A list of every corrective and preventive action with its source, problem, root cause, actions, owner, due date, effectiveness check and status. It is how a site keeps track of CAPAs and shows they were followed through.

What is the difference between corrective and preventive action?

Corrective action removes the cause of a problem that has happened. Preventive action removes the cause of a problem that could happen, often by applying the fix to similar parts, lines or sites.

When should a CAPA be closed?

After the actions are done and an effectiveness check, made after enough time or parts, shows the problem has not come back. If it has, the CAPA goes back to root cause.

How is the CAPA log different from the corrective action form?

The form is the full record of one CAPA, from the problem to closure. The log lists all of them in one place so you can track status, due dates and trends.

What CAPA metrics should we track?

Open CAPAs by age, late CAPAs, average days to close, the share done by their due date, CAPAs found not effective, and CAPAs by source. The Summary sheet in the Excel version counts these.

Free template

CAPA log template

A CAPA log is the list of every corrective and preventive action a site has open or has closed, in one place. It shows where each one came from, who owns it, when it is due, and whether the fix was checked and found to work. The Excel version tracks each CAPA from the source and problem through containment, root cause, corrective and preventive actions, owner and due date to the effectiveness check and closure. The status fills in (open, overdue, waiting for the effectiveness check, check overdue, not effective or closed) with days open and days late, and a Summary sheet counts CAPAs by source, the age of the open ones, the average days to close and the share of actions done by their due date. The PDF is a printable log with a monthly review sheet. For the full write-up of one CAPA, use the corrective action request form.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the CAPA log: fields for the site, keeper and period, a status key, and a table with columns for CAPA number, date opened, source, problem, containment, root cause, corrective and preventive actions, owner, due date, effectiveness check, status and closed date. — Source and typeProblem and containmentRoot causeCorrective and preventive actionsOwner and due dateEffectiveness checkStatus, days open, days lateSummary by source and age

When to use it

When to use a CAPA log

To keep every corrective and preventive action in one list, whatever it came from: complaints, audits, NCRs, suppliers or incidents.
For a weekly or monthly CAPA review, to see what is late and what is stuck.
To show an auditor or customer that each CAPA was followed through to an effectiveness check.
To see which sources keep producing CAPAs.

How to fill it in

1
Log it when it opens
CAPA number, date, source, type and a one-line problem statement.
2
Record the containment
What protects the customer now, and the date it was done.
3
Add the root cause and actions
The confirmed root cause, the corrective action that removes it, and any preventive action for similar parts, lines or sites.
4
Give it an owner and a due date
One owner per CAPA. Late CAPAs turn dark in the log.
5
Check effectiveness
When the actions are done, set a date to check the problem has not come back, then mark it effective or not.
6
Close it and review the log
Close only after an effective check. Review the Summary sheet each month.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: a month-end review of a small plant's CAPA log (illustrative numbers).

14 CAPAs logged this year: 6 from NCRs, 4 from internal audits, 3 from customer complaints, 1 from a supplier.
4 open: 2 under 30 days, 1 at 45 days and 1 at 97 days, which was late and stuck waiting on a fixture.
2 waiting for their effectiveness check, one of them past its check date.
Average days to close: 52. Actions done by their due date: 70%.

The review moved the 97-day CAPA to the plant manager to unblock the fixture spend, booked the overdue check for the next week, and asked why NCRs made up almost half the list.

Common mistakes

Closing when the action is done
A CAPA closes when the check shows the problem has not come back, not the day the action is finished.
No due dates
Without a due date nothing is ever late, and nothing moves.
Several owners
Shared ownership means nobody owns it. Give each CAPA one owner.
Root cause as a restatement
"Part out of tolerance" is the problem, not the cause. Ask why until you reach something you can fix.
A log nobody reviews
Put the log on the agenda of a regular meeting and look at the late ones first.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

In LeanSuite a CAPA is a project type with its own approval steps, root cause sections and action plan, with templates for 8D, 5-Why and Is/Is Not and a time-stamped sign-off at each 8D step.

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