Action Plans and Follow-Up Tasks

Overview

Action Plans in the Non-Conformance Management application for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provide a structured approach to resolving quality issues. An Action Plan defines the corrective and preventive actions required to address a non-conformance, assigns responsibilities to specific users, and tracks progress until completion.

For Food & Beverage organizations, Action Plans are essential for:

  • Ensuring systematic resolution of quality deviations
  • Assigning clear responsibilities to team members
  • Tracking corrective action progress against deadlines
  • Maintaining audit trails for regulatory compliance (GFSI, FDA, EU requirements)
  • Integrating with Business Central’s User Tasks for workload management

Each non-conformance can have one Action Plan, which contains multiple action lines representing individual tasks to be completed.

When to Use This Feature

Use Action Plans when you need to:

  • Define Corrective Actions: Specify the steps required to address a quality issue (e.g., investigation, root cause analysis, corrective measures)

  • Assign Responsibilities: Distribute tasks among team members based on their roles (Quality, Production, Logistics, etc.)

  • Track Deadlines: Set estimated completion dates for each action and monitor the overall Action Plan due date

  • Integrate with User Tasks: Automatically create User Tasks in Business Central that appear in assigned users’ task lists

  • Document Resolution: Maintain a complete record of who completed each action and when

  • Support Compliance: Provide evidence of corrective action management for audits and inspections

Prerequisites

Before working with Action Plans:

  1. Non-Conformance Setup: Ensure number series are configured for Action Plans and Action Plan Templates

  2. User Roles: Create role codes (e.g., QUALITY, PRODUCTION, LOGISTICS) in the User Roles page

  3. Responsibility Setup: Configure the Non-Conformance Responsibility Setup to map roles to specific users

  4. Action Plan Templates (Optional but recommended): Create templates for common corrective action workflows

  5. Permission Sets: Users need the Non-Conformance Mgt - Basic permission set to work with Action Plans

Setup Instructions

Setting Up User Roles

User Roles represent departments or functions responsible for action items.

  1. Choose the Search icon, enter User Roles, and select the related link.
  2. Create role codes for your organization:
Role Code Description
QUALITY Quality Assurance Team
PRODUCTION Production Department
LOGISTICS Logistics/Warehouse Team
PURCHASING Purchasing Department
SALES Sales Department
MANAGEMENT Management Team

Setting Up Responsibility Setup

The Responsibility Setup links User Roles to specific users for automatic task assignment.

  1. Choose the Search icon, enter Non-Conformance Responsibility Setup, and select the related link.
  2. Create entries for each combination of Non-Conformance Type, Entity, and Role:
Non-Conformance Type Entity No. Role Responsible User
Customer (blank) QUALITY QUALITYMGR
Customer (blank) SALES SALESMGR
Vendor (blank) QUALITY QUALITYMGR
Vendor (blank) PURCHASING PURCHMGR
Vendor VEND001 QUALITY QUALITYSPEC1
Internal (blank) QUALITY QUALITYMGR
Internal (blank) PRODUCTION PRODMGR

Note: When Entity No. is blank, the setup applies to all entities of that type. Specific entity entries take precedence over blank entries.

Creating Action Plan Templates

Templates define standard corrective action workflows that can be reused.

  1. Choose the Search icon, enter Action Plan Templates, and select the related link.

  2. Choose New to create a template.

  3. Complete the header:

    • Code: Automatically assigned or enter manually
    • Type: Select the non-conformance type (Customer, Vendor, Internal, Transport)
    • Description: Describe the template purpose (e.g., “Standard Vendor Quality Investigation”)

  4. Add template lines with standard actions:

Description Function Max. Action Plan Time
Initial Investigation QUALITY 1D
Root Cause Analysis QUALITY 3D
Corrective Action Implementation PRODUCTION 5D
Verification of Effectiveness QUALITY 2D
Documentation and Closure QUALITY 1D
  1. Link to Sub-Categories: Open Non-Conformance Sub-Categories and assign the template code to relevant sub-categories for automatic selection.

Using Action Plans (Daily Operations)

Creating an Action Plan from a Non-Conformance

Automatic Creation (Recommended):

  1. Open the Non-Conformance Card.
  2. Ensure a Sub-Category is selected (required for action plan creation).
  3. Choose Create and Assign Action Plan from the action bar.
  4. The system checks if the Sub-Category has a linked Action Plan Template:
    • If template exists: The Action Plan is created automatically with all template lines copied.
    • If no template: The “Assign Action Plan” page opens for manual template selection.
  5. A confirmation dialog asks if you want to open the new Action Plan.
  6. User Tasks are automatically created and assigned based on the Responsibility Setup.

