Common Corrective Action Mistakes

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.