The existence of nonconformance can only mean that something has gone wrong and that a particular set of specifications wasn’t followed. It means that the company’s standard operating procedures (SOP) were not followed, and in a broader term, it means that the requirements set out by ISO 9000 were not met.
When this occurs, it naturally has to be handled. Thankfully, it’s no longer required to document the whole procedure of finding, reporting, and fixing nonconformance issues, so this entire ordeal is a bit easier. But keeping a record of nonconformity and how it was corrected is still necessary.
The things that have to be done to correct the problems can only be done after the problems have occurred. It’s far easier to have measures that will prevent nonconformance issues from appearing altogether.
The easiest way to reduce nonconformance is employee training. Let us explain how to proceed.
The causes
It’s good to identify the cause first, to find a solution. Whatever the business in question might be, reasons for nonconformity issues can usually be boiled down to the same things:
Poor or lack of documentation
Poor communication or miscommunication
Poor personnel training
Poor personnel motivation
Dysfunctional operating environment
Poor quality or lack of materials
Poor quality or lack of tools and equipment
As you can see when taking a better look at the causes, most of them can be, in one way or another, attributed to employee training. Some of them individually are lousy employee training while some others are indirectly or directly connected.
Naturally, it doesn’t mean that you can eliminate nonconformance through employee training, but it indeed is the best way to avoid it in most cases.
How to achieve the desired effects
Proper employee training is vital for several reasons, not only for reducing non-conformance. To achieve quality training, you need to nurture and maintain the knowledge base of your employees and suppliers.
In essence, you need to get all personnel up to speed with several issues: from policies, regulations, SOPs, and many other relevant quality metrics. The baseline is for the achievement of quality, and violations need to stop happening.
It, in turn, can almost eliminate the possibility of nonconformity.
However, achieving quality training is not an easy feat. Plenty of periodic training sessions must be conducted, tests as well, and even awareness programs for all of your personnel, including suppliers. This way you can ensure that everyone in your organization and those connected to it, are on the same page and have the same goal.
The training can also improve the motivation of employees through unity. It will enhance communication as well and creates a better operating environment. Also, even documentation can be improved. As we have already said, these are some of the most common causes of nonconformity. They practically eliminate with the improvement of employee training, which will reduce dissent.
Dealing with nonconformity and other quality issues is best achieved through a Quality Management System. Intellect offers an out-of-the-box solution through its QMS platform that already incorporates workflow in several modules like CAPA, Doc Control, and more.
