Missing Corrective Actions - Workforce does not trigger corrective action requests

[MarilynJ6354]

We have an internal corrective action database and another for vendor issues. so far in 2017 the only documented issues were corrective actions from internal audits. Every year it was less and less until now...no one is using it. As the internal auditor, I ask the question each time and I am told it's too much of a bother to enter them, or it never fixes the issues, etc. My question is, how do I handle this when I discuss with top management? If no one is using it, then writing a corrective action isn't going to solve the problem.

 

[Golfman25]

Are they just not using the database? Or not doing corrective actions at all?

If not doing corrective actions, then they may be missing an opportunity and likely have a problem. This should probably be brought to management's attention and a workable solution figured out.

If it is just the database, then that may be overkill. They should look at getting rid of it because it doesn't appear useful. Good luck.

 

[MarilynJ6354]

Yes I think they need to get rid of it and track them another way and right now they just say we fix problems as needed. No proof!

 

[Sidney Vianna]

My question is, how do I handle this when I discuss with top management?

Data analytics. If you can demonstrate, with factual data, that repeated problems are detracting from the organization bottomline, top management should then understand that an effective corrective action system is a ble$$ing in di$gui$e, demanding attention to the need to prevent repeated problems.

Corrective action process, if well executed, separates the organizations that want to learn from their mistakes in order to continually improve, from the competition that keeps shooting themselves in the foot, over and over, leaking profits and reputation along the way. Of all the high performing organizations I had a chance to work with, the common element was a robust, company wide-embraced, effective corrective action process. You can't mature as an organization, if you keep making the same silly mistakes, week in, week out. It is simply dumb to operate in that fashion and like the cliche' says: Funny that we don't have the time to do it right, but, somehow, we find the time to do it twice. Or 3 times until we fix it....

However, if the organization's management is not enlightened enough to see the benefits of a business-savvy corrective action process, very little the underlings can do, other than learning transcendental meditation to deal with the daily frustrations of working in a dysfunctional place.

Good luck.

 

[Golfman25]

Re: Missing Corrective Actions - Workforce does not trigger corrective action request

Yes I think they need to get rid of it and track them another way and right now they just say we fix problems as needed. No proof!

Actually it's ok to just fix some problems. Many corrective action systems get bogged down because they get clogged with nonsensical stuff -- everything requires a full blow corrective action analysis and the paper that goes with it. People stop using it because it's a burden -- its more trouble to do the paperwork than it is to just fix the problem. What they need to do is to figure out how to limit full corrective actions to the big items. Then it will become useful. Good luck.

 

[Marc]

Re: Missing Corrective Actions - Workforce does not trigger corrective action request

Some thoughts: To Corrective Action or to not Corrective Action, that is the question

 

[normzone]

Re: Missing Corrective Actions - Workforce does not trigger corrective action request

A couple of lines from my current corrective action subroutine loop:

There is something perceived as an issue going on - does something need to be done ? If not, corrective action need not occur.

Something needs to be done - will the process be changed? If not, then only correction is required, corrective action is not.

If you're not going to change the process, the corrective action is unlikely to be effective.

And, as [Sidney Vianna] mentioned above, learn transcendental meditation to deal with the daily frustrations of working in a dysfunctional place.