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Module 7 of 7 · ISO 9001 · Clause 10

Improvement

The final clause closes the PDCA circle: what happens when something fails, and how that experience turns into a better system, not just a signed piece of paper.

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Improvement as an intended outcome

The organization must determine and select improvement opportunities and implement the actions needed to meet customer requirements and enhance satisfaction, not just react when something goes wrong.

Nonconformity and corrective action

When a nonconformity is found —including a complaint— you must react, evaluate whether the root cause should be eliminated so it does not recur, implement the action, review its effectiveness, and update risks and opportunities if needed.

Continual improvement

The results of analysis and evaluation, together with the outputs of management review, are used to confirm which areas of poor performance or opportunities should feed into the system's continual improvement.

What an auditor usually asks for

  • A nonconformity log that records root cause, not just the immediate fix
  • Documented verification that the corrective action was effective
  • A link between repeated nonconformities and updates to the risk map
  • A continual-improvement plan with concrete actions, beyond "keep doing the same"

How to cover improvement in Kimobox

  1. 1Open every nonconformity with a mandatory root cause, not just the immediate fix.
  2. 2Assign the corrective action to an owner and a date, and let the system flag it if it runs late.
  3. 3Verify the action's effectiveness at a later date, recorded within that same nonconformity.
  4. 4Turn repeated nonconformities into an automatic entry on the risk map.

Every nonconformity stays linked to its cause, its action and its effectiveness check, with no one chasing anyone by email.

See nonconformities and corrective actions in Kimobox

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

  1. ISO 9001:2015 — Quality management systems. Requirements ISO · 2015 ed., with Amd 1:2024
  2. ISO 9000:2015 — Fundamentals and vocabulary ISO · 2015 ed.
  3. ISO 19011:2018 — Guidelines for auditing management systems ISO · 2018 ed.