What does CAPA stand for in quality management?

What does CAPA stand for in quality management?

• A. Corrective and Preventive Action
• B. Corrective and Preventive Assessment
• C. Comprehensive Action Plan and Audit
• D. Corrective and Performance Analysis

Answer: (A)

CAPA stands for Corrective and Preventive Action. It’s a structured approach used in quality management to address issues by fixing what happened and preventing it from happening again. Corrective action targets problems that already occurred, leading you to uncover the root cause and implement changes—such as process controls, training, or equipment adjustments—to prevent recurrence. Preventive action looks at potential risks before they cause trouble, putting controls in place to reduce the chance or impact of those risks. A typical CAPA process includes detecting a nonconformity, performing root-cause analysis, selecting and implementing actions, verifying their effectiveness, and documenting the results. Standards like ISO 9001 often require this kind of integrated corrective and preventive work. The other options use different terms (Assessment, Audit, or Performance Analysis) and don’t align with the established meaning of CAPA.

CAPA stands for Corrective and Preventive Action. It’s a structured approach used in quality management to address issues by fixing what happened and preventing it from happening again. Corrective action targets problems that already occurred, leading you to uncover the root cause and implement changes—such as process controls, training, or equipment adjustments—to prevent recurrence. Preventive action looks at potential risks before they cause trouble, putting controls in place to reduce the chance or impact of those risks. A typical CAPA process includes detecting a nonconformity, performing root-cause analysis, selecting and implementing actions, verifying their effectiveness, and documenting the results. Standards like ISO 9001 often require this kind of integrated corrective and preventive work. The other options use different terms (Assessment, Audit, or Performance Analysis) and don’t align with the established meaning of CAPA.