The answer is not yes as some people might think, it is actually a "No".
Preventive action is still very much a part of ISO 9001 standard.
What used to be earlier called as CAPA (Corrective Action and Preventive Action) in ISO 9001 parlance can now be termed simply as CCA (Correction and Corrective Action).
It is also true that correction was there earlier also but was somehow not highlighted to that extent. So that way the term CCA is a welcome move as it recognizes the importance of correction.
Understanding the terms C (Correction) and CA (Corrective Action) are important at this stage.
In case of a non-conformity, at times it will be required that it be corrected especially when it is not only feasible but also crucial to ensure there is no adverse impact of the non-conformity.
A good example of above is the recall of cars sold in a particular batch by a car manufacturer. If upon analysis, the car manufacturer concludes that there is a case for it, recall will be and should be called.
Corrective action, on the other hand, pertains to what can be done to prevent the non-conformity from happening again.
In the above example of recall of cars sold in a particular batch by a car manufacturer, after the correction is decided and done with, things should not end just there.
The car manufacturer should analyze what can be done not to allow that problem to ever get reported.
And not only that, the scope of this analysis can include "similar" problems which in some sense is "preventive action" as per the 2008 version of the ISO 9001 standard.
However, that is not all that is there to preventive action in ISO 9001:2015.
The big thing is this - the whole concept of risk-based thinking is nothing but preventive action.
Risk management is about identifying what could go wrong and take proactive steps to either prevent the occurrence of what could possibly go wrong and if that is not possible, mitigate the impact when something goes wrong.
The above explanation also captures the fact the risk management is a much more elegant concept as compared to preventive action. It accepts the fact that prevention is not always possible.
In addition to that, risk handling strategy in the ISO standard recognizes risk acceptance and risk transfer as valid actions. This again is a powerful way to look at preventive action which is subsumed by risk management.
Risk acceptance is a beautiful management concept. There are instances where there is no way to handle a risk but to live with it, what someone might call as "entrepreneurial mindset".
Risk transfer is another beautiful management concept. There are instances where one would recognize the risk but instead of handling it by oneself move it to another agency for handling it.
It is clear from above that preventive action is now subsumed by risk management.
So yes, preventive action is is still very much a part of ISO 9001 standard.
Preventive action is still very much a part of ISO 9001 standard.
What used to be earlier called as CAPA (Corrective Action and Preventive Action) in ISO 9001 parlance can now be termed simply as CCA (Correction and Corrective Action).
It is also true that correction was there earlier also but was somehow not highlighted to that extent. So that way the term CCA is a welcome move as it recognizes the importance of correction.
Understanding the terms C (Correction) and CA (Corrective Action) are important at this stage.
In case of a non-conformity, at times it will be required that it be corrected especially when it is not only feasible but also crucial to ensure there is no adverse impact of the non-conformity.
A good example of above is the recall of cars sold in a particular batch by a car manufacturer. If upon analysis, the car manufacturer concludes that there is a case for it, recall will be and should be called.
Corrective action, on the other hand, pertains to what can be done to prevent the non-conformity from happening again.
In the above example of recall of cars sold in a particular batch by a car manufacturer, after the correction is decided and done with, things should not end just there.
The car manufacturer should analyze what can be done not to allow that problem to ever get reported.
And not only that, the scope of this analysis can include "similar" problems which in some sense is "preventive action" as per the 2008 version of the ISO 9001 standard.
However, that is not all that is there to preventive action in ISO 9001:2015.
The big thing is this - the whole concept of risk-based thinking is nothing but preventive action.
Risk management is about identifying what could go wrong and take proactive steps to either prevent the occurrence of what could possibly go wrong and if that is not possible, mitigate the impact when something goes wrong.
The above explanation also captures the fact the risk management is a much more elegant concept as compared to preventive action. It accepts the fact that prevention is not always possible.
In addition to that, risk handling strategy in the ISO standard recognizes risk acceptance and risk transfer as valid actions. This again is a powerful way to look at preventive action which is subsumed by risk management.
Risk acceptance is a beautiful management concept. There are instances where there is no way to handle a risk but to live with it, what someone might call as "entrepreneurial mindset".
Risk transfer is another beautiful management concept. There are instances where one would recognize the risk but instead of handling it by oneself move it to another agency for handling it.
It is clear from above that preventive action is now subsumed by risk management.
So yes, preventive action is is still very much a part of ISO 9001 standard.
