Nonconforming Material & Quality Disposition Procedure

Nonconforming Material & Quality Disposition Procedure

1. Purpose

Control material or product that does not satisfy an applicable quality requirement and ensure disposition is explicit and traceable.

2. Scope

Applies to incoming and production quality findings that result in a quality hold or require a release, return-to-vendor, scrap or other controlled disposition.

3. Roles

Quality owns the finding and disposition evidence; Inventory prevents uncontrolled use of held quantity; Procurement coordinates supplier returns; Manufacturing follows production dispositions; Finance records any resulting commercial effects through normal processes.

4. Preconditions

The affected item/quantity and the quality evidence must be identifiable. A disposition may not exceed the quantity represented by the controlled hold/evidence.

5. Procedure

1. Record the failing characteristic or other nonconformance.
2. Identify the affected quantity and preserve traceability.
3. Place the affected quantity under quality control where required.
4. Evaluate the evidence and select an authorized disposition.
5. RELEASE only quantity supported as acceptable; RETURN_TO_VENDOR only through the supplier-return process; SCRAP only with recorded quantity and reason.
6. Where different portions receive different dispositions, record each quantity separately.
7. Preserve notes explaining the recorded outcome.
8. Complete downstream inventory/procurement/manufacturing actions without changing the original inspection evidence.

6. Exceptions and escalation

Where the cause is not known, record the observed nonconformance without inventing a root cause. Corrective action may be opened separately if evidence later supports it.

7. Records

Inspection/result, hold, disposition code, quantity, date, notes and resulting transaction references are retained.

8. Related controlled information

Incoming Inspection Procedure and applicable specifications.

Process controls

Personnel performing this procedure must use the current published version and the authoritative business records for the activity being processed. Source references, identities and quantities must remain traceable throughout the procedure. Where information is incomplete or contradictory, the affected work is held or escalated rather than completed using an assumed value.

Evidence and audit trail

Each completed execution of the procedure should leave enough evidence to reconstruct the decision path: the triggering business record, the information reviewed, the action or disposition selected, the responsible function and the resulting status. The procedure does not replace the operational transaction; it defines how that transaction is handled and evidenced.

Deviations and escalation

A deviation from this procedure must be explicit, justified and recorded through the responsible business function. Repeated deviations should trigger review of the procedure rather than becoming an undocumented alternate process. Matters that cannot be resolved within the responsible function are escalated to the appropriate owner while preserving the current state and evidence.

Version control

Only the currently published version should be used for new work from its effective date onward. Historical versions remain part of the controlled record so that earlier business activity can be interpreted against the procedure that was effective at that time.