Using Quality Events Reporting

The Quality Events feature was added to enable customers to track and document product non-conformances, and any corrective or preventative actions related to them, including:

  • Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)
  • Customer complaints
  • Supplier issues
  • Safety incidents.

Overview Flow

 

Configuration and Master Data Interaction

Several master record components support the Quality Events process. These are configurable lists and linkages that define how events are categorized and what default information they contain. The key components include Quality Event Sources, Quality Event Types, Quality Event Line Types, and Linked Records.

Master Data Records

Setup via Inventory > Maintenance.

  • Quality Event Sources - The origin or source of the event that classify where the quality issue came from. Common examples might include Customer, Supplier, Internal, etc. When creating an event, the user selects a source to indicate who or what reported or caused the non-conformance (for instance, selecting “Supplier” if a raw material issue was reported by the supplier).
  • Quality Event Types - The category or classification of the event. Event Types define the nature of the quality event (for example, Customer Complaint, Product Non-conformance, Audit Finding, etc.) and are a required field when logging a new event.
    • Note: the selected Event Type can drive what line items are needed: the system can be configured with default event lines that auto-populate based on the chosen type. For instance, if the event type is “Customer Complaint,” the system might automatically add a default investigation line and a CAPA line (Corrective Action) as initial tasks, as defined by that event type’s template. This interaction ensures that for certain types of events, standard procedures (in the form of line items) are immediately put in place. If the user changes the type before saving a new event, the default lines will update to those for the new type (replacing the previously loaded ones). This behavior only applies during initial creation – once an event is saved, changing its type will not automatically change its existing lines.
  • Quality Event Line Types - (and Event Lines): Each Quality Event can contain multiple lines, with each line representing a specific action, task, or sub-record related to the event (for example, a root cause investigation, a corrective action to implement, a preventive action, etc.). Quality Event Line Types are the master list of possible categories for these lines (e.g., Investigation, Corrective Action, Preventive Action, Review). When adding a line to an event, the user selects a line type from this list to classify the task.

Created by users or already existing in the system

  • Jobs, Sales Orders, Vendors, Customers, Items - These are referred to as Linked Records when using the Quality Event feature - Quality Events can be linked to other records in the system to provide context and traceability. A Linked Record is any relevant business object related to the quality issue – for example, a specific Job (work order) that produced a non-conforming item. In the Quality Event form, users can add multiple linked records by specifying the type of record and the specific record ID, along with any notes about the relationship. These links form a crucial part of the Quality Events process by tying the event to tangible business data (lots, orders, etc.) for full traceability. The interaction supported by Linked Records is that anyone reviewing the quality event can quickly navigate to related records (e.g., open the referenced job or order) to see more details, and vice versa – reports can show which quality events are linked to a given order or item. This bidirectional traceability helps in root cause analysis and impact assessment.

Security Permissions

Different users may receive various permissions depending on their role.

  • Quality events -- view
  • Quality events -- edit
  • Quality events --edit status
  • Quality events -- edit quality event line status
  • Quality events -- edit linked records
  • Quality events -- override modify lock

Report Access

User may require the appropriate access in Grid Layout Security (beginning in version 17.03.009) for the report/grids listed below. This access may be handled by system administrators when installing/upgrading Deacom.

  • Quality Event Summary (grid: qualityeventsum)
  • Quality Event Detail (grid: qualityeventdet)
  • Linked Records or Quality Event Links (grid: qualityeventlinks)

Process

Creating a New Quantity Event

  1. Navigate to Inventory > Quality Event Reporting
  2. On the pre-filter, click New.
  3. Fill in the required fields on the Quality Event Add Form:
    • Event Number: Auto-assigned after saving.
    • Name: Short, descriptive title (required).
    • Source: Select the event source (e.g., Supplier, Customer).
    • Type: Select the event type (required).
    • Status: Default = Open. Options include Open, In Progress, Closed, On-Hold, Canceled, Duplicate.
    • Dates: Created, Discovery, Occurrence, and Closed Dates.
    • Description: Provide detailed information.
  4. (Optional) Attach supporting documents (e.g., inspection reports, photos).
  5. Click Save.

Adding Lines to a Quality Event

Lines represent specific actions, tasks, or sub-records associated with the event.

  1. In the Lines section of the Quality Event form, click Add.
  2. Complete the fields:
    • Line Type: Select type (e.g., Corrective Action, Investigation).
    • Description: Task or action details.
    • Assigned To: User responsible.
    • Due Date: Deadline for action.
    • Status: Defaults to Open. Update as work progresses.
  3. Save the line.

Linking Records

You can connect events to related records (jobs, sales orders, purchase orders, vendors, etc.) for full traceability.

  1. In the Related Records section, click Add.
  2. Choose the table (e.g., Job, Sales Order, Vendor).
  3. Select the record ID using the search box.
  4. Add notes if needed.
  5. Save the link.

Managing Quality Event Status

  1. To close an event, set its status to Closed.
    • The system automatically records the Closed Date and Closed By user.
  2. Changing status back to another option clears the closed fields.
  3. Line items have their own statuses, which can also be updated independently.

Viewing & Reporting

Use the Quality Event Reporting menu to generate reports:

  • Summary Report – overview of all quality events, including counts of open, closed, and in-progress lines.
  • Detail Report – event-level and line-level details with assignments and due dates.
  • Linked Records Report – view all records associated with quality events.
    • You can filter reports by:
    • Event number, type, source, or status
    • Assigned user
    • Date ranges (Created, Discovery, Occurrence, Closed, Due)
    • Line type and line status
    • Double-click any report entry to drill down into event details.