Write a corrective action plan for a recurring quality problem
A CAPA plan that contains the problem, finds the root cause, fixes it, and proves the fix worked.
The prompt
Help me write a corrective and preventive action (CAPA) plan.
The problem: [WHAT - e.g. "mislabeled cartons", "wrong orders shipped", "dimension out of tolerance"]
How often and how we know: [DATA - occurrences, rate, trend, how it was detected]
Impact: [customer complaints, returns, rework cost, compliance]
What we've already tried: [PREVIOUS FIXES]
Process involved: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OR STEPS]
Structure the plan:
1. Problem statement: what, where, when, how much - one precise paragraph (no causes yet).
2. Containment: how we protect customers right now (inspect, quarantine, sort), with an end condition.
3. Root cause analysis: walk through 5 Whys and a fishbone (people, method, machine, material, measurement, environment). Show which causes are confirmed by data and which still need verifying [VERIFY].
4. Corrective actions: fix the confirmed root cause; owner and date for each.
5. Preventive actions: where else could this happen (other lines, products, sites)?
6. Verification: what measure and time window will prove the fix worked, and the target.
7. Standardize: what documents, training, or checks change.
Point out if earlier fixes treated a symptom rather than the cause. Don't invent data; use [ADD] where numbers are missing.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Projects & Operations prompts
What to fill in
- DATA - occurrences, rate, trend, how it was detected
- customer complaints, returns, rework cost, compliance
- PREVIOUS FIXES
- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OR STEPS
- ADD
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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