Manual Creation:

  1. If no template is linked to the Sub-Category, the “Assign Action Plan” page opens.
  2. Select a template from the list (filtered by the Non-Conformance Type).
  3. Choose OK to create the Action Plan from the selected template.
  4. Alternatively, choose New Action Plan to create a blank Action Plan for manual configuration.

Working with the Action Plan Card

The Action Plan Card displays:

Header Section:

  • No.: Unique Action Plan number
  • Non-Conformance No.: Link to the related non-conformance
  • Non-Conformance Type: Inherited from the non-conformance (read-only)
  • Description: Action Plan description
  • Status: Current status (New, In Progress, Completed)
  • Due Date: Overall deadline calculated from the latest action line

Lines Section: Each line represents a specific action item with the following fields:

Field Description
Description The action to be performed
Function The responsible user role
Max. Action Plan Time Date formula for expected duration (e.g., 1D, 3D, 1W)
Estimated Date to Complete Calculated completion date based on Max. Action Plan Time
Completion Duration (hours) Expected effort in hours (for analysis)
Assigned User Task Indicates if a User Task is linked
Assigned User Task To The user assigned to the task
Is Completed Checkbox to mark the action as done
Completion Date Automatically set when completed
Completed By User who completed the action
Comments Additional notes about the action

Assigning User Tasks

User Tasks integrate Action Plans with Business Central’s task management system.

Automatic Assignment: When creating an Action Plan from a template, User Tasks are automatically created and assigned based on the Responsibility Setup.

Manual Assignment:

  1. Open the Action Plan Card.
  2. Choose Assign User Tasks from the action bar.
  3. The system:
    • Deletes any existing uncompleted User Tasks for the Action Plan
    • Checks the Responsibility Setup for each line’s Function
    • Creates new User Tasks assigned to the configured users
  4. A success message confirms task creation.

User Task Details:

  • Title: Action Plan number
  • Description: Action line description
  • Assigned To: User from Responsibility Setup
  • Object: Links to the Action Plan List page

Completing Action Lines

To mark an action as completed:

  1. Open the Action Plan Card.
  2. In the Lines section, find the action to complete.
  3. Check the Is Completed checkbox.
  4. The system automatically:
    • Sets the Completion Date to the current date/time
    • Sets Completed By to the current user
    • Marks the related User Task as 100% complete
    • Updates the Action Plan Status:
      • If all lines are completed → Status changes to “Completed”
      • If some lines remain → Status changes to “In Progress”

Important: Once a line is marked as completed, it cannot be uncompleted. This ensures audit trail integrity.

Action Plan Status Flow

  • New: Initial status when Action Plan is created
  • In Progress: At least one line is completed, but others remain
  • Completed: All lines are marked as completed

Viewing User Tasks

Assigned users can view their tasks through:

  1. Role Center: The “Pending User Tasks” cue tile shows the count of pending tasks
  2. User Task List: Choose the Search icon, enter User Tasks, and view assigned tasks
  3. Action Plan Line: Click the Assigned User Task field to open the User Task Card

Deleting Action Plan Lines

  • Lines that are not completed can be deleted
  • If a line has an assigned User Task, you will be prompted to confirm deletion (the User Task will also be deleted)
  • Completed lines cannot be deleted to maintain audit trail integrity

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Customer Complaint Workflow

A customer reports receiving damaged products. The quality team follows a standard investigation process.

  1. Create Non-Conformance: Quality Manager creates a non-conformance with:

    • Source Type: Customer
    • Category: QUALITY
    • Sub-Category: PRODUCT-DAMAGE (linked to “Customer Investigation” template)

  2. Create Action Plan: Choose Create and Assign Action Plan. The system:

    • Creates Action Plan AP-00015
    • Copies 5 lines from the template
    • Assigns User Tasks to configured users

  3. Execute Actions:

    • Day 1: Quality Specialist completes “Initial Investigation”
    • Day 3: Quality Specialist completes “Root Cause Analysis”
    • Day 5: Production Manager completes “Corrective Action Implementation”
    • Day 7: Quality Specialist completes “Verification of Effectiveness”
    • Day 8: Quality Manager completes “Documentation and Closure”

  4. Closure: When the last line is completed, the Action Plan status changes to “Completed”, allowing the Non-Conformance to be closed.

