Convert your checklist into Mobile App

Contact Now
Quality and Compliance

What Is NCR (Non-Conformance Report)? Quality and Compliance Definition and How Teams Use It

Book a Free DemoBack to Glossary
Quick Answer

An NCR, or non-conformance report, is the record raised when an inspection or audit finds something that does not meet a required standard. It captures what failed, the requirement it breached, the evidence, and the severity, then drives a corrective action so the issue is fixed, verified, and closed with a full history.

What is an NCR?

A non-conformance report, usually shortened to NCR, is a formal record of anything that fails to meet a defined requirement during an inspection, audit, or quality check. That requirement might come from a standard such as ISO 9001 or HACCP, a client specification, a safety rule, or an internal procedure.

The NCR states what was found, where and when it happened, the exact requirement it breached, and how serious it is. It is the starting point of the quality loop, because a problem has to be recorded before it can be assigned, fixed, and verified. Without an NCR, findings stay as verbal notes that are easy to lose and impossible to audit.

How an NCR works in practice

In the field, an inspector logs the failure against the item being checked, adds a photo, and marks the severity. The NCR is then assigned to an owner with a due date, and a corrective action describes how the problem will be resolved and prevented from recurring.

Each step is time-stamped, so the audit trail shows who raised the NCR, who acted on it, and when it was closed. Common failures with paper or spreadsheet NCRs are lost photos, no clear owner, and no proof of closure, which is exactly what an auditor asks to see.

How Inspectly360 handles NCRs

Inspectly360 raises an NCR the moment a checklist item fails, attaching the photo, location, and timestamp automatically. The finding becomes a tracked corrective action with an owner and a deadline, and managers see every open and overdue NCR on a live dashboard across all sites.

Because capture, corrective action, and sign-off happen in one mobile-first app that works offline, the record stays complete from the field to closure. See the corrective action software to manage findings from capture to close, with a full audit trail ready for any inspection or certification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an NCR and a corrective action?

An NCR records the problem, and a corrective action records the response. The non-conformance report captures what failed, the requirement it breached, and the evidence, so there is a clear, dated statement that something did not meet the standard. The corrective action then sets out how the issue will be fixed and, importantly, how it will be stopped from happening again, with an owner and a deadline. In a healthy quality system the two are linked, so every NCR leads to a corrective action, and every corrective action can be traced back to the finding that triggered it. Keeping them connected is what turns a list of defects into measurable improvement.

When should you raise an NCR?

You raise an NCR whenever an inspection, audit, or check finds something that does not meet a defined requirement, whether that requirement comes from a standard, a client specification, a safety rule, or an internal procedure. It applies to a failed checklist item, a product that is out of tolerance, an expired certificate, a missing record, or a process that was not followed. The test is simple: if the result differs from what the requirement demands, it is a non-conformance and should be recorded. Raising the NCR early, at the point the problem is seen, keeps the evidence fresh and gives the team the best chance of fixing the root cause rather than only the symptom.

What information should an NCR include?

A useful NCR includes a clear description of what was found, the exact requirement or clause it breached, and where and when it happened. It should carry photo or document evidence, a severity or risk rating, the name of the person who raised it, and the item or asset it relates to. From there it needs an assigned owner, a due date, the corrective action taken, and evidence that the fix was verified before closure. The weakness of paper and spreadsheet NCRs is that several of these fields go missing, most often the photo and the proof of closure, which are exactly the details an auditor or certification body will ask to see.

How do you close an NCR properly?

An NCR is closed only when the corrective action has been completed and someone has verified that it actually worked. That means checking the fix on site, confirming the requirement is now met, and recording the evidence against the original finding. For higher-risk issues, closure should also confirm that the root cause was addressed so the same non-conformance does not return. A common mistake is marking an NCR as closed because the deadline passed or the job was reported done, without any verification. Keeping a dated audit trail of who verified the closure, and what proof they saw, is what makes the record stand up during an external audit or a client review.

How does Inspectly360 manage NCRs?

Inspectly360 raises an NCR automatically when a checklist item fails, attaching the photo, location, and timestamp so the record is complete from the first moment. Each NCR becomes a tracked corrective action with an owner and a due date, and managers see every open, due, and overdue item on a live dashboard across all their sites. Because the app works offline, inspectors on remote sites can raise and update NCRs without signal, and everything syncs when a connection returns. Closure requires verification, and the full history stays tied to the asset or location, so when an auditor asks for proof, the corrective action and its audit trail are ready in one place rather than scattered across paper, email, and spreadsheets.

Less Paperwork. More Visibility.

See Inspectly360 in action with a live demo tailored to your needs. No credit card required.

  • 30 Days Free Trial
  • 1000+ Templates
  • Unlimited Integration
Book a Free Demo