This is a ready-to-use log for tracking every action arising from management review, at every tier, from the moment it is assigned to the moment it is verified closed. It is the connective tissue between meetings: a management review record is a point-in-time snapshot, this log is the running thread that proves the loop actually closes. Replace every <<FILL: ...>> placeholder with your own specifics, set your document number, and route it through your normal document control. A filled specimen follows. Verify each cited regulation against the current source before you rely on it.
Purpose
Inspectors pull the action tracker on purpose, because it is where a management review’s good intentions either survive contact with reality or quietly do not. An action that has been “in progress” for four consecutive reviews with no real evidence behind it tells the inspector the governance loop is open, no matter how polished the meeting minutes looked.
Field table
| Field | Format | Required | Who completes | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action ID | Unique ID, tied to the originating review | Yes | Coordinator | On assignment |
| Source review | Date and tier (site operational / site executive / regional / global) | Yes | Coordinator | On assignment |
| Action description | Text, specific and testable | Yes | Coordinator, from the meeting record | On assignment |
| Owner | Single named individual, not a department | Yes | Chair, at assignment | On assignment |
| Due date | Date (not “ongoing”; genuinely continuous work is classified separately) | Yes | Chair, at assignment | On assignment |
| Priority | High / Medium / Low, per the risk the action addresses | Yes | Chair | On assignment |
| Status | Open / In Progress / Overdue / Closed | Yes | Owner, updated | Continuously |
| Status change log | Date and note for each status change | Yes | Owner or coordinator | On each change |
| Evidence of closure | Reference to the CAPA number, SOP revision, validated change, or other objective record | Yes, at closure | Owner | At closure |
| Closure verified by | Name and date | Yes, at closure | Coordinator or QA | At closure |
| Reviewed again at | Next review date this action was carried into, if still open | Conditional | Coordinator | At each subsequent review |
Instructions
- Log every action the same day it is assigned; do not batch entries after the meeting.
- Assign exactly one owner per action. If two functions genuinely share the work, name the single person accountable for the outcome, not both functions.
- Set a real due date. If the item is genuinely continuous monitoring rather than a discrete action, classify it explicitly as “continuous” in the description and do not park it as a perpetual open action with a due date that keeps sliding.
- Update status with a dated note every time it changes, so the aging view reflects real progress, not just a final flip to Closed.
- At closure, record the objective evidence, not just “done.” The acceptance test: someone unfamiliar with the action should be able to follow the evidence reference and confirm the action actually happened and worked.
- Before every review, the coordinator produces an aging view (open actions sorted by how far past due they are) and feeds it back into the review as a standing input; see the parent SOP: Management Review of the PQS.
- Retain the log per the records retention schedule, for not less than
<<FILL: retention period>>.
Filled sample rows
The following shows two completed entries at different stages, so you can see the level of detail expected. Details are illustrative.
| Field | Entry (closed action) | Entry (overdue action) |
|---|---|---|
| Action ID | ACT-2026-Q1-02 | MR-2026-Q1-07 |
| Source review | 15 Apr 2026, Site B executive management review | 15 Jan 2026, Site A executive management review |
| Action description | Retrain fill-line operators on aseptic technique; verify effectiveness | Renegotiate quality agreement with Supplier X |
| Owner | L. Becker, Head of Manufacturing | D. Romano, Supply Chain Lead |
| Due date | 31 May 2026 | 01 Mar 2026 |
| Priority | High | Medium |
| Status | Closed | Overdue |
| Status change log | 20 Apr: training scheduled. 15 May: training complete. 29 May: effectiveness check (0 aseptic-technique deviations in 30 days post-training) passed. | 1 Mar: not started, escalated to Supply Chain Director. 1 Apr: draft agreement under legal review. 18 Apr: still open, re-escalated at Q2 review. |
| Evidence of closure | Training records TR-2026-0512 through TR-2026-0519; effectiveness check report EFF-2026-014 | N/A, still open |
| Closure verified by | J. Okafor, QA, 30 May 2026 | N/A |
| Reviewed again at | N/A, closed before next review | Q2 2026 review (carried, re-escalated) |
Common inspection findings this log prevents
- Actions that exist only in meeting minutes with no independent tracker, so status cannot be confirmed between meetings.
- “Closed” actions with no evidence reference, resting on “QA says it is done.”
- Actions shared between two functions with neither one actually accountable.
- An aging view that does not exist, so overdue actions are invisible until an inspector asks for the tracker directly.
- The same overdue action reappearing every quarter with no escalation, no re-baselined date, and no acknowledgment of the pattern.
How to adapt this log
- Set your document number and retention period in the header fields.
- If your organization runs a multi-site rollup, add a site/tier column so one tracker can serve every level of the escalation pyramid without losing per-site traceability.
- Integrate the “evidence of closure” field with your CAPA or change-control system’s own numbering so the reference is traceable both ways.
- Set your aging thresholds (for example, flag anything more than 30 days overdue) to match your organization’s risk tolerance.