cleared for take-off
Never, ever, ever discourage someone from initiating a documented action request - EVER.
4 case scenarios:
1. The only way to determine if a request, or the subsequent fixes are justified is to do an investigation and assessment. This is most easily accomplished if someone has recorded the event for you. The justification (or otherwise) can be money, risk, likelihood, impact, etc based.
2. Internal audits. NCRs can have a negative impact on the audit program (when raised from internal audits obviously), so I get the int auditors to write out an action request for each NCR and send the audit report and all attachments to me for review and publishing. After all, I have to register the action request/s too. I can then investigate and assess the identified nonconformance and validate it. If valid, I register the Action Request and record serial number/s on the audit report. If not valid, I talk it through with the auditor, and if we're both happy, I give it the flick. This is essentially the same as '1' above, however it avoids the potential animosity towards the audit program.
NB: The QM should be the normal arbitrator in determining the validity of Action requests
3. It, and anything remotely like it, will never happen again, ever - EVER.
4. Joe has just raised his fifteenth Action Request for the week, and his boss comes to you ranting about this bloody system. Together examine the requests and determine whether they have merit, or whether they are symptomatic of something else that is wrong. You may have to talk to Joe, without his boss, to get to the truth. Either way, the requests have help idenify a problem or trend.