By getting certified, you commit yourself to a globally recognized standard with requirements for quality, safety, environment ... seen as a benchmark for transparency and reliability in the marketplace. So you want this certification process to go as smoothly as possible. You get your documents in order, you schedule an external audit, the external audit is conducted and ... identifies a deviation from the standards requirements, now what? We take you through the process of a deviation with a handy 5-step plan.
1 - Determination
A non-conformity or deviation is the failure to meet a requirement. That deviation refers to requirements set by the target standard or requirements that you yourself impose on your organization.
That result is concluded from a study - an external audit - by an authorized external party - a certification body (CB). An audit is a systematic, independent and documented process to objectively assess the extent to which audit criteria have been met (cf. ISO).
If a discrepancy is found during that audit, it does not mean you cannot obtain the certificate; however, the discrepancy must be resolved before you receive the certificate.
2 - Immediate actions
As soon as an abnormality is identified, you should here Respond quickly and appropriately. A liquid spill in your storage area hazardous materials? Clean the area and place the product in a safe place such as on drip pans. Obstruction of an extinguishing agent? Remove the obstruction. Is a helmet past its expiration date? If so, swap the helmet with a valid protective device immediately.
Notice: While it's easy not to document these situations in internal audits and simply resolve them on the spot, it's better not to. Of course, you want to eliminate the discrepancy as quickly as possible, but then you are grabbing next to the internal audit opportunity. It's better to document everything and grow from deviations than to not know where your company stands and what you need to work on.
3 - Cause analysis
The cause analysis is a problem-solving process that supports you to look beyond the solution to the immediate problem. Although the current problem can be solved in step 2, you must always ask yourself whether this solution is sufficient so that the situation will not recur. So you are going to analyze what is causing the deviation.
There is no single prescribed method for conducting a root cause analysis. Whether you use the 5-why model, the herringbone model, the 5-M model, the MUOPO model.... used, you always work from the thought of "what is the underlying cause in this?
4 - Corrective & preventive actions
Once you have a view of the factors contributing to the deviation, you establish clear and concrete corrective or preventive actions to address the deviation at its source. You talk about a corrective measure if an action needs to be taken to correct something. A preventative measure is used to prevent future potential problems.
If the deviation stems from a external audit, the corrective measures must be reviewed by the auditor. If that approves your measures, you will receive your certificate. So take the time here to create well thought out action plans that are substantiated from a root cause analysis.
5 - Tracking effectiveness
After drafting and implementing the corrective and preventive actions, you obviously need to determine whether the action has had the intended effect. You cannot immediately after implementing measures the effectiveness measures, but it is important to monitor them regularly. With graphs and dashboards, this way you always maintain an overview of the status and effect of your measures at a glance. The deviation is also an important focus for the next (external) audit which is going to take place
How does a digital tool help you do this?
With a digital system, you always maintain an up-to-date overview of your deviations - from registration to follow-up. Set identify discrepancies from internal or external audits, determinations or tours and see them appear immediately in one clear table. The software then guides you through the necessary steps in a optimized flow and allows you responsible people to be assigned per step.
Automatic reports, charts and dashboards save time and ensure that you can make immediate adjustments where necessary. This way, you will always be prepared for your next external audit and obtain your certificate without any problems!