Glossary · Change, versions and configuration
Deviation management
Also known as: Nonconformance management
German: Abweichungsmanagement
In engineering and quality management, deviation management is the controlled process of recording, assessing, approving or rejecting and closing departures from a specification, requirement, procedure or plan, including the decision whether the deviation is accepted, corrected or triggers a change.
- Systems engineering
- Verification
In one sentence
Deviation management records, assesses and closes departures from specifications, requirements or procedures with a documented decision.
Example
During the factory acceptance test, a conveyor reaches 95 % of the specified throughput; the deviation is logged, assessed and accepted by the customer with a documented rationale.
How it applies
- Commissioning and testing: Deviations found in FAT, SAT or verification are logged with an ID, severity, owner and disposition (correct, accept, change requirement).
- Functional safety: A deviation affecting a Safety function cannot simply be accepted; it needs an Impact analysis and re-verification.
- Documentation: Accepted deviations that change behavior visible to users must reach the manuals; the documentation team should check the deviation log before each release.
- Quality: Trend deviations over projects; recurring deviations of the same type point to weak requirements, unclear procedures or supplier problems and are candidates for corrective action.
Deviation vs. change request
A deviation reports that something differs from what was specified. A Change request proposes to change the specification itself. Accepting a permanent deviation usually means raising a change request so the baseline tells the truth again.