Explanation
Non-conformity is the term used in ISO standards for failing to meet a requirement. The requirement can come from a standard, your own procedure, the law, a customer agreement or a specification. The word describes a fact: there is a gap between what the requirement asks for and what you have established.
An NCR is the formal record of that fact. A good NCR contains a number, date, reporter, process or location, the requirement that was not met, a description with evidence, the severity, the immediate correction, the cause, the corrective action with owner and deadline, the check on the effect and the closure. ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 all ask in clause 10.2 for the nature of non-conformities and the actions taken to be recorded demonstrably.
In everyday language, deviation (afwijking) usually means the same. The difference lies in the file: the deviation is the phenomenon, the NCR is the recorded and tracked file with an owner and an end. A complaint or incident can be a reason for an NCR, but not every complaint or incident is a non-conformity. A product that a customer accepts under concession also remains a non-conformity that you record.
Many certification bodies grade non-conformities by severity, often as minor and major. The names and definitions differ per scheme, so use the classification of your certification body. Not every NC needs a full CAPA process: a one-off small error you repair and record, in recurring or serious cases you look for the cause.
Example from practice
During goods receipt, for example, a batch of pipes turns out to have a different wall thickness. The buyer registers an NCR with the order specification as the requirement, blocks the batch and arranges a replacement with the supplier. The cause and the check on the next deliveries go into the same file.
© 2026 BrydgeOne. General information, not legal or other professional advice. No rights can be derived from this explanation.