Ignoring a Composite QC Failure in a Workbook Session

• Ignoring a Composite QC Failure in a Workbook Session
  • Overview
  • Process
    • Entering a Reason for Ignoring the Composite QC Failure
  • Impact
    • Effect of Ignoring a Composite QC Failure upon a QC History Observation for a Precision Assessment
    • Effect of Ignoring a Composite QC Failure upon a QC History Observation for a Standard Assessment

Overview

Once a result is entered and the system evaluates the composite QC status, if the sample scheme analyte's Composite QC Status is set to Failure, then scheme limits, accuracy or precision limits and/or primary specification limits have failed. This can be overcome by either:

• Overwriting the result with a value that is within limits, derived somehow from a correct analysis, using Overwriting Result in a Workbook Session.
• Requesting a repeat analysis so that another sample portion is used to derive the result using Requesting a Repeat Analysis in a Workbook Session.
• Ignoring the composite QC failure using this process, but only where there is a valid reason to do so.
• Changing the assessment limits and then perform a reassessment using Forcing the Reassessment of Results in a Workbook Session, but only where there is a valid reason to do so.

A sample scheme analyte with a Workflow Status of Analysed and a Composite QC Status of Failure can be released to set the sample scheme analyte's Workflow Status to Released. However, a sample scheme analyte with a Composite QC Status of Failure cannot be validated to set the sample scheme analyte's Workflow Status to Completed unless the failure is dealt with, for example, by re-analysing to get an acceptable result or by ignoring the QC failure.

Process

The Ignore QC Failures native workbook command, available via a workbook menu in the CCWKOP—Open Workbook application, is available to ignore a composite QC failure for selected Workbook cells.

Ignore a composite QC failure for selected workbook cells

Where the sample scheme analyte's Composite QC Status is Failure, and the ALLOW_IGNORE_QC_FAILURES application preference is selected, then the sample scheme analyte's Composite QC Status is set to Ignore Failure.

Entering a Reason for Ignoring the Composite QC Failure

If the QC_IGNORE_REASON_MANDATORY application preference is defined and selected, when you attempt to ignore a composite QC failure, then you must enter a reason why for the ignore action to proceed. If the preference is not defined, or is defined and is not checked, when you attempt to ignore a composite QC failure, then you do not have to enter a reason why for the ignore action to proceed.

The list of available reasons for ignoring a QC failure are entered as System Table Codes with a Table Type of CC32—QC Ignore Reasons, as configured in the MSETBL—Table Code Service application.

Examples of the list of reasons for ignoring a QC failure:

Table Type	Table File Code (System short form)	Table file entry description	Table File Associated Values
CC32	CONTAM	Contamination
CC32	INCCONF	Incorrect configuration
CC32	INCCORR	Incorrect correction
CC32	INSUFWT	Incorrect dilution
CC32	WDIL	Insufficient weight
CC32	WQCS	Wrong QC sample

The Table Code can be set to any combination of letters, digit, and symbols, as appropriate (maximum length is 18).

The Entry description can be modified as appropriate for reporting purposes (maximum length is 50).

The list of available user QC statuses are entered as System Table Codes with a Table Type of C33—User QC Statuses, as configured in MSETBL—Table Code Service application, and are ordered by Table Code in any drop-down that displays them. For example, using the table above, the drop-down list presented when marking workbook cells with a user QC status is ordered: CONTAM, INCCONF, INCCORR, INSUFWT, WDIL, WQCS.

To change this default order, where a pipe character (|) is included in the Table File Associated Values, then the portion before the pipe character contains the sequence for display, and the portion after the pipe character contains the actual user status. For example:

Table Type	Table File Code (System short form)	Table file entry description	Table File Associated Values
CC32	CONTAM	Contamination	6|
CC32	INCCONF	Incorrect configuration	5|
CC32	INCCORR	Incorrect correction	2|
CC32	INSUFWT	Incorrect dilution	3|
CC32	WDIL	Insufficient weight	4|
CC32	WQCS	Wrong QC sample	1|

populates the drop-down list of available reasons for ignoring a QC failure in the order: WQCS, INCORR, INSUFWT, WDIL, INCCONF, CONTAM.

Where only some of the entries have the sort order defined, then the drop-down list is ordered first by those that have a sort order in the given sort order, and secondly by those that do not have a sort order in the given table order.

Use wild-cards to apply filtering on the drop-down list.

Impact

Effect of Ignoring a Composite QC Failure upon a QC History Observation for a Precision Assessment

If the QC sample had undergone precision assessment due to the sample having a primary or secondary analytical type of Duplicate or Replicate, and the scheme version analyte was flagged to be assessed for QC, and the scheme version analyte was also flagged to have QC results written to QC history, then a record would are written to QC history for the precision assessment.

When a record is written to QC history upon precision assessment, the QC history record's QC Status is set to sample scheme analyte Precision Status.

If the sample scheme analyte's Composite QC Status was Failure due to the precision assessment setting the sample scheme analyte's Precision Status to Failure, Upper Failure (only possible via script), Lower Failure (only possible via script) or Trend Failure (only possible via script), then a subsequent ignore of the composite QC failure status updates the QC Status on that QC history record:

• Failure --> Ignore Failure
• Upper Failure -- Ignore Upper Failure
• Lower Failure --> Ignore Lower Failure
• Failure --> Ignore Failure.

Note that this ignore process does not update the sample scheme analyte's Precision Status itself, only the QC Status on the QC history record.

Effect of Ignoring a Composite QC Failure upon a QC History Observation for a Standard Assessment

If the QC sample had undergone standard assessment due to the sample having a primary or secondary analytical type of Blank, Standard or Spike, and the scheme version analyte was flagged to be assessed for QC, and the scheme version analyte was also flagged to have QC results written to QC history, then a record would are written to QC history for the standard assessment.

When a record is written to QC history upon standard assessment, the QC history record's QC Status is set to sample scheme analyte Standard Status.

If the sample scheme analyte's Composite QC Status was Failure due to the standard assessment setting the sample scheme analyte's Standard Status to Failure (only possible via script), Upper Failure, Lower Failure or Trend Failure (only possible via script), then a subsequent ignore of the composite QC failure status updates the QC Status on that QC history record:

• Failure --> Ignore Failure
• Upper Failure --> Ignore Upper Failure
• Lower Failure --> Ignore Lower Failure
• Failure --> Ignore Failure.

Note that this ignore process does not update the sample scheme analyte Standard Status itself, only the QC Status on the QC history record.