A non-conformance report, also known as a non-conformity report or NCR, is a construction-related document that addresses specification deviation or work that fails to meet quality standards.
The ncr report is used as part of quality control processes to detail the problem, how it occurred, and how to prevent it from happening again. A Non Conformance Report is also used to reach a resolution with a customer and documenting any corrective changes made.
NCR Meaning in Construction
A non-conformance report, also known as a non-conformity report or NCR, is a design and construction-related document that addresses issues where the project specification has been deviated from or work fails to meet agreed-upon quality standards. The document is used as part of quality control processes, and it includes the following information:
- The problem including the:
- Discipline
- Process
- Severity and impact
- How it occurred
- How to prevent it from happening again
Items Included in the Non-Conformance Report
A non-conformance report must include at a minimum the following information:
- What is the primary cause of the Non Confromance Report, or what went wrong?
- Why the work doesn’t meet specification
- What can be done to avoid repeating the problem?
- Explanation of the corrective action that has been taken or will be taken
- The NCR’s key players and the specs that are affected by it
Who can issue an NCR in Construction ?
The non-conformance report is expected to be issued by the project team members. The Non-Conformance report that is being produced must contain information and details that will not cause future debate. The necessary backup must be prepared to prove the information’s authenticity.
An NCR reporting may be used to train employees in order to help them avoid a repeat of the situation. Employees are typically trained by members of the project team.
When to Issue a Non-Conformance Report?
In the construction industry, there are a variety of scenarios that require the issuance of an NCR report:
- Work not finished according to the approved Issued for Construction drawings
- Work that does not meet the project specifications’ specified tolerances
- Work that is carried out using non-approved methods or standards
- Not adhering to the approved testing and inspection plan
- The results of the tests show that the product does not meet the standards that have been established and approved.
- Material used as a substitute that has not been approved (equal or similar)
- The design is inaccurate and does not understand actual conditions.
- The approved procedure was not followed, and the project team detected quality defects.
Consequences of Non-Conformance Report
NCRs are essential for quality control, but they can also cause problems in the contract. Financial institutions may consider NCRs as red flags, or the contractor may identify them as poor performance situations, potentially affecting future projects financially.
NCRs will open the door to claims and even further arbitration processes in certain situations. NCRs may also cause construction delays by requiring additional resources to rectify the situations or areas affected by the report.
Non Conformance report requires a lot of paperwork and research because the issuing party must gather information, specifications, standards, and a list of procedures that have been affected by the situation.
What to Do When You Receive an Non Conformance Report?
If you are an NCR recipient, you should follow these steps promptly and at least to reach a quick resolution:
- Meet with the person who issued the Non Confromance Report.
- Implement the corrective action and ensure that the issue has been adequately resolved through an inspection process.
- Respond with a formal letter or other document outlining the process that resulted in the action that triggered the Non Confroamnce Report, documenting the action taken to resolve the issue, and explaining the steps taken to prevent the problem from recurring.
- Ensure that your counterpart agrees and signs off on your action plan.
How to Close Non Conformance Report?
Despite very strict management systems and highly qualified engineers, you will receive some non-conformance reports. I’ve included some key points that you can use to successfully close NCRs while causing the least amount of damage to your company’s reputation. These tips will also assist you in reducing the cost of poor quality.
1. As soon as you receive a Non-Conformance Report, set the closeout targets for it.
2. On the NCR form, assign responsibility for corrective and preventive actions.
3. Update the non-conformance register with target dates, responsible persons, and status updates such as proposal status, etc.
4. Assign one senior-level employee to oversee and close the NCRs by the target dates.
5. Ensure all materials associated with non-conformity closure are available, if not these should be procured on a top priority basis.
6. Involve originating authority in discussions about corrective and preventive actions so that approval is easy.
7. Delay occurrences related to NonConformance Report closure targets should be escalated to the top level.
8. Give priority to critical NCR’s as compared to less important issues.
Non Conformance During In-Process or Construction Stage
After completing a reasonable part of the work as agreed upon with the consultant. A work inspection request is issued to the consultant by the site engineer, and the inspection is carried out in the presence of the quality engineer.
If any rejections or comments require rework or repairs, project/site engineers are responsible for implementing a corrective action immediately and ensuring that the same comment does not occur again in the future. The quality engineer is responsible for making site inspections on a routine basis.
In case of non-conforming material or work generate an internal corrective action request and issue to the respective engineer by the quality engineer.
Handle all external NCRs from the main contractor or consultant with extreme concentration and focus in order to avoid similar situations in the future. It is the responsibility of all staff members, including the project/construction manager, to avoid or minimize the occurrence of non-conforming conditions.
The quality Engineer is responsible for maintaining the non-conformity records and follow up the corrective actions. He prepares a monthly report of NCR’s/CAR’s highlighting the most occurring root cause, and sends the same to the quality manager for further analysis and decision making. An NCR or CAR register is maintained for each project.
