One Word form for a temporary, approved departure from a drawing, specification or procedure. It records the requirement and the proposed condition side by side, the reason and risk review, a hard quantity or date limit, a running usage record, and every approval, including the customer’s when the contract requires it.
Tip: If you raise the same deviation a second time, stop and ask whether the requirement itself should change. Repeat deviations belong in an engineering change, not a stack of temporary permits.
Request details
Request number, deviation or waiver, requester, customer, part and revision, drawing reference, affected orders
Requirement vs proposed
Each requirement as specified next to the proposed or actual condition and its reference
Reason and risk
Why it cannot be met, effect on form, fit, function and safety, and interim controls
Limits
Quantity limit, start and expiry dates, and whether the first limit reached ends it
Usage record
Each lot used, with a running total against the quantity limit
Approvals and closure
Quality, engineering, production and customer decisions, then how and when it was closed
Example Deviation request from Example Fabrication Co., a fictional bracket maker, to its fictional customer. The part, dimensions, quantities and dates are invented for illustration.
| Request no. / type | DEV-026 / Deviation (before work) |
|---|---|
| Part / revision | BRK-210 rev C mounting bracket |
| Drawing | BRK-210 rev C, note 4 |
| Requested by / date | Manufacturing Engineer, 2026-09-28 |
| Affected orders | Customer PO 55120, lots 1 and 2 |
| Requirement (as specified) | Proposed condition | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hole A Ø8.00 +0.10 / −0.00 (8.00 to 8.10) | Ø8.00 to 8.15 for this deviation only | Drawing BRK-210 rev C, note 4 |
| Quantity limit | 300 pcs |
|---|---|
| Expiry | 2026-11-30, or 300 pcs, whichever comes first |
| Approved by | Quality Manager, Engineering Manager, customer SQE (2026-09-30) |
| Date | Lot | Qty | Running total | Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-06 | Lot 1 | 120 | 120 | 180 |
| 2026-10-20 | Lot 2 | 140 | 260 | 40 |
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Deviation if approval is given before the work is done; waiver (often called a concession) if the product already exists and does not conform. Some customers use other names, so use their term on their forms. | Deviation (before work) |
| Requirement (as specified) | The exact requirement, copied from the controlled drawing or document, with its number and revision. | Hole A Ø8.00 +0.10 / −0.00, drawing BRK-210 rev C |
| Proposed / actual condition | What the product will be, or is, in the same units and format as the requirement, so the gap is obvious. | Ø8.00 to 8.15 |
| Reason | Why the requirement cannot be met right now. “Schedule” on its own is not a reason a customer will accept. | Specified reamer on back order |
| Effect on the product | Form, fit, function, safety, reliability and any regulatory effect, with who confirmed it. | Clearance 0.20 max; fit confirmed by customer engineer |
| Interim controls | Extra inspection, identification or segregation while the deviation is in effect. | 100% bore gauge check; containers labeled with DEV no. |
| Quantity limit / expiry | A number of parts, a date, or both. Never open-ended. Say whether the first limit reached ends it. | 300 pcs or 2026-11-30, whichever first |
| Usage record | Each lot used, with a running total, so anyone can see what is left before the next lot starts. | Lot 2: 140 pcs, running total 260 |
| Approvals | Each function’s name, decision and date. Include the customer whenever the contract or the customer’s requirements call for it. | Customer SQE, approved 2026-09-30 |
| Closure | Why it closed (limit reached, expired, or made permanent by an ECN) and the ECN number if there is one. | Closed, limit reached; ECN-118 raised to widen tolerance |
A deviation is approved before the work is done, for a limited quantity or time. A waiver (often called a concession) accepts product after it was made and found not to conform. The terms vary by industry and customer, so use the definitions in your customer’s requirements.
No. A deviation is temporary and expires at its limit; the drawing or procedure stays as it is. An engineering change permanently revises the requirement. If you need the same deviation repeatedly, raise an ECN.
It depends on the contract and the customer’s requirements. Automotive and aerospace customers commonly require approval for any departure from an approved product or process. When in doubt, ask before you make parts.
Either works, and many forms use both with “whichever comes first”. A quantity limit is easier to control on the floor; a date limit stops a slow-moving deviation from staying open indefinitely.
Label each container with the deviation number, record the lots on the usage record, and follow any marking the customer asks for, so the parts can be traced if a problem shows up later.
COPLAIN AI PLATFORM
When a deviation turns into a permanent change, describe it to Coplain’s Document Update Assistant and it places the edit in each affected procedure and returns a redlined Word file for review.
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