What is the Difference Between an Audit Finding and a Nonconformance?

What is an audit?

A quality audit is a systematic examination of the processes and procedures in place at a company to ensure that they are all operating as expected.

Quality audits are an integral part of any business. They help in identifying areas that need improvement and provide valuable insights into the current state of affairs.

Not only do they provide valuable information about the status of different processes, but they also help in improving the efficiency of these processes in the future.

What is an audit finding?

An Audit Finding is a statement that describes what was found during an audit. An audit finding is not necessarily bad or good.

Audit findings could include: Nonconformance, Opportunity for Improvement and Strength.

What is nonconformance (or non-conformity)?

Non conformity is when there is no clear violation of a rule or a requirement. Nonconformances could also be classified as major nonconformances or minor nonconformance.

What is the difference between non conformity and other forms of audit findings?

The output of an audit is the audit findings. Audit findings could include non conformities, opportunities for improvement and strengths. In summary, a non conformity is one form of the audit findings.