Corrective Action Log
If you work on contracts that require earned value management as standard, you’ll be familiar with the idea of corrective actions. These are items requested, normally by the government agency you are working with, that address areas of your earned value management system that are under-performing.
Across the life of a large-scale program, you might have many corrective actions (CAs) to implement – some large, some small. The best way to keep track of what you are working on and how you have addressed the requirements is to create a log.
You probably already have logs to record issues, risks, changes, dependencies, decisions, assumptions or other key aspects of project management. A corrective action log looks very similar to these and serves the same purpose: to track open actions and ensure that enough management attention is given to them so they are resolved in a timely fashion.
What goes into a corrective action log?
The CA log should include the details of corrective action, the date it was identified, who is leading on the work to address the issue and a brief statement of how the action is being managed through to completion. Include a status column and a reference to the date closed so you can easily search for items in the log.
Other items you can include are:
- The WBS identifier
- The root cause or cause of deviation
- A description
- A CA identification number
- The owner for verification who will test and confirm that the issue is resolved, if this is different from the person leading on implementing the fix
- Last updated date.
The log entry serves as a single place to record all the different requests and what was done about them. It gives you a place to search for open items and item history, as well as making sure that action plan owners have visibility of what they are required to do.
However, the full details of the corrective action plan are likely to be stored somewhere else, especially if the work required to address the failing is substantive. You can include a field in the log that links out to the full corrective action plan document. If you write detailed corrective action reports, you can also link out to them to avoid storing the same information in two places.
If the corrective action only requires a simple fix, such as updating a record or changing a field, and there are no implications for anything else, you could put that whole plan in the log and manage it that way. Check that level of documentation would meet your contractual requirements, as sometimes you may need to create records to share with the prime contractor or client.
How to create a log
Lots of companies use a simple document or spreadsheet template, and that is the most basic way to get started. It’s also efficient, as anyone can quickly create a file and get the log started straightaway. The PMO may also have a relevant template they can share with you.
If you use project management software that allows for the creation of custom fields, you could create a table, form or report yourself within the tool. This may be a better solution if you are sharing the log with a wide group of people who all need access to it at the same time.
Monitoring progress
Update the log at least once a month to reflect latest tasks and progress towards clearing any open corrective actions.
You should have a clear plan for monitoring the work done on each corrective action, including how fixes are tested and how progress is reported. This process should run from the moment the CA is received and logged through to the point when the action is closed out as complete, and verification is received that no further work is required.
The action plans are there to address a variance to project performance and the system in which the project operates. They are there to bring the project back into control and the tolerance levels deemed appropriate by the executive leadership team.
Report progress upwards if required, so everyone has a clear view of status. This is also a good way of securing management support for the larger actions required, for example, when you need resources or budget to get remedial work done.
Benefits of a corrective action log
The top benefit we see in our clients, where we are working with them on EVM compliance, is that they can evidence the root cause of a particular action and show the steps taken to address it.
This is beneficial because it should mean that future actions do not repeat past mistakes. If the root cause has been adequately identified and resolved, new action requests should require different action.
If they do spot that a new CA request that has the same root cause as another issue documented in the log, that’s a red flag to show the root cause analysis process is not working as well as it should.
The corrective action log is another project management tool available to you, and it’s very flexible. You can start simple and add in more complexity as and when it is required – if you feel you need it.
Being able to show that you are working towards an efficient, effective, robust enterprise project management system that meets contractual requirements is all that is required.