{"id":4694,"date":"2026-09-01T09:59:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T09:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/?p=4694"},"modified":"2026-09-01T09:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T09:59:34","slug":"autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Non Conformance Report FAQs | ISO 9001 Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quality management systems generate a lot of documentation, but few documents matter as much as the non conformance report. It&#8217;s the record that turns a spotted problem into a tracked, resolved one, rather than an observation mentioned once and forgotten. For dealer networks and OEM quality teams, understanding non-conformance reporting is fundamental to keeping a QMS functioning as intended.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#What_a_Non-Conformance_Actually_Is\" >What a Non-Conformance Actually Is<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#ISO_9001_Non-Conformance_Examples_in_Practice\" >ISO 9001 Non-Conformance Examples in Practice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#When_a_Non-Conformance_Report_Gets_Raised\" >When a Non-Conformance Report Gets Raised<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#What_a_Quality_Assurance_Sample_Process_Looks_Like\" >What a Quality Assurance Sample Process Looks Like<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#Corrective_Action_for_Non-Conformance_Getting_It_Right\" >Corrective Action for Non-Conformance: Getting It Right<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#Tracking_Non-Conformances_With_Quality_Audit_Software\" >Tracking Non-Conformances With Quality Audit Software<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#Who_Closes_Out_a_Non-Conformance_Report\" >Who Closes Out a Non-Conformance Report<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/autosmarts-co-en-non-conformance-report\/#Keeping_the_QMS_Honest\" >Keeping the QMS Honest<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This piece answers the questions that come up most often around a non conformance report, ISO 9001 requirements, and how AutoSmart supports quality teams tracking these across a dealer network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_a_Non-Conformance_Actually_Is\"><\/span>What a Non-Conformance Actually Is<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A non-conformance is a failure to meet a specified requirement, whether from a customer specification, an internal procedure, a regulatory standard, or the ISO 9001 system itself. Understanding what is a non conformance at this level matters because ISO 9000 defines it precisely as the non-fulfilment of a requirement, and this is exactly what a non conformance report exists to document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Non-conformances fall into two categories. A major one represents a significant breakdown affecting the QMS&#8217;s ability to function or a product&#8217;s safety, demanding immediate corrective action. A minor one is narrower, a single missed step or documentation gap, but still needs addressing before it compounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ISO_9001_Non-Conformance_Examples_in_Practice\"><\/span>ISO 9001 Non-Conformance Examples in Practice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seeing ISO 9001 non conformance examples side by side makes the major\/minor distinction easier to apply. A missing quality control step that allows an unsafe product to ship is a clear major finding. A technician skipping one documented step on a single job, with no measurable impact, is typically minor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other common examples include work completed against an outdated drawing, a service delivered late without justification, and a failure to maintain accurate process records. These are the kind of findings that show up regularly in internal audits and certification reviews, and each one is a candidate for a formal non conformance report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_a_Non-Conformance_Report_Gets_Raised\"><\/span>When a Non-Conformance Report Gets Raised<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A non conformance report is typically raised the moment a deviation is identified, during an internal audit, a customer complaint, a management review, or a staff member noticing something isn&#8217;t right. The report documents what happened, where, when, and under what conditions, creating the evidence trail for the next step: figuring out why it happened and stopping it recurring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a distinct document from a general audit finding. A finding can note an observation without triggering formal corrective action. A non conformance report is specifically tied to a documented QMS requirement and initiates a structured investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_a_Quality_Assurance_Sample_Process_Looks_Like\"><\/span>What a Quality Assurance Sample Process Looks Like<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A typical quality assurance sample process follows a consistent sequence. It starts with monitoring, routine inspections, checklist-based audits, or statistical sampling of output, catching deviations early rather than after a customer complaint. When found, a deviation gets documented, evaluated for severity, and assigned for investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, the process moves into root cause analysis. Techniques like the Five Whys or a fishbone diagram identify what actually caused the issue, rather than just the symptom. Only once the root cause is understood does a genuine corrective action for non-conformance get designed, implemented, and verified before the case is closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Corrective_Action_for_Non-Conformance_Getting_It_Right\"><\/span>Corrective Action for Non-Conformance: Getting It Right<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A correction and a corrective action for non-conformance aren&#8217;t the same thing. A correction is the immediate fix, replacing a defective part, redoing a job. Corrective action goes further: it addresses the root cause so the non-conformance doesn&#8217;t recur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AutoSmart&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/regulatory-compliance-software-for-automotive-industry\/\"> regulatory compliance software<\/a> is built around this distinction. When non-compliance is logged during an audit, the responsible person is notified automatically and can respond with a corrective action, notes, and photo evidence, all tracked in one system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tracking_Non-Conformances_With_Quality_Audit_Software\"><\/span>Tracking Non-Conformances With Quality Audit Software<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manual tracking through spreadsheets works for a handful of findings, but breaks down quickly across a network generating non-conformances from multiple sites. Quality audit software centralises every finding, corrective action, and closure date in one place, with visibility across locations rather than buried in individual reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AutoSmart&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/solution\/quality-audits-software\/\"> quality audit software<\/a> tracks non-conformances from the moment they&#8217;re logged through to verified closure, with Month-on-Month and Quarter-over-Quarter comparisons surfacing recurring issues a single audit cycle wouldn&#8217;t reveal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_Closes_Out_a_Non-Conformance_Report\"><\/span>Who Closes Out a Non-Conformance Report<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responsibility for closing a non conformance report typically sits with the person or department where the finding originated, though final sign-off often requires a quality manager to verify the corrective action was actually effective, not just completed on paper. AutoSmart&#8217;s platform handles this through Persons In Charge (PICs) mapped at the question level, notified automatically and responding directly within the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This prevents a common failure mode: a corrective action marked &#8220;complete&#8221; without anyone confirming it solved the problem. Verification of effectiveness, not just task completion, is what closes a report properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keeping_the_QMS_Honest\"><\/span>Keeping the QMS Honest<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A quality management system is only as reliable as the non-conformances it catches and genuinely resolves. A report that&#8217;s raised, investigated, and closed with a verified corrective action strengthens the system. One that&#8217;s logged and forgotten does the opposite, allowing the same issue to resurface across different sites and different audit cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AutoSmart&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/\"> audit platform<\/a> brings non-conformance tracking, corrective action management, and trend reporting into a single system built for dealer networks and OEM quality teams.<a href=\"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/\"> Book a demo<\/a> to see how AutoSmart keeps non-conformances visible from the moment they&#8217;re raised to the moment they&#8217;re closed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quality management systems generate a lot of documentation, but few documents matter as much as the non conformance report. It&#8217;s the record that turns a spotted problem into a tracked, resolved one, rather than an observation mentioned once and forgotten. For dealer networks and OEM quality teams, understanding non-conformance reporting is fundamental to keeping a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4694"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4696,"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4694\/revisions\/4696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/autosmarts.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}