First, select the “type” of CAR you will be creating.
What are CAR types? CAR is an acronym for “Corrective Action Report” - a report of measures taken to address root causes of non-conformances to prevent recurrence of issues.
‘CAR type’ indicates the type of investigation or action taken to address the non-conformance or potential for non-conformance.
The default CAR types for Cetec ERP are: Corrective Action and Preventative Action.
To add, delete, or customize these, click the add / edit CAR types link, or head to Admin » Maintenance » Data Maintenance » CARType.
CREATE A NEW CAR / PAR FROM AN EXISTING NCR
CARs may be generated from and attached to existing NCRs in the Material Review Board (MRB) and Management states of the NCR workflow.
CAR TRACKING & REVISION HISTORY
Cetec ERP will track the movement of a CAR as it is modified and routed through the various departments and assignments in your workflow. To view this history, scroll to the bottom of your CAR history and observe all states, assignments, users, and operational times associated to work performed on the CAR.
Attach files and documents to any CAR - the files will be stored in the particular case you attach them to for future access with complete revision control.
Is there a list of all system CARs in one spot? Yes - this is the CAR list. This is also where you may search for a CAR in the system. Search and filter by:
- CAR Number
- CAR Title
- CAR Type
- CAR Source
- Resolution
- Assignment
To search and filter across all open and closed CARs in your system, just flip the ‘status’ toggle on the search filters on the CAR list.
CAR PROCESS EXPLAINED
A CAR is an active, controlled document routed along multiple personnel in a company, evolving and growing in detail along the way. Cetec ERP contains a default workflow for how CARs may be routed (i.e. what ‘steps’ or ‘states’ they make take) throughout the company. The default workflow states for CARs are as follows: State 1 (Creation), State 2 (Review), State 3 (Validation), and State 4 (Closure). The type of information collection required depends on which state you are in: for instance, at State 1 (Creation), theuser collects CAR summary information, performs root cause analysis, and links to the NCR which the CAR is addressing. Actual process changes and corrective/preventative actions are determined and assigned to personnel at State 2 (Review), CAR review and resolution types are set at State 3 (Validations), and the CAR is closed out at State 4 (Closure). The default workflow is constructed to offer some flexibility bypassing or returning to states at certain points.
HEADER INFORMATION
- CAR Type
- CAR Title
- CAR Source
- Identified
- Assigned To
- Initiated By [username] - this is autopopulated.
- Involved Parties
- Issue
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
What is Root Cause Analysis?
-
It may only be edited in State 1 (Creation) of the CAR process.
-
Add additional issue:
- Why it happened? (sub cause)
- Why it escaped? (sub cause)
Once an actual, bottom-line root cause is determined, add it to the CAR. To do so, click “add root cause to issue”. Cetec ERP contains numerous default values for root cause type. If no default root cause types apply to your situation, you may add/edit root cause types. Click here for more information on how to edit root cause types.
ASSOCIATED NCRs
Tie the CAR to an existing NCR by searching for open NCRs in the NCR database.
CAR DOWNLOAD / PRINT / DELETE / UPDATE
At any point during the CAR filing and routing process, the report may be downloaded (into a zip file or a PDF), printed out on paper, or deleted. To save any edits to the CAR, just click “Update”.
Next Steps: send to the CAR Review state.
In this state, the user reviews existing CAR information and makes a determination regarding what corrective or prevantive action to employ to address the non-conforming issue at hand and to whom this responsibility will be assigned. To perform this, execute the following steps:
- Click to select “Add Action”
- Click “Update” at the far bottom right. This will add an action.
- Give the Action a ‘Name’, assign it to someone, include the date it was assigned, and eventually you’ll include the date the action was completed (if applicable).
- Write a description of the action to be taken, and click “Update” at the far bottom right.
Note: at any time, you may remove a corrective action from a CAR by selecting “Drop” at the far right and clicking “Update”.
Next Steps: send to the CAR Validation state.
In this state, the user reviews existing CAR information and determines ‘how’ to resolve the CAR before closing it. This is set using the ‘Resolution’ select box. Make a selection for which ‘type’ of resolution you would like to close the CAR with, and send to the CAR closure state to close it out. To add or edit Resolution types, head to Admin » Maintenance » Data Maintenance » CARResolutionTypes.
Next Steps: send to the CAR Close state to close the CAR.
Closing a CAR logs it in the system (retaining all of its details, attached files and documents, and assignment history). The CAR will remain logged and searchable in the system as “closed”
To re-open an NCR, just go to the workflow section at the top right of the screen and click “Re-Open”. This will always reopen the CAR into State 3 (Validation) for further review and analysis.