How to write a CAR (Corrective Action Report) for a Customer

[Jim Wei]

dear Pros,

I don't know if your guys have ever met the following situations: when you received a request of Correction Action from your customer, maybe the management ask you to briefly describe the problems in order to protect the reputation of the company, or maybe the management ask you to use "well-expressed" words to describe the problem (the description of the problem is not exactly happening in the company, there is a lillte trick on wording). So my questions are:

- how should we deal with it?
- as an employee and also as a quality engineer, should we stick to the fact of the problem or should we use "well-expressed" words to describe the problem?
- should we describe the problem in detailed or briefly?

thanks,

Jim Wei

[Randy]

What is the problem?

What caused the problem?

How are you going to correct the problem?

How will you prevent the same problem from happening again?

Now, just fill in the blanks. Of course you're going to get a whole bunch of other suggestions to go along with this like "how did you verify the correection", "who is responsible " and the like, but this is the basic stuff and most anything else is fluff.

[Jim Wynne]

In Reply to Parent Post by Jim Wei

dear Pros,

I don't know if your guys have ever met the following situations: when you received a request of Correction Action from your customer, maybe the management ask you to briefly describe the problems in order to protect the reputation of the company, or maybe the management ask you to use "well-expressed" words to describe the problem (the description of the problem is not exactly happening in the company, there is a lillte trick on wording). So my questions are:

- how should we deal with it?
- as an employee and also as a quality engineer, should we stick to the fact of the problem or should we use "well-expressed" words to describe the problem?
- should we describe the problem in detailed or briefly?

thanks,

Jim Wei

It's hard to give a good answer without knowing more about the problem, but using euphemisms rarely helps, and might even hurt, if the problem is being too thoroughly masked. Your management shouldn't be concerned about explicitly defining problems affecting the company's reputation; if the customer is asking for corrective action, the reputation might already have taken a hit, and the only way to fix that is to address the problem head-on and show the customer that you're sincere in trying to find a lasting solution.

[Jim Wei]

Thanks. I will try to give an example in 2 weeks.

[Randy]

Good luck, and welcome to the Cove

For further help without waiting try the "SEARCH" tool above. Just follow the guidance and you'll be surprised with what comes up.

[fireonce]

In Reply to Parent Post by Jim Wynne

It's hard to give a good answer without knowing more about the problem, but using euphemisms rarely helps, and might even hurt, if the problem is being too thoroughly masked. Your management shouldn't be concerned about explicitly defining problems affecting the company's reputation; if the customer is asking for corrective action, the reputation might already have taken a hit, and the only way to fix that is to address the problem head-on and show the customer that you're sincere in trying to find a lasting solution.

You are really experienced.
Thanks.

[Randy]

In Reply to Parent Post by Jim Wei

dear Pros,

So my questions are:

- how should we deal with it?
- as an employee and also as a quality engineer, should we stick to the fact of the problem or should we use "well-expressed" words to describe the problem?
- should we describe the problem in detailed or briefly?

thanks,

Jim Wei

1. Be honest, anything else will get you into a bind.

2. Stick to the facts, everything else is fluff, Bull&hit and irrelevant. Use common easily understood language.

3. Do whatever it takes to make the boat float. KISS!

[silentrunning]

Randy, After 10 years of writing those darned things I think your number 1 should be stapled to our foreheads so we NEVER forget. Great advice.