This topic covers the basic steps for using nonconformances. Additional steps are required for using quality orders.

To set up and use nonconformances, follow these steps:

  1. Define the inventory parameters that are related to nonconformances.

    • Use the form to select the check box for Use quality management (on the tab). Use the Hourly rate field to enter an hourly labor rate (expressed in the local currency) that will be used for calculating costs for operations that are related to a nonconformance. The hourly rate and calculated costs provide reference information for a nonconformance, and they do not interact with other functionality.

    • Click the report options button (on the tab) to use the , where you define the document type that will print on the nonconformance report, the nonconformance tag, and the correction report. More than one record can be defined for printing different document types on a report, or for printing internal and external notes. It is generally helpful to use the form to define a unique document type for a nonconformance, and a unique document type for a correction. For example, you will enter notes on a nonconformance by using this unique document type, and you will identify this unique document type in the report options.

    • Enter the number sequence for the nonconformance and for the correction on the Number sequence tab of the form.

  2. Enable user approval of a nonconformance.

    Use the form to assign an employee to each user who needs to approve a nonconformance. The system tracks the nonconformance history in terms of the employees who changed the status, and a user cannot approve a nonconformance unless the user has been assigned an employee identifier.

  3. Define the problem types that will be assigned to a nonconformance.

    Use the form to define a classification of quality problems that are encountered in the various nonconformance types (customer, service request, vendor, production, and internal).

    Use the form to authorize the use of a problem type in one or more of the nonconformance types. For example, a problem type concerning a defect code could apply to all nonconformance types, whereas a problem type about customer complaints may only apply to the customer and service request nonconformance types.

  4. Define the quarantine zones to provide guidance about handling defective material.

    Use the form to define zones that can be assigned to a nonconformance. The printed nonconformance tag will display the assigned quarantine zone (along with information about unusable versus restricted usage) to guide handling of defective material. The zones may or may not correspond to inventory locations or work centers.

  5. Define the diagnostic types that will be assigned to a correction.

    Use the form to define a classification of diagnostic actions. A correction identifies what type of diagnostic action should be taken on an approved nonconformance, who should perform it, and the requested and planned completion date.

  6. Define the related operations that will be assigned to a nonconformance.

    Use the form to define a classification of the work that may be performed for an approved nonconformance. When you assign a related operation to a nonconformance, you can also define detailed information about the associated material, labor hours, and miscellaneous charges that are required to perform the operation. This detailed information provides the basis for calculating an estimated cost for performing the operation. The detailed information and estimated costs are for reference purposes. The related operations for quality are different from the operations that can be defined for a production route.

See Also