier) then it will then be sent to that party to be
actioned and signed; if it's internal, then it will be sent or move internally to be actioned.
5. Once the corrective action is complete and signed off, the non-conformance will move into the 'closed'
column, where it stays for record keeping purposes

With software, all of the collaboration between steps is automated and triggered through approval signatures, with
no need to jumping back and forth between documents, systems and conversations.

Start improving your non-conformance procedure.

Quality is of the utmost importance to all companies and is especially important to companies who's projects have
extremely high impacts and consequences such as the building of bridges, manufacturing of important equipment
and many others.

Part of ensuring good quality comes down to the right workers and the right company doing the right jobs, but much
of it comes down to companies and workers establishing procedures and practices which provide checks and
balances on the activities being performed - in a consistent and standardised manner which enables continuous
improvement.

Mistakes and non-conformances are bound to happen in every industry, but with the right non-conformance
procedures and processes in place, you are far more likely to catch them and prevent them from turning into
disasters.

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And with the right non-conformance flowchart and workflows in place, you'll have less quality delays and keep your
work and projects moving forward quickly and properly.

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