NCRs

A Non-Conformance Record is a formal, reviewed quality record — used when an issue is significant enough to need explicit management approval and certification, not just a normal defect close-out.

NCRs are deliberately separate from defects. Defects are the day-to-day capture-and-close loop. NCRs are the slower, heavier-weight quality process — typically governed by an ISO 9001 quality system or a project quality plan.

The lifecycle

NCRs move through seven states:

1. 01Draft — being written up. Not yet visible to reviewers.
2. 02Submitted — sent for management review.
3. 03Under review — being assessed by a manager.
4. 04Approved — accepted as a genuine NCR. Corrective action proceeds.
5. 05Rejected — sent back. Can be redrafted and re-submitted, or closed.
6. 06Certified — corrective action is complete and verified.
7. 07Closed — the record is finalised. Terminal state.

The happy path is draft → submitted → under review → approved → certified → closed. The rejection path loops back: rejected → draft for a re-submission, or rejected → closed if the NCR is being abandoned.

Role gates

NCRs use the same seven app roles as defects, but the transition matrix is tighter:

• →Trades and tenants have zero NCR involvement. They can't raise, transition, or even see them — NCRs are a quality-management record, not a field-capture one.
• →Users can draft and submit NCRs (and resubmit a rejected one back to draft) but can't take any further action.
• →Managers and building managers drive the review path — they move NCRs through submitted → under review → approved/rejected, can certify approved NCRs, and can close certified ones.
• →Company admins have the widest authority, including closing directly from approved or rejected.

NCRs vs defects

The two registers cover different needs. A rough guide:

• →Use a defect when the issue is captured on site, assigned to a trade, fixed, and signed off. Most quality issues are defects.
• →Use an NCR when the issue requires formal review by management, when corrective action will be tracked separately from the fix itself, or when the project quality plan mandates an NCR for issues of that type or severity.

You can have both for the same physical problem — a defect for the on-site fix, and an NCR for the process review. Each has its own lifecycle and its own audit trail.

What to read next

• →Defects — the day-to-day capture-and-close register.
• →Reports — including reports that surface NCRs alongside defects.
• →Roles & dashboards — who can transition NCRs through review.