Non-Conformance Reporting

Overview 

Non-Conformance Reporting (NCR) is a quality management process used to document and address deviations from standard specifications. In the context of printing companies, including those in packaging and signage, NCR is applied to identify, track, and resolve quality issues such as print defects, incorrect sizing, and colour inconsistencies.

The NCR module includes functions to manage and report NCRs from recording the problem to the final evaluation. 

Navigation: Main Menu > Office > Non-Conformance Reporting (NCR)

User Access Settings 

Navigation: Main Menu > Office > My Organisation > Staff (tab) > Double-click a name > Settings (tab)

• General > Non-conformance Reports (NCR) - Access Allowed:  The options are:

  • None

  • User

  • Supervisor: Supervisors can access the NCR Category settings, use the commands on the Actions (button) and change the status manually.

• Tracker > Timekeeping: Enable Non-Conformance Reports (NCR):

  • Yes: Can select an NCR when recording time against a job. The NCR option is always visible, and users can select NCR Pending if an NCR has not yet been created. NCR Pending can be editing in Timekeeping to link it to an actual NCR.

  • No: The NCR function is suppressed.

Categories 

• The Categories determine the types of NCRs, and which sections must be completed. Click Menu (button) > Categories to create or edit categories.

• The sections are 

  • Containment

  • Root Cause

  • Corrective Action

  • Preventative Action

  • Evaluation

• A Type must be selected for each category. The available Types are:

  • Customer Complaint: Links to a Customer Invoice Item. 

  • Supplier Return: Links to a Purchase Order Item.

  • Production Related: Links to a Work Order.

  • Process Related: Related to a problem on an internal Process.

  • Audit Finding: Related to a Quality Audit finding that requires an intervention.

  • Safety, Health & Environment (SHE): Related to an internal safety, health or environmental issue. Not usually linked to a transaction. 

Category Fields 

• Description: The name of the category.

• Type: Select a type from the dropdown list.

• Visible Sections (Default): A dropdown list of all the available tabs and fields. Checked entries are displayed.

• Owner (Default): A dropdown list of staff to select an owner.

• Department (Default): A dropdown list of departments to select one.

• Staff (Default):

  • Right-click and select View/Edit Staff from the context menu.

  • Move staff from the Available to the Selected section to add them to the list.

  • Move staff from the Selected to the Available section to remove them from the list.

Categories Submenu (Right click Context Menu) 

• View/Edit Staff

• View/Edit Problem lookup

• View/Edit Containment lookup

• View/Edit Correction lookup

• View/Edit Cause lookup

• View/Edit Prevention lookup

• View/Edit Evaluation lookup

NCRs and Transactions

• The NCR No is displayed on the transaction header of linked Transactions.

• NCRs can be linked to Customer Invoices, Purchase Orders, and Work Orders.

• Transactions that raise costs against an NCR are highlighted with a Cost to NCR [123] component in the header. Applicable to:

  • Material Movements Issue (MMI):  Linked to NCR Work Order (WO) or Remake/Rework WO.

  • Purchase Order (PO):  Linked to NCR WO/PO or Remake WO and Credit Note (Linked to NCR Customer Invoice (CI)).

• When a transaction (WO, PO, CI) is selected, the Customer/Supplier fields are populated by default.

  • Selecting a WO or CI updates the Customer field.

  • If a PO is selected, the Supplier field is updated and the Customer from the linked WO when applicable.

Examples of Use 

• Customer Complaint:

  • A job is delivered late, and the customer suffers a financial loss.

  • You agree to credit part of the invoice as compensation.

  • The Customer Invoice is linked to an NCR.

  • The Credit Note that is issued becomes the cost associated with the NCR.

• Supplier Return:

  • You outsourced part of a job, but there was an error on it.

  • You did not discover the error until the job was completed.

  • An Outwork Purchase Order is created and linked to the NCR.

  • A Remake Work Order is created to redo the job.

  • The NCR incurs costs from the Purchase Order, Material Issues, and Timekeeping linked to the Remake Work Order. (Assuming you had to pay twice for the outsourced work, alternatively any debit note from the Supplier will offset the costs).

• Production Related:

  • Incorrect spot colours are used to print a job or part of a job. The job must be printed again.

  • The Remake Work Order is linked to the NCR.

  • The NCR incurs costs from the Purchase Orders, Material Issues, and Timekeeping linked to the Remake Work Order.

NCR Fields Edit View 

Buttons Explained 

• Arrows: Navigates between NCRs.

