A strong corrective and preventive action procedure is one of the most important, and value-added processes, in an effective quality management system.  Despite the benefits, many oil and gas companies fail to have robust procedures in place or have significant gaps that contribute to audit findings.  In our experience, the most common mistakes fall into the following categories:

1. No Documented CAPA Procedure
The CAPA procedure is one of the most important procedures in your quality management        system.  Despite this fact, many oil and gas companies have no formalized procedure for the management of corrective and preventative actions.
 
2. Failure to verify the effectiveness of the CAPA
Another common mistake is to close the CAPA before verifying or validating the effectiveness of the action(s).
 
3. Procedures for CAPA are not adequately established
Some oil and gas companies have a CAPA procedure in place but are missing one or more of the key process steps.
 
4. The CAPA process is totally managed by the Quality Department
Use a cross functional team to work on your CAPAs.
 
5. Every non-conformance is turned into a CAPA
Not every nonconformance requires a CAPA.  Overburdening your CAPA system will result in loss of effectiveness and team focus.
 
6. No root cause analysis
Root cause analysis is a vital step in the corrective action process and is overlooked or not performed at all.
 
7. Inadequate effectiveness checks
Make sure to have a specific and well-planned system to verify the effectiveness of corrective actions.
 
For more information on how Accupoint can help you to streamline your corrective and preventive action program, please contact us today.  We’re here to help.

Corrective and preventive actions are important parts of a quality management system (QMS) , but sometimes it can be difficult to tell these two processes apart.

A corrective action deals with a nonconformity that has occurred, and a preventive action addresses the potential for a nonconformity to occur. Section 8.5.2 of the ISO 9000 standard says corrective action eliminates the cause of nonconformities to prevent recurrence, and section 8.5.3 says preventive action determines and eliminates the causes of potential nonconformities to prevent occurrence.  In a nutshell, one deals with what has happened and the other attempts to stop something from happening.

Many auditors recommend using separate procedures and forms to document each type of action. The standard doesn’t say this must be done, but there is a heavy implication that it should be done.

One way to understand these processes is to break down what is required for each one:

Corrective Action Process

• Locate and document the root cause of the nonconformity.
• Audit the system to ensure no other nonconformity could occur. (impact analysis)
• Analyze the effect the nonconformity may have had on a product or service before it was discovered.
• Which may require taking action by either recalling the product, notifying the customer, downgrading or scrapping product.
• Establish thorough follow-up to ensure the correction is effective and recurrence has been prevented.

Preventive Action Process

• Take proactive steps to detect a potential nonconformity before it can occur.
• Use system analysis to create built-in safeguards and process changes to prevent nonconformance.
• Example, use of a failure mode and risk analysis to identify potential deficiencies and create priorities for improvement.

Both corrective and preventive actions require effective communications. In addition, both require clear documentation of actions taken and lessons learned. Documenting, controlling and communicating corrective and preventive actions ensure appropriate action is taken within a reasonable timeframe and the resulting changes are effective.

​For more information on how Accupoint Software can help your organization manage the corrective and preventative action process, please contact us today.

The benefits of a corrective action program are immeasurable, and in the oil and gas industry, these programs are an integral part of any quality management system. An effective corrective action system works to identify the root cause of an issue, generates action plans to reduce  or eliminate the chance of recurrence, and provides for evaluation of solution effectiveness. 

That being said, some companies struggle with implementing an effective corrective action management program. Below are some of the key elements of a successful corrective action program.
 
1. Have the right people leading your corrective action program.
Put together a team to evaluate potential members for the program. Make sure that the people chosen understand the  issue in question.  Team members must have first-hand knowledge of the process being assessed.

2. Evaluation of Issue
The corrective action team should collect data on similar issues that have occurred in the past.    Subsequently this information needs to be analyzed and evaluated to determine applicable root causes.

3. Develop Corrective Action Plan
The corrective action plan should identify the root cause of the issue, containment actions as well as specific action taken long term to reduce or eliminate the chance for a recurrence.  Finally, ensure that the corrective and preventive action plan is properly communicated with applicable personnel within the organization.

4. Create Compliance
Once the corrective action has been implemented, utilize the evaluation results to drive  your  corrective action impact.  The impact analysis will create benchmarks and pinpoint opportunities for process improvements.

Effectively managing your corrective action program is critical to your success.  To find out how Accupoint can help improve the effectiveness of your corrective action program, please contact us today.