Continual Improvement Under ISO 9001

ISO 9001 Clause 10 - Improvement Overview

Clause 10 closes the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle by requiring the organisation to act on what it learns. The clause covers continual improvement of the management system and the structured response to nonconformities through corrective action. The clause splits into three sub-clauses, each covered in its own article below.

Sub-clauses of ISO 9001 Clause 10

Clause 10.1 - General requires the organisation to determine and select opportunities for improvement and to implement any necessary actions to meet customer requirements and enhance customer satisfaction.

Clause 10.2 - Nonconformity and Corrective Action requires the organisation to react to nonconformities, evaluate the need for action to eliminate their causes, implement corrective action, review its effectiveness and update the management system as needed.

Clause 10.3 - Continual Improvement requires the organisation to continually improve the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the QMS using the results of analysis, evaluation and management review.