• Status: Sets the status of the NCR.

• Links: Quick access to linked documents (e.g. transactions, service tickets).

• Output: Available if templates are added.

• New: Creates an NCR.

• Delete: Deletes the NCR.

• Save: Saves any changes and displays additional fields if selected next to Show/Hide.

• Actions:

  • Add Attachment/Link: Multiple attachments can be added to the NCR. The attachments links are displayed in the top right corner of the NCR.

  • Edit Customer: Opens the customer's record.

  • Edit Supplier: Opens the supplier's record.

  • Clear ... (name of the transaction): Clears the transaction. (Transactions cannot be changed if costs have been allocated to the NCR.)

  • Clear ... (name of the Rework transaction): Clears the transaction. (Transactions cannot be changed if costs have been allocated to the NCR.)

• Menu:

  • View SM Reponses: Opens a panel on the right with any Service Manager responses.

  • Layout

Header Fields 

• Status:

  • Statuses are changed by clicking Status (button) on the top row. 

  • When a section is approved, statuses are automatically set to the next status.

  • The available statuses are:

    • Problem (Default for new) 

    • Containment

    • Correction

    • Root Cause

    • Prevention

    • Evaluation

    • Complete (The NCR can no longer be edited.)

    • Cancelled (The NCR can no longer be edited.)

• Status Note: A field to type any note.

• Branch: Select a Branch if applicable.

• Reminder: Select a date to be reminded about the NCR.

• Due Date: Select a date for completing the NCR.

• NCR No.: Auto-generated reference number.

• Date: The date on which the NCR was created

• Category: Select a category from the dropdown list.

• Transaction: Select a transaction from the dropdown list if applicable.

• Transaction - Remake: Select a transaction from the dropdown list if applicable.

• Qty: The number of items on the linked transaction that is affected.

• Customer/Supplier:  Select a customer or supplier from the dropdown list if applicable.

• Contact: Select the customer or supplier's Contact Person.

• Department: Select a department from the dropdown list. (Departments are created on the Organigram.)

• Owner: Select an owner from the Active Staff dropdown list. The Owner must approve all the completed steps in the NCR. 

• Assign to: Select a person to assign the NCR from the dropdown list of Active staff.

• Show/Hide:

  • Select the sections to add or remove. Each section opens a new tab.

  • Customers and Suppliers can also be selected from this dropdown list.

Tabs 

Each tab has two fields, a smaller block for a brief description and a larger block for more information.

Lookup lists can be created for the brief description from the Categories interface (right click context menu).

If a lookup list is not created, a description can be typed in.

• Problem: Describe the issue. 

• Containment: Describe the steps to take to contain the problem (e.g. if a product must be recalled).

• Correction: Describe how the problem will be solved (e.g. remake the product, credit the customer).

• Root Cause: Describe what the root cause of the problem was (e.g. customer did not clearly communicate their deadline, printer was not properly cleaned). 

• Prevention: Describe how this problem will be prevented in the future.

• Evaluation: Enter an evaluation of the problem.

Progress 

• Every time the Status, Owner, or Assign to fields are updated, a timestamped note is added to the Progress list.

Staff 

• Staff: Add staff by selecting a name from the dropdown list.

• Roles: Type their roles

• Add (button): Add staff to the list of staff involved in the NCR.

Costs

The costs are displayed in the footer of the form and in the Costs section.

Costs are displayed in the local currency.

• Estimated (Cost): Based on the Unit Price of the linked Transaction multiplied by the NCR Qty.

• Direct (Cost): 

  • The cost of Credit Notes, Purchase Orders, and Material Issues linked to the NCR.

  • The costs are determined by the Cost to NCR link in these transactions. The field is visible only if an NCR is linked to a transaction in the same flow.

• Labour (Cost): 

  • The cost based on Timekeeping linked to the NCR.

  • If using the Tracker app, when a transaction is linked to an NCR, users are prompted to select the NCR. Their labour cost on the timekeeping record is then linked to the NCRs labour cost. 

  • Timekeeping records can be edited in the desktop app if necessary and if the user has the required authority.

Service Manager 

• Customer Complaints and Queries should be logged in the Service Manager.

• If necessary, the complaint can be escalated to an NCR.

• In this case, the NCR can be created from the Service Ticket. 

  1. Click Actions (Button) > Create a new NCR and then select the Category for the NCR.

  2. An NCR which is linked to the service ticket is created and opened.

  3. The Customer and Contact are copied from the Service Manager to the NCR.