Managing Defects

This guide covers everyday defect management tasks: creating defects manually, closing and reopening, changing priority, adding comments, and performing bulk operations. For a full description of every field, grid column, and toolbar button, see the Defects reference.

(DEFECTS tab)

Creating a Defect

Defects are usually created automatically when inspection results with non-conformance (N) findings are uploaded — see Answering Inspection Questions for how findings are recorded during an inspection. To create one manually:

1. Go to the EQUIPMENT tab in the orange header bar.

2. Click the green expand icon on the left of the equipment row to open the Equipment Window.

3. Switch to the DEFECTS tab in the grey Equipment Window header.

   (Equipment Window — DEFECTS tab)

4. Click + Add.

5. Enter the defect details and priority.

6. Click Save.

Finding Defects

Use the column filters to narrow the grid. Click the filter icon next to any column header to filter by that column’s values — for example, filter by Status to see only open defects, or by Priority to focus on high-priority items. See Filtering and Sorting Data for step-by-step instructions.

Viewing a Defect

To see full details, comments, and change history for a specific defect, click the green expand icon on the left of the row to open the Defect Window. See Defect Window for a full description of every field and tab.

Using the Edit Menu

Most defect management tasks are accessed through the Edit dropdown in the toolbar:

1. Go to the DEFECTS tab in the orange header bar.

2. Select one or more defects using the checkboxes in the grid.

3. Click Edit in the toolbar to open the dropdown menu.

   (Edit menu — DEFECTS tab)

All Edit menu operations support multiple selection — select several defects, then apply the change to all of them at once.

Back Up First

Before making large bulk changes, create a project backup so you can restore if needed.

Closing Defects

Select the open defect(s) and click Edit > Close. Enter any closing comments and confirm.

Stay Current

Close defects promptly when issues are resolved to keep the list current and make filtering by status meaningful.

Reopening Defects

Select the closed defect(s) and click Edit > Open. The status returns to Open immediately.

Changing Priority

Select the defect(s) and click Edit > Change Priority. Choose High, Medium, Low, or Unassigned and confirm.

Priority Guidelines

Assign priorities consistently across the project. High-priority items should represent genuine safety or compliance risks, not just overdue tasks.

Adding Comments

Select the defect(s) and click Edit > Add Comment. Enter your comment text and click Save.

Updating Rectification Notes

Select the defect(s) and click Edit > Update Rectification. Enter or update the rectification notes and click Save.

Updating Custom Fields

Select the defect(s) and click Edit > Update Other. Enter values for the User Defect 1/2 fields and click Save.

External System Integration

User-defined fields (User Defect 1/2) are commonly used to link to external systems like SAP or Maximo. Keep these fields consistently populated for cross-system traceability.

Moving or Copying Field Values

Select the defect(s) and click Edit > Move / Copy. Choose the source and destination fields, select Copy (keeps source value) or Move (clears source after transfer), and confirm.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Edit menu options are grayed out	Select at least one defect using the checkboxes before clicking Edit
Changes not appearing	Refresh the grid — click the page number or switch tabs and back
Wrong items updated	Verify your selection count in the Show Selection button before applying bulk changes. Restore from a project backup if needed

Related Topics

• Defects Reference — Grid columns, toolbar options, and creation
• Defect Window — Status, comments, custom fields, and change history