Finding Types
A finding type is the severity label a finding carries β "Major non-conformity", "Minor non-conformity", "Observation", "Opportunity for improvement" β and the settings that follow from it.
The recordβ
- Code and name.
- Colour β what the label looks like in the findings grid and on the audit report. Severity is read at a glance far more often than it is read in words.
- Required record β what a finding of this type obliges. See below.
- Due days β how long the audited unit has. A finding of this type gets its due date defaulted this many days out; leaving it empty means no default.
- Blocks closure β whether an open finding of this type stops the audit being closed at all.
- Severity class β the fixed class the type belongs to. Required. See below.
- Evidence required β whether a finding of this type needs a file before it can be saved. See below.
Required recordβ
| Setting | A finding of this type |
|---|---|
| Inherit | takes whatever the audit type decided. The default. |
| DΔ°F required | must declare a DΔ°F. |
| Action required | must declare an action. |
| Either | must declare one of the two. |
| Neither | may not declare anything. |
This setting can only narrow what the audit type allows. An audit type that permits nothing cannot have a finding type under it that demands a DΔ°F.
"Required" is checked when the audit is sent for closure approval, not when the finding is saved. An auditor writing up findings in the field is not stopped mid-sentence; the audit simply will not move on until its findings are complete. The findings grid shows which ones are not.
Blocks closureβ
A finding type marked blocks closure is one the organization will not close an audit over, whatever records were opened. A major non-conformity typically is; an observation typically is not.
The difference from "required record" is worth being clear about:
- Required record asks whether the finding has declared what it owes.
- Blocks closure asks whether the finding itself is still open.
An audit can satisfy the first and still be held by the second.
Severity classβ
The type's name is yours to choose; the severity class is not. Every finding type belongs to one of four fixed classes:
| Class | Typically |
|---|---|
| Major nonconformity | A requirement not met in a way that puts the system's result at risk. |
| Minor nonconformity | A lapse that does not. |
| Observation / Suggestion | Something worth recording that is not a nonconformity. |
| Other | Anything outside the three. |
Analysis, the audit report and counts across organizations read the class, never the name β two companies can call their types "Kritik" and "Major" and still be counted together. The list cannot be changed.
Finding types created before the field existed were given Other; review them and pick the right class.
Evidence requiredβ
A finding type marked evidence required cannot be saved as a finding until at least one file or photo is attached to it, and the last file cannot be removed later. Use it where an unsupported finding would not stand, typically for major nonconformities. Evidence that the finding has been closed is not asked for here; that belongs to the DΔ°F.
Bulk entry from Excelβ
The list's Import button downloads a template and loads it back filled in. Severity class is a required column and offers the four classes; Evidence required left blank means no.
Active and passiveβ
A passive finding type stops being offered on new findings. Findings already carrying it keep it β the label on a finding raised two years ago is part of that audit's record, and changing it retroactively would rewrite history.