Scenario 2: Vendor Quality Issue with Specific Assignment

A key vendor (VEND001) delivers non-compliant raw materials. Due to the vendor’s importance, a specialized quality specialist handles all issues.

  1. Setup: Responsibility Setup includes:

    • Vendor | VEND001 | QUALITY | QUALITYSPEC1

  2. Create Non-Conformance: Against vendor VEND001 with Sub-Category linked to “Vendor Investigation” template.

  3. Create Action Plan: User Tasks are assigned to QUALITYSPEC1 specifically, not the general quality manager.

  4. Task Notification: QUALITYSPEC1 sees the pending tasks in their User Task list and Role Center cue.

Scenario 3: Manual Action Plan Creation

An unusual internal quality issue requires custom corrective actions not covered by existing templates.

  1. Create Non-Conformance: Internal type with Sub-Category not linked to any template.

  2. Create Action Plan:

    • “Assign Action Plan” page opens
    • Choose New Action Plan to create a blank plan

  3. Add Custom Lines:

    • Line 1: “Emergency containment” - PRODUCTION - 1D
    • Line 2: “Laboratory analysis” - QUALITY - 2D
    • Line 3: “Process review meeting” - MANAGEMENT - 3D
    • Line 4: “Implement process change” - PRODUCTION - 5D

  4. Assign Tasks: Choose Assign User Tasks to create tasks for each line.

Troubleshooting

No Responsible User Found

Symptom: Message “No responsible User found for Entity X, Role Y” when assigning tasks.

Resolution:

  • Open Non-Conformance Responsibility Setup
  • Add an entry for the Non-Conformance Type and Role combination
  • Either specify the exact Entity No. or leave blank for all entities
  • Ensure a Responsible User is assigned

Cannot Complete Action Line

Symptom: Error when trying to check “Is Completed” checkbox.

Resolution:

  • Check that the Action Plan is not already in “Completed” status
  • Verify you have appropriate permissions
  • Ensure the line is not already completed (completed lines show grey/disabled)

Action Plan Already Assigned

Symptom: Message “Action Plan X is already assigned to this Non-Conformance” when creating.

Resolution:

  • Each non-conformance can only have one Action Plan
  • Open the existing Action Plan and add more lines if needed
  • If the existing plan was created in error, delete it first (only possible if no lines are completed)

Cannot Delete Action Plan Line

Symptom: Error “Completed Action Plan Lines cannot be deleted.”

Resolution:

  • Completed lines are protected for audit trail integrity
  • If the action was completed in error, document the issue in the Comments field
  • Create a new line for any additional corrective actions needed

Template Not Found

Symptom: Message “The Action Plan Template linked to this Sub-Category could not be found.”

Resolution:

  • The template code in the Sub-Category may be invalid
  • Open Non-Conformance Sub-Categories and verify or update the template link
  • Select a template manually from the “Assign Action Plan” page

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I have multiple Action Plans for one Non-Conformance?

A: No. Each non-conformance can have only one Action Plan. If you need additional actions, add more lines to the existing Action Plan.

Q: What happens to User Tasks when I delete an Action Plan?

A: When deleting an Action Plan, the system checks for assigned User Tasks. If any exist on incomplete lines, you’ll be prompted to confirm deletion. Completed lines cannot be deleted.

Q: Can I reassign a User Task to a different user?

A: Yes. Use the Assign User Tasks action on the Action Plan Card. This will delete existing uncompleted User Tasks and create new ones based on the current Responsibility Setup.

Q: How is the Action Plan Due Date calculated?

A: The Due Date is automatically set to the latest “Estimated Date to Complete” among all action lines. It updates when lines are added or modified.

Q: Can I edit a completed Action Plan?

A: No. Once an Action Plan reaches “Completed” status (all lines completed), the lines become read-only. This ensures audit trail integrity.

Q: How do I track time spent on actions?

A: Use the “Completion Duration (hours)” field to record estimated effort. This is for analysis purposes and does not affect task assignment or completion.

Q: What if my organization doesn’t use templates?

A: Templates are optional. You can create blank Action Plans and add lines manually. However, templates improve consistency and save time.

Permissions Required

Permission Set Action Plans Access
briNCM_Basic Create, edit, and complete Action Plans and lines. Assign User Tasks. Read-only access to templates.
briNCM_Setup Full access including creating and modifying Action Plan Templates.

Versions & Support

Minimum Supported Versions:

  • Non-Conformance Management App: Version 26.0.0.0
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: Version 26.0 (2025 Release Wave 1)

Support:

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Last updated on Jan 26, 2026