What does a corrective action request system do?
It makes sure a problem found once is fixed for good. Without a system, issues raised at an audit or on the floor live in emails and notebooks, owners change and nobody checks whether the fix worked. A CAR system gives every request one record, one owner and one closure test, and shows leaders what is still open.
What goes on a corrective action request form?
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| CAR number and date | A unique reference so the request can be found and counted |
| Raised by and source | Audit, inspection, complaint, incident or non-conformance report, with the reference |
| Problem statement | What was found, where, when and the requirement it breaks, with evidence |
| Severity and type | Minor, major or critical; first occurrence or repeat |
| Containment | What was done straight away to stop it reaching a customer or hurting someone |
| Root cause | The cause found with a method such as the 5 whys or a fishbone, not a symptom |
| Corrective actions | One row per action: what changes, owner, due date |
| Verification | The measure and period that will show the fix worked, and who checks |
| Closure | Closed by, date, and whether the procedure, training or inspection plan changed |
What are the stages of a corrective action request?
- Raise. Anyone can raise a request with the evidence attached. The form is short enough to complete on the floor.
- Triage. A quality or area lead confirms it is valid, sets severity and assigns one owner.
- Contain. The owner stops the problem spreading and records what was done.
- Find the root cause. The team asks why until it reaches a cause that, if removed, would prevent a repeat.
- Act. Actions are agreed, owned and dated, and linked to the cause they address.
- Verify. After the agreed period, someone other than the owner checks the result against the measure.
- Close. The request is closed only on verified evidence, and the lesson goes back into the standard.
Who owns what in a CAR system?
| Role | Owns |
|---|---|
| Person who raises it | An accurate description and the evidence |
| Area or quality lead | Triage, severity and keeping the register clean |
| Action owner | Containment, root cause and the action plan |
| Verifier | The effectiveness check and the closure decision |
| Site leadership | The weekly or monthly review of open, overdue and repeat requests |
Paper, spreadsheet or software: which fits?
| Paper form | Spreadsheet | Software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raising on the floor | Easy | Hard without a laptop | Easy on a phone or tablet |
| Reminders for due dates | None | Manual | Built in |
| Evidence and photos | Stapled on | Separate files | Attached to the record |
| Spotting repeats | Reading old forms | Filter and search | Report by cause or area |
| Audit trail | Weak | Easy to overwrite | Dated history of changes |
A spreadsheet is a fair start for a small site. It tends to break once several people raise requests, because no one is reminded and old rows are quietly edited.
What should you look for in a CAR system?
- One record per request, from raising to verified closure, with a history of changes.
- A named owner and due date on every action, and reminders when they pass.
- A required root cause and verification step before a request can close.
- Links back to the audit, inspection or non-conformance that started it.
- A review view of open, overdue and repeat requests by area, cause and source.
- Simple raising on a phone, because most problems are found away from a desk.
Common mistakes
- Closing the request when the action is done rather than when the result is checked.
- Treating "retrain the operator" as the root cause.
- Letting one person raise, fix and close the same request.
- No limit on how long a request can stay open, so the register fills with stale items.
- Counting requests closed as the measure of success instead of repeats prevented.
Step by step
- Raise the request. Record the problem, where it was found, the requirement it breaks and the evidence on one form.
- Triage and assign. Confirm the request is valid, set its severity and give it a single owner and a due date.
- Contain the problem. Stop it reaching customers or causing harm and note what was done and when.
- Find the root cause. Use the 5 whys or a fishbone diagram to reach a cause that, once removed, prevents a repeat.
- Agree and carry out actions. List each action with an owner and date and link it to the cause it addresses.
- Verify effectiveness. After the agreed period, a second person checks the result against the stated measure.
- Close and review. Close on verified evidence, update the standard, and review open, overdue and repeat requests in the regular meeting.
A worked example
A packaging plant kept finding the same carton print errors at audit, and each one was logged in a spreadsheet and closed once the batch was reworked. After it moved to a request form with a required root cause and a four-week verification, the team saw that the errors traced to a plate changeover step with no check. The action added a first-off sign-off at every changeover. The verifier, from another shift, checked the next twenty changeovers before the request was closed, and the repeat finding stopped appearing at audit.