Quality glossary
The terms used most in audits and in day-to-day QMS work.
- PDCA
- Continual improvement cycle: Plan, Do, Check, Act.
- QMS
- Quality management system: the processes, documents and responsibilities that assure quality.
- Nonconformity (NC)
- Failure to meet a requirement of the standard, the customer or the organization itself.
- Corrective action
- Action to eliminate the cause of a nonconformity and prevent recurrence.
- Preventive action / risk
- Treating risks and opportunities before they cause a problem.
- Root cause
- The underlying cause of a problem; usually sought with 5 Whys or Ishikawa.
- 5W2H
- Action plan with What, Why, Where, When, Who, How and How much.
- Internal audit
- Planned, independent check that the system meets its requirements.
- Management review
- Periodic meeting where management evaluates performance, risks and resources.
- Documented information
- Documents and records the organization controls and maintains.
- Record
- Evidence that something was done; not changed once issued.
- Calibration
- Comparing an instrument to a standard to know its error.
- Effectiveness
- How well an action actually solved the problem.
- Indicator
- A measure used to track the performance of a process or objective.
- SIPOC
- Process map: suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers.