Table of Contents
Quality Events: A Complete Guide
Learn what a Quality Event is, how to create one, how to work through its phases, and how to close it with confidence.
Open Quality EventsWhat is a Quality Event?
A Quality Event is a structured record of a quality-related problem, observation, complaint, deviation, nonconformance, or other issue that needs visibility and follow-up. It gives your organization one place to record what happened, what was affected, how serious it is, and what needs to be done about it.
- What happened, when, and where it was found
- Which product, part, lot, or batch was affected and how much
- How serious the issue appears to be, and what to do with the affected material
- What investigation, evidence, and corrective work is needed before the event can close
Before you start
- Sign in with a user who has an active company account.
- Confirm the Quality Events feature is enabled for your account.
- Confirm you can access the Quality Events list.
- If you plan to attach evidence, have a small test image or PDF ready.
Import a paper form
If you already have a paper or scanned quality event form, you can import it instead of re-typing every field into a new event.
- Upload a photo or scan of the completed paper form to start an import.
- Review the extracted fields on the import review screen and correct anything that was misread before creating the event.
- Once confirmed, the import creates a new Quality Event pre-filled with the reviewed data, ready to continue through the normal phases.
Configure event types
Event types control which phases, fields, and closure rules apply to a Quality Event. Account administrators can add or adjust event types from the event type configuration page.
- Create a new event type manually, or generate one automatically from an existing paper form or document using the schema designer.
- The schema designer proposes fields and sections based on the uploaded document; review and adjust them before saving the event type.
- Once saved, the new or updated event type becomes available when creating new Quality Events.
1 Create a new Quality Event
Select New Event from the Quality Events list. Choose the event type that best matches the source or nature of the issue, such as Customer Return, Nonconformance, Internal Rejection, Supplier Issue, or Deviation. The type determines the enabled phases, closure rules, and available custom fields.
- Enter the event date, product, part number, lot/batch, and quantity affected as accurately as possible.
- Set the initial severity (Minor, Major, or Critical) and defect type/category.
- Write a factual problem description: what was observed, where, when, and how many items are affected.
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2 Use guided intake when helpful
Guided intake helps you collect the initial facts conversationally and apply them to the form. Use it when you are unsure which fields matter, the issue is being reported verbally, or you want help organizing the information.
- Guided intake proposes field values based on your answers; it does not save the event for you.
- Review every field it fills in before you save. You remain responsible for the accuracy of the record.
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3 Understand the event workspace
After saving, the event opens in the Quality Event workspace with a Work tab and a Record tab. The event is assigned a number, starts in its initial phase (normally Intake), and has a status of Open.
- Work tab
- The operational surface for completing the current phase: enter phase-specific information, review readiness checks, use optional assistance, then save and continue. This is the only place phase state advances.
- Record tab
- The traceability surface for supporting material: evidence, linked work items, dispositions, costs, and related links. Updates here support the record but do not by themselves advance the phase.
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4 Work through the event phases
Each event type enables a sequence of phases. Complete the current phase's required work, then save and continue to move to the next phase. The phases you may encounter are:
- Intake
- Capture the initial facts: what happened, where, when, and what is affected.
- Assessment
- Confirm severity, scope, and initial disposition of the affected material.
- Containment
- Stop the issue from getting worse: segregate, sort, or hold affected material and document containment actions.
- Information Collection
- Gather evidence, records, and data needed to investigate the issue thoroughly.
- Root Cause
- Investigate and document why the issue occurred, using tools such as 5 Whys or Fishbone as needed.
- Corrective Tools
- Link or create the corrective work needed to prevent recurrence, such as CAPA, NCR, SPC, FMEA, or 8D records.
- Verification
- Confirm that corrective actions were effective before the event is allowed to close.
- Closed
- The event is complete. All required evidence, tasks, and readiness checks are satisfied.
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5 Add supporting records
Use the Record tab throughout the event's life to keep supporting material organized and traceable.
- Upload evidence such as photos, inspection reports, or PDFs.
- Create or link tasks and corrective work items (CAPA, NCR, 8D, and similar).
- Record disposition decisions for the affected material.
- Track costs associated with the event, if your account uses cost tracking.
- Add related parties or links to connect this event to other records.
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6 Resolve closure blockers and close the event
Before an event can close, the workspace shows any closure blockers: required fields, evidence, tasks, or checks that are still outstanding.
- Review the closure readiness list and resolve each outstanding blocker.
- If a requirement genuinely does not apply, use a waiver where your account allows it, with a documented reason.
- Once all blockers are resolved, select the close action to complete the event.
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7 Review the closed event and download the report
After closing, review the closed event to confirm the final record is accurate, then download the PDF report for your files or to share with stakeholders.
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Troubleshooting
- I cannot find the event type I need.
- Event types are account-specific. Ask an account administrator to add or enable the type you need in the event type configuration.
- I cannot close the event.
- Check the closure readiness list on the workspace for outstanding blockers. Every required field, task, or piece of evidence must be resolved or waived before closure is allowed.
- The Learn training tab is missing or disabled.
- The Learn training module is intentionally disabled. This guide replaces it as the primary reference for learning the Quality Events workflow.
- I changed the event type after saving and something looks wrong.
- Changing the event type can change the enabled phases and closure rules. Review the workspace after changing the type to confirm the phase sequence still matches the issue you are tracking.
Track trends with analytics
Quality Events analytics summarizes your events over time so you can spot recurring issues and measure the cost of quality.
- See event counts and total cost broken down by event type, defect category, and root cause category.
- Filter by severity and date range to focus on a specific product, time period, or problem area.
- Use monthly trends to check whether corrective actions are reducing recurrence over time.
Terminology
- Quality Event
- The central record that organizes a quality problem and its follow-up. It is not the root cause or the corrective action itself.
- Disposition
- The decision about what happens to the affected material, such as use-as-is, rework, scrap, or return.
- Containment
- Immediate action taken to stop the issue from spreading or getting worse while the investigation continues.
- Closure blocker
- A required field, task, or piece of evidence that must be resolved before the event can be closed.
- Waiver
- A documented exception that allows a closure requirement to be skipped when it genuinely does not apply to the event.
Tips for success
- Write the initial description in terms of observable facts, not assumed causes.
- Attach evidence as you go instead of waiting until the end of the event.
- Resolve closure blockers as they appear rather than leaving them all for the end.
- Use the related tools (CAPA, NCR, RCA) to keep corrective work linked back to the event.