nonconformities

Nonconformities are deviations from specified requirements or standards. In professional and technical contexts, a nonconformity indicates that a process, product, or service does not meet defined criteria, and may require investigation, containment, or corrective action. They are typically identified through inspections, audits, testing, or customer feedback and are documented to enable traceability and follow-up.

In quality management, a nonconformity is recorded in a nonconformity report (NCR). Items are classified as major or minor based on impact and risk. Immediate containment may be needed to prevent use or shipment of nonconforming output. Disposition options include accepting with concessions, rework to meet requirements, or rejection. Root cause analysis and corrective action aim to prevent recurrence, often in alignment with standards such as ISO 9001. Effectiveness is verified before closing the issue, and trend data may be used to identify systemic problems.

In geology, a nonconformity is a type of unconformity in which sedimentary rocks lie atop older igneous or metamorphic rocks, indicating a gap in the geological record due to erosion or nondeposition. This contrasts with other unconformities, such as disconformities and angular unconformities, which arise from different structural relationships. Studying nonconformities helps establish relative ages of rocks and reconstruct past geological conditions.