hello Members
I would like to know the how Preventive Action and Continual Improvement are different from each other.

Hi Kapoor

ISO 9000 says: preventive action 'eliminates the cause of a potential nonconformity or other undesirable potential situation'.

I say: PA is anything we do to stop bad things (that haven't happened yet) ever happening.

ISO 9000 says: continual improvement is 'recurring activity to increase the ability to fulfil requirements'.

I say: CI is all the stuff we do to get better at achieving our outcomes.

Other, much finer, definitions will now follow ... :)

I think your definition is quite satisfactory, Tom...

Continual improvement: Improve what you already have...
Preventive actions: Prevent potential problems from occuring...

I might just add that preventive as well as corrective actions are part of continual improvement.

See 8.5.1:

The organization shall continually improve the effectiveness of the quality management system through the use of the qualitypolicy, quality objectives, audit results, analysis of data, corrective and preventive actions and management review.

And to add to your excellent and succinct defintions, Claes...

Continual improvement: Improve what you already have...
Preventive actions: Prevent potential problems from occuring...
Corrective actions: Prevent actual problems from reccuring...
Correction: Deal with things that are wrong...

Now, if you had written the standards... !

The most desirable mode for a company is PA. Down the road after a company has been successful at CA, then PA is the word. CA and PA are an essential part of CI. Just look at the standard.

Tom Harris said:

Now, if you had written the standards... !

Who? Me? That'll be the day :vfunny: Just the humble (usually) interpreter, me...

/Claes