Logging a deviation

A deviation records something that went off-spec and how you handled it. Crown raises some deviations for you automatically; you can also log one by hand for anything else worth capturing. Either way, the record carries through to a documented disposition you can show an inspector.

How deviations get created

Automatically. Crown opens a deviation when:

• a critical control point reading is recorded out of range during a batch,
• a receiving inspection is marked failed, or accepted with damage,
• a calibration result falls outside tolerance, or
• a sanitation, pest, allergen, or water check is recorded as failed.

You don't have to remember to create these; the failed action raises the deviation and links it to the batch, receipt, or program it came from.

By hand. For anything else, open Deviations from the main menu and select New deviation.

Logging one by hand

1. Open the new deviation form

   From Deviations, select New deviation.

2. Describe what happened

   Enter a short title and a description: what occurred, when, and what was affected.

3. Set severity and type

   Choose a severity (minor, major, or critical) and a type (receiving, production, quality, or other).

4. Link it (optional)

   Tie the deviation to a batch, receipt, or piece of equipment if it relates to one. Leave it standalone if not.

5. Log it

   Select Log deviation. It opens in Open status, ready to investigate.

Crown QMSThe new deviation form

Working it to a disposition

A deviation moves from Open → Investigating → Resolved → Closed. Resolving it means recording a disposition, what you decided to do with the affected material:

• Use as is — the material is safe to release as it stands.
• Rework — it can be brought back into spec.
• Return to supplier — it goes back where it came from.
• Destroy — it will be disposed of.
• Downgrade — it will be used for something less demanding than intended.
• Not applicable — no product affected — no material was involved at all.

That last one is the right answer more often than people expect. A calibration that came back out of tolerance, a missing signature on a record, a finding raised during an inspection — these are all real deviations that never touched product. Recording one of the material outcomes on them puts a decision on the record that never happened.

Correcting a closed deviation

The justification you wrote is the decision text an inspector reads, so it has to be correctable after the fact. On a resolved or closed deviation that has a disposition, select Amend justification, rewrite it, and give a reason for the change.

The original closure signature stays intact — you're correcting the reasoning, not re-signing the decision. Your reason and both versions land on the audit trail.

Evidence and documents

Every deviation has an Evidence & documents section. Attach photographs, lab reports, supplier correspondence, or anything else that supports the investigation and the disposition you landed on. Each file carries its own notes and date.

Archiving a deviation

If a deviation was logged by mistake — a duplicate, or a test entry — select Archive. It's hidden from the deviations log and its lifecycle actions are disabled, but the audit trail is preserved.

Archiving is for records that shouldn't have existed. A deviation that was real but turned out to be minor still gets worked to a disposition.

Where deviations show up

Open deviations surface on the dashboard Alerts card and in the Deviations list, where you can filter by status, severity, type, and what it's linked to. A deviation linked to a batch also appears on that batch's record. Each deviation can be exported to PDF for an inspection file.

What's next

A deviation raised during production often ties to a release decision. See Releasing a batch, including when to release with deviation.