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Corrective Action Log Template

One Excel register for every corrective action you open, whatever the source: NCRs, customer complaints, audit findings or SCARs. The sheet works out days open, flags overdue actions against today’s date, sets the effectiveness-check date when an action closes, and summarises the whole log for management review.

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Who this template is for

Quality managers and engineers who own the corrective action process
Small and mid-sized manufacturers that track actions in a spreadsheet rather than a QMS module
Anyone preparing corrective action status for a management review or audit

When to use it

Every time you open a corrective action, from any source, so there is one list
In a weekly or monthly review of open and overdue actions
Before a management review or certification audit, to report status and effectiveness

Standards it supports

ISO 9001:2015 10.2.1 — When a nonconformity occurs, react to it, decide whether action is needed to remove the cause, implement the action and review whether it worked.
ISO 9001:2015 10.2.2 — Keep records of the nature of nonconformities, the actions taken and the results of corrective action.
IATF 16949:2016 10.2.3 — Have a documented problem-solving process covering containment, root cause, corrective action and verification of effectiveness.
IATF 16949:2016 10.2.4 — Have a documented process for deciding when to use error-proofing in corrective action.
AS9100D 10.2.1 — Adds flowing corrective action requirements down to an external provider when it is responsible, and taking specific action when corrective action is not timely or effective.
ISO 13485:2016 8.5.2 — Take corrective action without undue delay, verify it does not harm the ability to meet requirements, and record the results.

How to use this template

Set the header — enter the company and log owner, and the number of days after closure to check effectiveness. The as-of date uses TODAY() on the blank sheet.
Log each action when it opens — give it a number, the date opened, the source and its reference, and a one-line problem statement.
Add cause, action, owner and due date — fill these in once the root cause is verified. Status shows Overdue as soon as the as-of date passes the due date.
Close it — enter the date closed when the action is done. Days open stops counting and the effectiveness-check date is set.
Verify effectiveness — on or after the check date, record Yes or No and who verified it. A No means the problem came back: reopen or raise a new action.

Tip: Keep the log as an index, not the full record. The root cause analysis, evidence and approvals stay on the CAPA or 8D form; the log points to them by number.

What's inside the template

Header

Company, log owner, as-of date (TODAY()) and the effectiveness-check interval in days

Identification

CA number, date opened, source (NCR, complaint, audit, SCAR) and source reference

Problem and action

Problem statement, verified root cause, corrective action, owner and due date

Status

Date closed, with days open and Open / Overdue / Closed calculated

Effectiveness

Calculated check-due date, Effective? (Yes / No) and who verified it

Summary

Open, overdue and closed counts, average days to close, overdue effectiveness checks and actions found not effective

Example: a completed template

Example Log for Example Machining Co., a fictional job shop, as of 2026-10-15, with effectiveness checked 60 days after closure. The actions, dates and causes are invented for illustration.

Log

CA	Opened	Source	Problem	Due	Closed	Days open	Status	Check due	Effective?
CA-01	2026-06-02	NCR-311	Bore oversize on 14 housings	2026-07-15	2026-07-14	42	Closed	2026-09-12	Yes
CA-02	2026-07-20	Complaint	Wrong label on one shipment	2026-08-31	2026-08-25	36	Closed	2026-10-24	—
CA-03	2026-08-05	Internal audit	Two gauges past calibration due date in use	2026-09-30	—	71	Overdue	—	—
CA-04	2026-09-14	SCAR-07	Supplier plating thickness below spec	2026-11-15	—	31	Open	—	—
CA-05	2026-05-11	NCR-298	Burrs on cross-drilled holes	2026-06-30	2026-06-19	39	Closed	2026-08-18	—

Summary

Open / Overdue / Closed	1 / 1 / 3
Average days to close	39.0
Effectiveness checks overdue	1 (CA-05)
Found not effective	0

The math in this Example

CA-01 days open (closed): 2026-07-14 − 2026-06-02 = 42 days
CA-03 days open (still open): 2026-10-15 − 2026-08-05 = 71 days; due date 2026-09-30 has passed, so Overdue
CA-01 effectiveness check due: 2026-07-14 + 60 days = 2026-09-12
Average days to close: (42 + 36 + 39) ÷ 3 = 117 ÷ 3 = 39.0 days
CA-05 check: check due 2026-08-18 is before 2026-10-15 and Effective? is blank = counted as an overdue effectiveness check

How to fill in each field

Field	What to enter	Example
CA no.	A unique number that never gets reused. It is the link between the log and the full CAPA or 8D record.	CA-03
Date opened	The day the decision to take corrective action was made, not the day the problem first happened.	2026-08-05
Source / reference	Where it came from and that record’s number, so you can trend actions by source.	Internal audit, finding IA-26-04
Problem	One line: what was wrong, how much, where. Detail stays on the CAPA form.	Two gauges past calibration due date in use
Root cause	The verified cause, in one line. Leave it blank until it is verified rather than writing a guess.	Due-date report not reviewed when the calibration tech was absent
Action / owner / due date	The action that removes the cause, a named role and a real date.	Add backup reviewer to the calibration procedure / Quality Manager / 2026-09-30
Date closed	When the action was fully implemented. Days open stops counting and the effectiveness-check date is set.	2026-07-14
Days open / Status	Calculated: days open up to the closed date or the as-of date; Overdue when the as-of date is past the due date and the action is not closed.	71 / Overdue
Check due / Effective?	Check due is calculated from the closed date and the header interval. Enter Yes or No once you have evidence the problem has not come back.	2026-09-12 / Yes

Common mistakes

One log per source. Keep NCR, complaint, audit and supplier actions in one log so you can see total workload and repeat causes.
Closing when the action is assigned. Close only when the action is fully implemented, and enter the real date so days open is accurate.
Skipping the effectiveness check. Record Yes or No against every closed action. Overdue checks show up in the summary so they cannot be forgotten.
Moving the due date to avoid Overdue. If a due date has to change, note the original date and the reason. Repeated extensions are a finding in themselves.
Writing the symptom as the root cause. Put the verified cause from your 5 Why, fishbone or 8D, not a restatement of the problem.
Corrective action that only retrains. Retraining alone rarely removes a cause. Look for changes to the process, the instruction or the equipment, such as error-proofing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a corrective action log and a CAPA form?

The CAPA form is the full record for one action: problem, containment, root cause, action and verification. The log is the index of all of them, one line each, used to track status and report on the process.

How is Overdue calculated?

A line is Overdue when it has no closed date and the as-of date in the header is later than its due date. On the blank Template sheet the as-of date is TODAY(), so status updates each time you open the file.

How long after closing should effectiveness be checked?

Long enough for the problem to have come back if the action did not work. That depends on how often the process runs; 30 to 90 days is a common choice, and you can set it in the header. Pick a period that covers enough production to judge.

Should preventive actions go in the same log?

You can add them with their own source, such as risk review. ISO 9001:2015 handles prevention through risk-based thinking rather than a separate preventive action clause, so many shops track them in the risk register instead.

What should I report from the log at management review?

Open, overdue and closed counts, average days to close, how many actions were verified effective, and any repeat causes. The summary at the bottom of the sheet gives the first four.

Corrective Action Log Template

Who this template is for

When to use it

Standards it supports

How to use this template

What's inside the template

Example: a completed template

Log

Summary

The math in this Example

How to fill in each field

Common mistakes

Frequently asked questions

See also

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