Identify, Segregate, Decide

Nonconforming output must be identified and controlled to prevent its unintended use or delivery. Three steps, in order.

Identify

Mark it physically and unambiguously — a label, a tag, a colour — so that its status is obvious to anyone who encounters it, including someone who was not there when it was found and does not know the context.

Segregate

Move it to a defined quarantine area with controlled access, or where it cannot be moved, secure it in place with a physical barrier. The most common route to a customer receiving nonconforming product is that it was left next to conforming product with a label that somebody removed, or that was never noticed.

Decide the disposition

Disposition	Meaning
Rework	Bring into full conformity; re-inspect fully afterwards
Repair	Make acceptable for use without achieving full conformity; requires authorisation and recording
Regrade	Use for a different, lower-requirement application
Concession	Accept as is, with authorisation — from the customer where the requirement is theirs
Scrap	Reject and dispose, rendered unusable so it cannot re-enter the process
Return to supplier	With a clear description of the nonconformity

Scrapping properly

Scrapped material should be physically rendered unusable, not simply placed in a bin. Nonconforming parts recovered from scrap bins and used in production is a recurring and entirely avoidable failure.