Nonconformity: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)
A nonconformity (French: non-conformité) is the non-fulfilment of a requirement. In ISO 53001 the term covers two situations: a problem the organisation detects in its own system and must deal with, and a deviation from the standard that an auditor raises during a certification audit.
Updated: · edition covered: ISO/UNDP 53001:2026
In an ISO/UNDP 53001 audit
To raise a nonconformity, the auditor relies on three elements: the requirement concerned, the fact observed and the evidence supporting it. Without objective evidence there is no nonconformity, only an impression.
The auditor also examines how the organisation handles its own nonconformities: immediate reaction, cause analysis, actions decided, verification of their effectiveness, records kept. During certification, each one is graded major or minor. Internal handling falls under subclause 10.2 of clause 10 of the ISO/UNDP 53001 standard. ISO writes the word as one, without a hyphen.
Internal nonconformities as evidence
An organisation that records many internal nonconformities is not penalised for it. The auditor reads the register as a sign of a system that detects its own failures, then looks at how each one was handled. A register that stays empty, in an SDG system still new to its users, invites more questions than a full one.
See also
- Major nonconformity: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A major nonconformity (French: *non-conformité majeure*) is a lapse that undermines the ability of the SDG management system to achieve its intended results.
- Minor nonconformity: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A minor nonconformity (French: *non-conformité mineure*) is a genuine deviation from an ISO 53001 requirement that does not, on its own, undermine the ability of the SDG management system to achieve its results.
- Correction: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A correction (French: *correction*) is an immediate action taken to eliminate a detected nonconformity or its effects, without tackling its cause.
- Corrective action: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A corrective action (French: *action corrective*) removes the cause of a nonconformity so that it does not happen again or appear elsewhere.
- ISO/UNDP 53001 clause 10: what the auditor checksISO 53001 clause 10 covers improvement.