theofficeofnilsjohansson

Corrective Action Procedure

Document No.	JDS-PRO-008
Revision	A
Date	2026-03-25
Status	APPROVED
Author	Nils Johansson

---

1. Purpose

This procedure defines how nonconformances, errors, and improvement opportunities are identified, investigated, corrected, and prevented from recurring. It satisfies ISO 9001:2015 clause 10.2 (Nonconformity and corrective action).

2. Scope

Applies to all nonconformances found in:

• Engineering deliverables (reports, drawings, models, software)
• Documentation system (JDS procedures, templates, registry)
• Project execution (missed deadlines, scope issues, client complaints)
• Audit findings (quarterly 5S audits, annual reviews)

3. Definitions

Term	Meaning
Nonconformance (NC)	Any deviation from a requirement, standard, procedure, or client expectation
Correction	Immediate action to fix the specific problem
Corrective Action	Action to eliminate the root cause so the problem does not recur
Root Cause	The underlying reason why the nonconformance occurred

4. Procedure

4.1 Identify and Record

When a nonconformance is discovered:

1. Stop — do not continue work that may compound the error
2. Record the nonconformance in a Git commit or issue:
   • What was found
   • Where it was found (document, project, deliverable)
   • When it was found
   • Who found it
   • Severity: Critical / Major / Minor

Severity definitions:

Severity	Definition	Response time
Critical	Affects safety, regulatory compliance, or client deliverable accuracy	Immediate — stop and fix before continuing
Major	Affects quality, completeness, or professional standard	Within 5 working days
Minor	Administrative error, formatting, or cosmetic issue	Next scheduled review or audit

4.2 Contain

Take immediate correction to limit the impact:

• If a document has been issued with an error → notify anyone who received it
• If an uncontrolled copy is in circulation → mark it as superseded
• If a deliverable is affected → quarantine until corrected

4.3 Investigate Root Cause

Ask why the nonconformance occurred. Use the 5 Whys method:

NC: Drawing issued with wrong material specification
Why? → The material was copied from an old drawing
Why? → The old drawing was not marked as superseded
Why? → The revision control procedure was not followed
Why? → The procedure was unclear about marking superseded drawings
Why? → The procedure lacked a specific step for this
ROOT CAUSE: Procedure gap in JDS-PRO-002

For complex issues, also consider:

• Was a template or procedure missing or unclear?
• Was training or knowledge insufficient?
• Was the workload or time pressure a factor?
• Is this a one-off or has it happened before? (Check horizontal deployment — Samsung principle)

4.4 Implement Corrective Action

Define and implement actions that address the root cause:

1. What specific action will prevent recurrence
2. Who is responsible for implementation
3. When it must be completed by
4. Evidence — how you will verify the action was effective

Common corrective actions in JDS:

Root cause type	Typical corrective action
Procedure gap	Revise the procedure (JDS-PRO-002)
Template missing/inadequate	Create or update template
Knowledge gap	Add to project Knowledge Gaps section
Checklist incomplete	Update komplekt checklist (JDS-PRO-006)
Review missed	Adjust review triggers (JDS-PRO-005)

4.5 Verify Effectiveness

After implementation, verify the corrective action works:

• Did the same or similar problem recur? (Check at next audit)
• Is the corrective action sustainable?
• Were there any unintended side effects?

Record verification in the corrective action log or as a Git commit.

4.6 Horizontal Deployment

After resolving a nonconformance, ask: “Where else could this same problem occur?”

Review other documents, projects, or processes that might have the same vulnerability. Apply preventive action where needed. This Samsung-inspired practice turns every problem into a system-wide improvement.

5. Corrective Action Log

Track all corrective actions using this format in a Git issue or markdown file:

### CA-[YYYY]-[NNN]: [Brief description]

| Field | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| **Date raised** | YYYY-MM-DD |
| **Raised by** | [Name] |
| **Source** | [Audit / Client feedback / Self-identified / Other] |
| **Severity** | Critical / Major / Minor |
| **Description** | [What was found] |
| **Root cause** | [Result of 5 Whys analysis] |
| **Correction** | [Immediate fix applied] |
| **Corrective action** | [Action to prevent recurrence] |
| **Due date** | YYYY-MM-DD |
| **Status** | Open / In progress / Closed |
| **Verified** | [Date and evidence of effectiveness] |
| **Horizontal deployment** | [Other areas checked/updated] |

For a sole-proprietor practice, a single corrective action log file (jds/registry/corrective-action-log.md) is sufficient. Create individual entries as nonconformances arise.

6. Integration with Other JDS Procedures

Procedure	Integration point
JDS-PRO-002 (Revision Control)	Corrective actions that change documents trigger a revision
JDS-PRO-005 (Review & Audit)	Audit findings feed into corrective action process
JDS-PRO-006 (Komplekt)	Missing komplekt items may be raised as nonconformances
Quality Manual §16 (Tiered Change Control)	Severity determines the change control tier
Quality Manual §17 (Knowledge Gaps)	Unknown root causes documented as knowledge gaps

7. Records

All corrective action records are retained indefinitely in the Git repository. They provide:

• Evidence of systematic problem resolution (ISO 9001:2015 clause 10.2.2)
• Input for management review (ISO 9001:2015 clause 9.3)
• A failure memory register (Indian Railways principle) consulted at project starts

---

Revision History

Rev	Date	Author	Description
A	2026-03-25	Nils Johansson	Initial release — ISO 9001:2015 clause 10.2 alignment