In the CAPA process, which step directly follows the root cause analysis?

• A. Implement corrective action and verify effectiveness
• B. Repeat the incident
• C. Blame individuals
• D. Ignore the issue

Answer: (A)

In CAPA, once you’ve identified the underlying causes, the next step is to implement corrective actions and verify their effectiveness. This means putting in place specific changes designed to eliminate the root causes—such as process changes, new controls, training, or revised procedures—and then collecting evidence (monitoring results, metrics, audits) to confirm that these actions actually prevent recurrence. Verification is essential to ensure the fix works in practice and to determine if further actions are needed.

Why the other options aren’t appropriate: repeating the incident doesn’t address the root causes or prevent recurrence; blaming individuals focuses on people rather than the process and misses systemic improvements; ignoring the issue fails to correct the nonconformity and allows risk to persist.