Corrective and Preventive Action

A structured quality process for identifying the root cause of a defect or nonconformance, implementing a correction, and taking steps to prevent recurrence across the product line.

Why it matters

CAPA is a mandatory process element under ISO 9001, AS9100, and FDA 21 CFR Part 820. When CAPA records are linked to PLM part revisions, teams can trace every action back to the product configuration that triggered it and verify that corrective changes made it into the released BOM.

Cite this definition

Finocchiaro, Michael. “Corrective and Preventive Action.” DemystifyingPLM PLM Glossary, 2026, https://www.demystifyingplm.com/glossary/corrective-and-preventive-action