Action items

Action items are the tasks that come out of an RCA. Every RCA needs at least one corrective action item to be completed. Once a root cause is identified, the owner creates action items and assigns them; assignees do the work and submit it for the owner's approval.

You can only add action items after the root cause has been identified — the corrective action has to address something.

Corrective vs non-corrective

Type	What it's for
Corrective	Fixes the root cause. At least one corrective action item is required to complete the RCA.
Non-corrective	A supporting or follow-up task that doesn't directly fix the root cause.

Step 1 — Create and assign an action item

The RCA owner adds action items from the investigation:

1. Select Add corrective action (or add an action item from the action-items section).
2. Fill in the details:

Field	What to enter
Description	What needs to be done.
Type	Corrective or non-corrective.
Assignee	Who does the work (optional — you can assign it later).
Due date	When it's due.
Follow-up required	Whether a follow-up is needed, and its date.

Description and due date are required.

Step 2 — The assignee does the work

The person assigned an action item:

1. Carries out the task.
2. Adds an assignee note describing what was done.
3. Uploads supporting documents as evidence.
4. Selects Submit for approval.

Step 3 — The owner approves or rejects

The RCA owner reviews the submitted action item and either:

• Approves it — the action item is done, or
• Rejects it — leaving a comment explaining what's needed. The assignee addresses the comment and resubmits for approval.

A condensed approval-progress indicator shows where each action item stands.

What's next

• Once every corrective action item is handled and the root cause is described, you can complete the RCA (Level 1) or submit it for review (Level 2).

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to do
You can't add an action item	Action items can only be added after a root cause has been identified in the investigation.
Submit for approval is unavailable	The assignee usually needs to add a note and at least one supporting document before submitting.
A rejected action item is blocking completion	The assignee must resolve the owner's rejection comment and resubmit for approval.
The RCA won't complete	Completion needs a described root cause and at least one corrective action item — a non-corrective item alone isn't enough.