According to an embodiment, a non-conformance analysis system may include at least one information storage tool that stores previously generated non-conformance information; a data mining tool that retrieves specific attributes of the previously generated non-conformance information stored in the at least one information storage tool; an associative memory subsystem that is populated with information involving a plurality of entity types, with each entity type including at least one entity, to form an associative memory; and a user input device that enables a user to input a non-conformance query into the associative memory subsystem, that causes the associative memory subsystem to generate all of the entity types and entities that include information useful for investigating the non-conformance query.