The Finding
When recording non-conformances on the Fault Report Register the date when the non-conformance was closed out should be added. The effectiveness of the corrective action should be verified to prevent recurrence.
Some Context to the Finding
This minor non-conformity was assigned to an office fit out company who had implemented a basic excel spreadsheet system for tracking progress to nonconformities.
Action taken to address the finding
The action taken by this client was simply to add additional columns to the spreadsheet to ensure that there was a prompt to record the action close date.
If you feel that you would benefit from a free copy of the excel spreadsheet Nonconformity and Improvements Register that the client used to improve the potential for capturing close dates, we have made a version of the form that we supplied free to download.
In the longer term, whilst the spreadsheet provided them with somewhere to record their findings, without any interactive reminders and the personal discipline to log in to update the spreadsheet, ultimately the company decided to go a stage further and implement Mango.
Lessons to take from this finding
The immediate fix to the initial finding was quick, simple and had no cost, other than the time taken to tweak the column headers on the spreadsheet. All it needed to ensure that the finding could be closed out was the discipline of the team to ensure that the register was maintained and kept up to date.
However, despite having a simple spreadsheet, because there was no systematic approach or reminders to log in to the system, that tool was ultimately ineffective because it relied on people to remember to log in. Ultimately, that company needed a system that could take away the burden of having to remember when tasks were due.
If you're struggling to make paper or excel systems work for your compliance management, perhaps it's time to see if Mango could work for you. It's free to book a demonstration where you'll be able discuss your specific concerns.
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