Completing Your Corrective Action
To jump to a particular item, use the links below:
Selecting the type of Corrective Action
Completing Adminstrative Information
Contact Information
Describing the Reason for Rejection
Stating How Containment Was Acheived
Establishing Root Cause
Stating Corrective Action
Review and Submit Your Response
How Will My Response Be Reviewed?
Step One: Select the Type of Corrective Action
There are three basic types of corrective actions:
1) Vendor Material Review Record (VMRR) - Whenever a supplier submits a VMRR with material that has not yet been received by Woodward HRT, a corrective action is required. Use this selection whenever a Quality Notification (QN) has not yet been issued.
2) Supplier Response to a Quality Notification (QN) - If you are a supplier responding to a request for corrective action from Woodward HRT, this is the correct selection. The email that you received will contain the basic administrative information required to get started.
3) Internal Quality Notification (QN) - If this is an internal corrective action at Woodward HRT, this is the correct selection. Suppliers should not use this option.
Step Two: Administrative Information
In order to process your corrective action and to maintain traceability, the following information will be required:
1) VMRR or QN Number - Depending on the type of response (see above) you will be asked for a VMRR Number (containing a V followed by 4 digits) or a QN Number (a 2 followed by 8 digits).
2) Item Number - Since a QN or VMRR can contain multiple line items requiring independent corrective actions, an item number is required to maintain traceability. The item numbers are contained in the VMRR you have completed or in the email requesting corrective action.
3) Supplier or Department Name - You will need to enter your company's name or the department you work in. For suppliers, this field is a secondary confirmation of the vendor code, which will be used to ensure traceability and to support trend analysis
4) Vendor Code - Suppliers Only - The vendor code is a required field that generally contains 6 digits. (sometimes the vendor code includes alphanumerics and dash numbers)
5)Purchase Order - Suppliers Only - A purchase order number is required. It contains 10 digits, including '45' at the beginning.
Step Three: Contact Information
The contact person for the response is responsible for any follow up or traceability / audit activity. In the event that further information is required, Woodward HRT will use this information:
1) Name - This is the name of the contact person for this response. This name is not necessarily the same as the primary contact person for quality related issues.
2) Phone Number - Please enter the complete ten digit phone number of the primary contact person. For internal responses, only the four digit extension is required.
3) Email Address - Suppliers Only - Provide the email address for the primary contact person.
Step Four: Rejection Information
The purpose of this page is to summarize the rejection information that came from your investigation and from the information summarized in the request for corrective action or the VMRR:
1) Part Number - This number is the unique identifier for the item in question. It originates from the Woodward HRT drawing(s) and associated documents or from the standard(s) or specification(s) associated with the purchase order in question.
2) Description - The part description is often found on the drawing or specification. It is a secondary field used in conjunction with the part number, above.
3) Reason for Rejection - This field should contain the UPDATED statement of why the part was rejected. If your investigation has uncovered additional information, use this field to add it to the original reason for rejection stated on the QN, VMRR, or emailed request.
4) Characteristic - This field is used to classify the characteristic into a particular family in order to support trend analysis. Pick the one that best applies.
5) Defect Family - The defect family summarizes the failure mode associated with characteristic in question. These fields are used for defect trend analysis in conjunction with the part number, vendor code, and department name fields.
Step Five: Containment Summary
Your investigation should have originated with an attempt to identify the extent to which the non-conformance in question has spread throughout your processes. In order to document the actions taken to ensure the problem was contained, the following fields are required:
1) Rejected Quantity - This is the original quantity noted on the request or on the VMRR.
2) Rejections Contained (Y/N) - Select whether or not the quantity noted above includes all of the population subject to the stated non-conformance.
3) Containment Statement - This field closes the loop on the statements from 1, 2 above. If the original quantity is the total quantity, state how this was established. (inspection, process dictated, root cause analysis, et cetera) If the actual quantity exceeds the original quantity, state how the additional rejects were isolated and reviewed as part of the root cause and corrective action analysis.
