Conformity is the ability of a process output to satisfy the requirements it is desired to meet. The output may be a product, service, document, record, etc., and the requirements are those that the company has decided are required for the output article. Conformity is when the output meets the requirements, and inversely, nonconformity is when the output fails to meet one or more requirements. A defect is a synonym for nonconformity, but is normally used in relation to products.