Ineffective Corrective Actions:

For companies that are able to find the problems within their operations through outside consulting, audits, and internal evaluations, they are only halfway to a solution. After finding problems and concerns within the business itself, now you have to do something about it; and in most cases, things never get done that result in Ineffective Corrective Actions. Once issues are identified, companies tend to have the problem of following through on fixing the issues. May it be quality, production, or efficiency, problems occur on a daily basis and many get swept under the rug of procrastination. There is no doubt that these issues are serious and can lead to larger, more widespread effects that could potentially bring down the entire organization. 

Where Companies Fall-off

So, why don’t companies develop effective corrective actions? What causes people to become ineffective after they’ve completed the first step of identification? 

The universal truth is that people get busy. A reason that these things are never resolved is that management has no real commitment to fix the problems. It is a fact that people have things arise in their professional lives that have a much higher priority on a daily basis that will overtake the issues lying below the stack of current issues. As the stack gets bigger and bigger, so do the underlying problems that aren’t being solved. 

Keep Pushing

If management gets as far as beginning to solve the problem, they usually get caught up with solving the problem that they don’t find the root cause of the issue in the first place. There are many issues that arise on a daily and weekly basis in which you can solve quickly and effectively in the short term, but it is very easy to overlook the underlying issues that could possibly be spinning off the other issues that arise in your company. 

Lastly, and most simply, there is no clear cut plan or process to fix the underlying issues within a business. Many corrective actions are not taken because once the consultant left the building, the company went straight back to the normal flow of things. To be able to make a lasting impact, an organization will need to carefully document the problem, possible solutions, and layout a plan to follow/ implement on a regular basis. Being able to interrupt an old bad habit immediately will interrupt the flow of bad habits and allow the new, better habits to take place within an organization.