Step Six: Statement of Cause
In order to implement an effective corrective action, root cause must be thoroughly understood. It is expected that your investigation will originate with a direct or immediate cause and that your analysis will enable you to uncover the root cause. The Apollo Process, the 5 Why's, FMEA's, and Cause & Effect Diagrams are all acceptable ways to drive from the direct cause to the root cause of the problem. Sometimes, a family of causes may need to be addressed in order to ensure effective corrective action, so multiple items may be identified and multiple codes may be selected:
1) Direct Cause - State the direct cause. (tool breakage, operator error, missing document, lightning bolt, etc.)
2) Contributing Cause - State the contributing cause(s). (lack of oversight, environmental factors, insufficient controls, etc.)
3) Root Cause - State the root cause. (systemic driver, such as ineffective planning / procedure / training, lack of mistake proofing, design error, etc.)
4) Cause Code(s) - Select up to 5 cause codes associated with the analysis from your statement above.
For additional assistance with your root cause analysis, check out our TOOL KIT
Step Seven: Corrective Action
Based on the root cause analysis, one or more actions will be taken to ensure that the defect does not ever occur again:
1) Statement of Corrective Action - State the actions that will be taken and what cause(s) they address.
2) Corrective Action Code(s) - Select up to 5 codes that summarize the nature of the actions taken.
3) Effectivity - State the point in time at which each of the actions will be taken. Time can be measured by date, serial number, et cetera. For complex issues, a schedule may be required to summarize the key elements of the action plan.
4) Recurrence Prevention - State the actions that follow up on the implementation plan for the corrective action(s). This should include any control plan elements, audit schedules, et cetera.
Step Eight: Review Your Response
Use this screen to review your responses. If you need to go back and adjust anything, user your browser buttons to return to the screen in question. BE SURE TO CLICK "SUBMIT". YOUR RESPONSE IS NOT RECEIVED UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION SCREEN.
How Will My Response Be Reviewed?
While all the elements in a response are required and important, the key elements that the Corrective Action Board at Woodward HRT will focus on are as follows:
4.3) Rejection Description - The information in the description of the reason for rejection should affirm that the condition was verified and that the supplier performed the analysis and inspection required to confirm and to understand the problem.
5.3) Containment Statement - Regardless of whether or not the defects extend beyond the original quantity stated, this field must clearly identify what was done to identify the population in question. When the corrective action is stated, it should clearly establish the actions taken for each family contained and the effectivities should reinforce that the total population is accounted for. Where the defective population extends beyond the original rejected quantity it is imperative that all part numbers impacted by the process in question are identified and that there is a clear plan to communicate the problem to all potentially affected parties.
6.2) Cause Statement - The cause statement should summarize the analysis that has already been completed. It should start with the immediate or direct cause and clearly state how the root cause was established. If there are multiple causes, there should be multiple items listed here. If you are in doubt, use the toolkit or review the cause codes to get perspective on what an acceptable root cause looks like.
A direct or immediate cause might include issues like:
-Operator Error
-Incorrect Tooling
-Procedure Errors
-Incorrect Revision Level
-Machine Break Down
A root cause generally has the following characteristics:
-It is a statement of fact; asking "why" may not be a meaningful question
-It does NOT repeat the reason for rejection
-It is NOT a way to explain away a failure mode
-It is a condition or an event that must exist for the failure mode to manifest itself
7.1) Statement of Corrective Action - Based on the root cause analysis, one or more actions will be taken. For each item, the action should be clearly stated. If it is not inherently obvious how the action prevents the cause from recurring, state the relationship. Detail is critical... DO NOT state "procedure was updated"; DO state "Document 12345, paragraph 3.1.1 was updated from "ensure proper engagement between fixture and part" to "use a .005 inch feeler gage to ensure full engagement of the part with fixture number 98765" as part of Revision B, on 12/11/2001."
7.3) Effectivity - Effectivity must be clearly stated and must closely coincide with the containment and cause statements noted above. It is absolutely critical that Woodward HRT can establish that the entire population was identified, corrected, and tracked in a manner that ensures only acceptable product has entered our facility.
7.4) Recurrence Prevention - In order to close this issue, a control element must be clearly stated. Implementation does not ensure effectiveness. Woodward HRT needs to know that you will be monitoring your actions to ensure that the analysis and action plan were effective and encompassed the full problem.