Free corrective action and CAPA form
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A corrective and preventive action (CAPA) form is used to track non-conformances, audit findings, incident follow-ups and quality issues through to closure. It covers problem description, root cause analysis, immediate containment, corrective actions, preventive actions, verification and effectiveness review. This page explains what to include, how to use the template, and offers a free PDF-ready form you can download and use straight away. No sign-up required.
Last updated: 2026-04-10 · MapTrack
Commercial Director
How to use: Complete CAPA details → describe the issue → record containment actions → analyse root cause → define corrective and preventive actions → verify completion → review effectiveness → sign off → save as PDF.
- ✓ PDF-ready. Open and print to PDF
- ✓ Covers root cause, corrective, preventive and effectiveness review
- ✓ Free to use with or without MapTrack
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What is a CAPA form?
A corrective and preventive action (CAPA) form is a structured document used in quality and safety management systems to record, investigate and resolve non-conformances. It ensures that when an issue is identified - whether through an audit, incident, customer complaint, inspection or management review - the organisation follows a systematic process: describe the problem, contain the immediate risk, analyse the root cause, implement corrective actions to fix it, implement preventive actions to stop it recurring, verify completion, and review effectiveness. CAPA forms are a core requirement of ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 45001 (safety) and many industry-specific standards.
Benefits of using a CAPA form
- Systematic problem resolution: ensures every issue follows a structured path from identification to verified closure.
- Root cause elimination: the form prompts formal root cause analysis (5 Whys, fishbone, fault tree) rather than treating symptoms.
- Prevent recurrence: preventive actions address systemic weaknesses, not just the immediate issue.
- Regulatory compliance: documented CAPAs demonstrate due diligence for ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and regulatory audits.
- Accountability: every action has an owner, due date and status, creating clear responsibility.
- Continuous improvement: effectiveness reviews confirm whether actions actually worked, driving real improvement over time.
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move from paper or static PDFs to digital forms in MapTrack, you get:
- Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
- Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
- Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
- Ability to share forms digitally.
- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
Book a demo to see digital CAPA tracking with automated follow-up reminders in MapTrack.
What to include in a corrective action form
Our free corrective action form includes:
- CAPA details: reference number, date raised, raised by, department, priority (H/M/L), due date.
- Non-conformance description: detailed description of the issue.
- Source: audit finding, incident investigation, customer complaint, inspection, management review or other.
- Immediate containment actions: actions taken to contain the risk, with owner and completion date.
- Root cause analysis: method used (5 Whys, fishbone, fault tree) and root cause description.
- Corrective actions: actions to fix the root cause, with owner, due date and status.
- Preventive actions: actions to prevent recurrence, with owner, due date and status.
- Verification: verified by, date, evidence of completion, effective (Y/N).
- Effectiveness review: review date, reviewed by, issue recurred (Y/N), notes.
- Approval and signatures: raised by, approved by, closed by with dates.
How to use the CAPA form
- Complete the CAPA details - assign a reference number, record the date, who raised it, department, priority and due date.
- Describe the non-conformance or issue in detail. Select the source (audit, incident, complaint, etc.).
- Record any immediate containment actions taken to control the risk.
- Conduct root cause analysis using an appropriate method (5 Whys, fishbone diagram, fault tree analysis). Document the root cause.
- Define corrective actions to address the root cause. Assign owners and due dates.
- Define preventive actions to stop the issue recurring. Assign owners and due dates.
- Once actions are complete, verify completion and record evidence.
- Conduct an effectiveness review after an appropriate period to confirm the issue has not recurred. Close out the CAPA with signatures.
In MapTrack, you can digitise CAPA tracking with automated follow-up reminders, link actions to specific assets, and maintain a complete audit trail. Book a demo to see how.
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Back to download formWhen to raise a CAPA
A CAPA should be raised whenever a non-conformance, audit finding, incident, near miss, customer complaint or management review action requires formal tracking to closure. High-priority CAPAs (safety risks, regulatory non-conformances) should be raised immediately with short due dates. Medium-priority CAPAs (process improvements, recurring minor issues) should be raised within the current reporting period. All CAPAs should include an effectiveness review - typically 30 to 90 days after closure - to confirm the issue has not recurred.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) form?
- A CAPA form is a structured document used to record and track the resolution of non-conformances, audit findings, incidents and quality issues. It captures the problem description, root cause analysis, immediate containment actions, corrective actions (to fix the current issue), preventive actions (to stop recurrence), verification of completion and an effectiveness review. CAPA forms are a core requirement of ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety) management systems.
- What is the difference between corrective and preventive action?
- Corrective action addresses the root cause of an existing non-conformance or issue to prevent it from happening again. Preventive action identifies and eliminates potential causes of non-conformances that have not yet occurred, based on risk assessment, trend analysis or lessons learned. Both are documented on a CAPA form. For example, if a machine guard was found missing (the issue), corrective action would be to replace the guard and retrain the operator, while preventive action might be to add guard checks to the daily pre-start checklist for all similar machines.
- When should a CAPA be raised?
- A CAPA should be raised whenever a non-conformance, audit finding, incident, near miss, customer complaint, or management review action requires formal tracking to closure. Common triggers include safety incidents, equipment failures, inspection failures, quality defects, regulatory findings and customer complaints. The priority (high, medium or low) determines the urgency of the response and the due date for completion.
- Is the template free to use without MapTrack?
- Yes. You can download and use the corrective action form for free. Open the file and use your browser's Print → Save as PDF to keep a copy. No MapTrack account required. If you later want digital CAPA tracking with automated follow-up reminders and audit trails, we'd be happy to show you MapTrack.
Need digital CAPA tracking with automated follow-up reminders?
Digitise your corrective action process in MapTrack. Track CAPAs from raising to closure, get automated reminders for due dates, and maintain a complete audit trail - all from mobile.