3 replies to this topic

[sadean]

Hi,

I am wondering if a root cause analysis is required for every non-conformance found during an internal audit?  This is relating to the BRC scheme.

 

Thanks

[Zeeshan]

I am out of touch for long from BRC standard, but still attached to others. To my experience and to my logic, it is necessary to have RCA for every every non-conformance found during an internal audit. First, because this (internal audit) activity is itself based on sampling criteria. This means you have got only few major reflections of your many lacking. In case if you would select only a few ones for RCA, the causes behind other non conformities impact adversely on your performance, quality and food safety. Second, Internal Audit gives us an opportunity to improve as much as we can. We should avail this opportunity to dig out every non conformity to find its causes and make our system more fool proof, effective and efficient. Third and the most important, what will be your justifications to satisfy an external auditor for not doing RCA of certain non conformities?

I think, the reason behind your wonder (or worry) is probably 'a lot of nonconformities' and RCA for such a situation is not easy of course. My suggestion for it to organize your nonconformities in such a way to help you in doing RCA. For example club or group all nonconformities related to GMP/GHP's and do RCA to find out causes why your GMP/GHP's monitoring and verification systems failed to give results as expected.

[teaks]

This is true for SQF. Must have root cause for observations on internal audits (we got a minor for this on our certification audit).  We added a line in our internal audit report template so auditors would remember to do this going forward.

[Dakis]

hi there everyone.

 

Can anyone give a typical root cause analysis example for a non conformity that emerged during an internal audit?

 

Thanks in advance