Volume 6 · Issue 7 · July 2001

Contents

Page 1...

Corrective and Preventive Action: There Is a Difference

Continual improvement in the effectiveness of a QMS is specified or cited in nine clauses and subclauses of ISO 9001:2000, with Subclause 8.5.1, Improvement–Continual Improvement, devoted exclusively to this requirement. Thus, the significant difference from the 1994 versions is the emphasis placed on this outcome of maintaining a QMS. Baskar Kotte, founder and President of Quality Systems Enhancement of Roswell, GA, focuses on this requirement and explores the differences between corrective and preventive actions, and their contributions to achieving continual improvement. He argues that the corrective and preventive action system is the backbone for achieving realistic improvement of a QMS and of customer satisfaction.