Add an Issue

There are a several different ways to add an Issue into QSToolbox:

However you get there, you need to fill in the details and save the Issue, then process it with Corrective Actions.

'Member' users can add Issues, but need to be the 'Assignee' to edit an Issue (more on permissions).

(A) Add an Issue from the Issues Module

Go to the Issues module and click on “+ ADD ISSUE" at the top right of the Issue Register.

Here's a video:


(B) Add an Issue with a QR Code

To add an issue with the QR code, use the camera on your device to scan the QR code. Your phone will recognise and decode the image to bring up the 'Add Issue' form. You may need to login if you haven't done so recently on your phone. Here's more using QR codes in QSToolbox.

You might display the "Add Issue" QR code in the workshop, on a noticeboard, in company vehicles, to make it easier for people to report Issues into the system.

To get the QR code to print out for display, go the the Add Issue form and click this icon in QSToolbox:

You'll find it in the top left of the Add Issue form.

(C) Add an Issue from a Mobile Device

If you've installed QSToolbox on your phone, click the big 'Add Issue' button from the home screen:

(D) From an Asset, Contact, or Register Record

At the bottom of a saved record you'll see a button to Add an issue, which will automatically be linked to the record. The linking helps to provide context for the issue and to show actions arising from the record have been followed through. Here's the button at the bottom of a saved Asset Record:

For example, you might want to add a Maintenance Request Issue from an Asset Inspection or Service Record as shown above, or add a Supplier Issue from a Supplier Evaluation Record in the Contacts module. Audit Reports are added as a Record in the Registers module, and Audit Finding Issues added this way will be linked together with the report making the status very easy to review.

If you're adding an Issue from a record you'll see a single page simplified Issue form with only the basics.


Fill in the Details to Add an Issue

In most cases, the form you see has 3 screens to go through. The first page captures the basic details, the second page has a bunch of selection fields to categorise the issue, and the third page is where you can (optionally) upload one or more attachments.

The issue won't save into QSToolbox until you click "SUBMIT" at the end.

The fields you see on the first and second page of the form may vary depending on how your site is configured.


Issue Fields:

PAGE 1:

  • Short Summary REQUIRED: This short description is like the Issue title. This text appears in the Issue register, so keep it brief and meaningful.
  • Issue Date REQUIRED: when the Issue occurred
  • Issue Type REQUIRED: Choose which term matches your issue best. You can put all kinds of issues into Toolbox - nonconformance, safety issues, customer complaints. The list of terms can be configured by a manager user in Settings
  • Site /Business Location (required if enabled): the site or business location or entity associated with this issue. The label for this field can be changed so it might be called something else. You won't see this field if it has not been enabled (get in touch with our support team to enable or disable it)
  • Description REQUIRED: Here's where you give more information about the problem. Try to include enough details so that someone who was not involved can understand what happened.
  • Reference to an External System: enter any reference numbers such as a job number, work order, purchase order, delivery docket, your customer's NCR number, etc. so the information can be traced in the external system. In most cases it will be helpful to indicate what the number is, e.g. with a prefix like PO#123, WO#123, DD#123
  • Assignee: Who is responsible for taking the next action in resolving this issue. An issue is usually resolved over multiple steps, and the assignee can change as the issue goes through the process.
  • Due Date: when the next action should be taken by the assignee. This will put the Issue on the worklist for the assignee.

Click "NEXT" to go to page 2.

PAGE 2:

These fields are generally optional unless your site has been configured differently.

  • Supplier / Customer (optional): Select the relevant supplier for a Supplier Issue, or Customer for a Customer Complaint. Start typing in the field to see matching entries in the selection window. If this is not relevant to the kind of issue you're reporting, you can leave this empty.
  • Origin (optional or required as marked): where the issue came from or originated. e.g., a complaint about late delivery might be due to the warehouse, or transport. The label for this field can be changed so it might be called something else, and you won't see this field if it has not been enabled.
  • Fault Category (optional or required as marked): select an to further categorise the issue. The label for this field can be changed so it might be called something else, and you won't see this field if it has not been enabled.
  • Risk Rating (optional): an indication of the severity or importance of the issue. For a detailed risk assessment, link the issue to a 'Risk' in the Risks module.
  • Reported By (optional): to recognise reporting by people who don't enter them directly into QSToolbox, e.g., employees who report issues to their supervisor
  • Select Relevant Tags (optional): apply tags to categorise the issue for searching and reporting
  • Select Relevant Projects (optional): link to a project to facilitate searching & reporting

Click "NEXT" to go to page 3.

PAGE 3:

This page is only for uploading attachments, e.g. pictures, documents, files that provide more details or evidence of the problem being reported. You can drag files, click the button to browse for files, or take a photo with the camera on your device. You can select multiple files at once, or upload one by one. If you change your mind you can remove individual files before saving the issue.

Make sure you click on "SUBMIT" to save the issue into QSToolbox, regardless of whether you've uploaded files or not.

(If you don't click 'submit' on this page then the issue won't be saved at all.)


Other Issue Fields

There are a couple of fields that aren't shown in the initial "Add" step.

  • Status: issues have a workflow with several stages:
    • opened - reported but nothing done yet
    • in-progress - working on it
    • pending - implemented a solution but we don't know if it's effective yet
    • closed - verified that the solution was effective and no further action needed.

You don't need to complete 'status' when you're adding an issue because it's automatically set to "opened". In most cases you won't need to manually edit this field because it changes automatically as you add "Actions" to process the issue. You might need to edit the status to re-open an issue.

  • Root cause: a category for the root cause that's been determined for this issue. You won't know the root cause until after the 'investigation' step so you can't really fill it in with the initial report. Later, when you've uncovered the root cause, enter the data by editing the issue. Go to page 2 and select a root cause from the drop-down menu.

What happens when you save an Issue

  • An issue number will be assigned automatically.
  • The Assignee will receive a notification email.
  • If you added a due date, the issue will appear in the Assignee's worklist.
  • You and the Assignee will be added as 'followers' to the issue and will receive updates when anything changes. You can 'Unfollow' if you don't want to receive notifications for this issue
  • The Issue will open for further edits or review or perhaps to add an action describing what has already been done to "Contain the problem"

Actions

Issues are processed by adding 'Actions' to describe what has been done in response to the issue.

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