Making sure fixes stick.
WHAT CORRECTIVE ACTION IS
Addressing the cause of a problem so it does not recur.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Fixing the immediate instance.
WHY BOTH ARE NEEDED
The instance must be corrected; the cause must be removed.
WHAT A PROPER PROCESS INVOLVES
Containing the immediate problem Establishing the cause Deciding the action Implementing it Verifying it worked
WHAT CONTAINMENT MEANS
Stopping the problem affecting anything else.
WHAT EXAMPLES LOOK LIKE
Quarantining affected stock Stopping a process Informing customers
WHAT TO RECORD
What happened The cause What was decided Who owns it By when Whether it worked
WHY THE LAST ONE
Most corrective action systems record actions and never verify them.
WHAT VERIFICATION MEANS
Checking, after a period, that the problem has not recurred.
WHEN TO CHECK
Long enough afterwards to be meaningful.
WHAT TO DO IF IT RECURRED
The cause was wrong, and the investigation restarts.
WHAT TO AVOID
Actions that are training or reminders alone.
WHY
They fade, and the failure returns.
WHAT TO PREFER
Changes to the process or the tools.
WHAT TO TRACK
Open actions, and their age.
WHAT AGEING ACTIONS INDICATE
That nobody owns them.
WHAT TO DO
Close them or reassign them.
