Corrective Action Systems

Corrective Action Systems allow you to track the root cause of problems and take steps to eliminate them. Corrective action, along with Internal Audit, provide  closed loop systems to manage change within the enterprise. Otherwise changes are made ad-hoc or by word of mouth. Here are the basic steps in a Corrective Action System:

Documentation and Problem Solving

A simple Corrective Action Report, which can be initiated by anyone including a customer, summarizes the problem and its solution on a one page form containing the following:

Description of the problem

How the problem was found and by whom

The team assigned to resolve the issue

Who needs to approve the solution

Immediate action taken if any

Description of the root cause

Permanent corrective action

Documentation and release date

This is an important step in ensure that all the work done to become a process oriented company, isn't lost as new processes and procedures are introduced in the future.