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Inspections and Non-Conformances

Inspections record whether received or produced stock passed a check; a failure moves the stock into quarantine so it cannot be picked. A non-conformance (NCR) records what is wrong, opens a corrective action task, and its disposition decides what happens to the stock. Both are on the Stock console's Quality tab.

Where to find it

Architect Panel → ERP - Operations:

  • Stock — the console: the Quality tab
  • Inspections — every inspection recorded
  • Non-Conformances — every NCR, with its disposition and CAPA task

Architect Panel → ERP - Reference Data:

  • Inspection Types — goods in, in process, final, pre-shipment and periodic
  • Severities — critical, major, minor and cosmetic, with the hours that set when the CAPA task is due

Admin Panel → Inventory & Production:

  • Stock — the same console for quality and stores staff

Before you start

Create a location of type Quarantine on the Stock console's Set-up tab. Recording inspections and NCRs needs ERP: Inventory and write access to the company.

Recording an inspection

  1. On the Stock console go to Quality.
  2. Under Record an inspection, choose the Inspection type.
  3. Choose the Goods receipt it relates to; that fills in the item, lot, serial, location and quantity. Otherwise enter the Item, Lot and Serial number yourself.
  4. Choose the Result: Pass or Fail, and optionally an Inspection plan reference.
  5. For a fail, check From location, choose the Quarantine location and the Quantity (blank takes the receipt quantity).
  6. Click Record inspection.

A failure transfers the stock to quarantine and marks the lot as quarantined, so it cannot be issued until an NCR disposition releases it. If the message says NOTHING was quarantined, the from-location, quarantine location or quantity was missing, and the stock is still pickable.

Raising a non-conformance

  1. Under Raise a non-conformance, enter the Item and Lot or serial.
  2. Choose the Severity (it sets when the CAPA task is due: 4 hours for critical, 24 for major, 72 for minor, 14 days for cosmetic) and the CAPA owner.
  3. Describe What is wrong (required) and, if known, the Root cause.
  4. Click Raise non-conformance. It gets a number and a CAPA task.

Dispositioning and closing

In the NCR list (Show: Open, Closed or All), click Disposition, choose what to do, optionally a Quantity to act on and locations, and click Record:

  • Use as is (release the stock) and Concession (release with a deviation): release the lot from quarantine; with a quantity, move it back to the Back to (use as is) location.
  • Scrap (write the stock off): a scrap movement, posted to the scrap account.
  • Return to supplier: an issue movement back against goods received not invoiced.
  • Rework and Regrade: record the decision only.

Leave the quantity blank to record the decision without moving stock. Then click Close, enter the Root cause (required to close), leave Mark the CAPA task done ticked if it is finished, and click Close the NCR. Reversing a disposition's stock movement reopens the NCR.

What goes wrong

  • "Record a disposition before closing" or "Record the root cause before closing".
  • "The CAPA task for NCR-… is still '…'.": finish it, or close with the task marked done.
  • "Choose the location the released stock goes back to."
  • "Disposition not recorded - the stock movement was refused: … is in quarantine" on Return to supplier: a return with a quantity is currently refused while the lot is still quarantined, because a return is an issue and quarantined lots cannot be issued. Record the decision without a quantity and raise it with your ERP administrator.

Worked example

A delivery of 400 seals fails a goods-in check on diameter. Quality records a failed Goods in inspection against the receipt, quarantining 400 into UK-QUAR. They raise a Major NCR with the buyer as CAPA owner, so the corrective task is due in 24 hours. The supplier agrees to credit the delivery and asks for the seals to be destroyed, so Quality records a Scrap disposition for 400 from UK-QUAR, which writes them off to the scrap account. The NCR is closed with the root cause "supplier tooling wear".

Recommendations

  • Inspect against the goods receipt so lot and quantity are filled in for you.
  • Always set a quarantine location on a fail.
  • Record the root cause; NCRs by supplier are your most honest quality measure.
  • Inspect by risk, not everything uniformly.