nonconformité

Nonconformité, often translated as non-compliance or defect, refers to the failure of a product, service, process, or system to meet specified requirements or standards. These requirements can be established by regulations, industry standards, customer expectations, or internal company policies. Nonconformity can manifest in various ways, from minor deviations that have little impact to critical flaws that render a product unusable or unsafe.

Identifying and managing nonconformities is a crucial aspect of quality management. Systems like ISO 9001 emphasize the importance of establishing procedures for handling nonconforming outputs. This typically involves identifying the nonconformity, segregating the affected item if it's a physical product, evaluating its significance, determining the appropriate corrective action, and documenting the entire process.

The consequences of nonconformity can be significant. They can lead to customer dissatisfaction, product recalls, increased costs due to rework or scrap, reputational damage, and legal liabilities. Therefore, organizations strive to prevent nonconformities through robust design, manufacturing, and service delivery processes, as well as to effectively control and correct them when they occur. Root cause analysis is a key tool used to understand why a nonconformity happened and to implement measures that prevent its recurrence. The goal is continuous improvement of processes and products to minimize the occurrence of nonconformities.