Correction and corrective action
| Correction | Corrective action | |
|---|---|---|
| Targets | The condition that appeared | The cause of the condition |
| Example | Obtaining the missing signature | Building a signature check into the training workflow |
| Result | Fixed this time | Does not happen again |
A system that only ever corrects finds the same finding at every audit — and reads that as “our audit works well”.
Four fields in the record
- Root cause — found by a defined method; “carelessness” is not a root cause.
- Work to be done — concrete and observable.
- Owner and due date.
- Effectiveness verification — when, and against what evidence.
Why verification is a separate step
That an action was carried out does not mean it worked. Verification means returning to the same point after enough time has passed: did the deviation recur? A corrective action record without verification is a record that looks closed and was never tested.
Extending to similar places
If a cause was found on one line, the same cause exists on the others. A good corrective action covers not the place where the finding appeared but everywhere the cause exists. Skip that step and the same finding surfaces next year in the unit next door.