According to ISO 9001, the differences between Corrective and Preventive actions are:  Corrective Actions: “The organization shall take action to eliminate the causes of nonconformities in order to prevent a recurrence.” Preventive Actions: “The organization shall determine action to eliminate the causes of potential nonconformities in order to prevent their occurrence. In short, corrective action prevents recurrence, while preventive action prevents occurrence. Corrective measures are those actions which are undertaken to identify, document and solve the origin of a problem permanently. As a technical project manager, corrective measures should be keenly looked at. For example in a project team, it is better to replace old machines than carrying out continuous maintenance whenever it fails to perform a task. Such a measure is a corrective since it serves to eradicate the problem for a very long period of time.  Preventive action defines what would deviate from the chosen path and cause issues in the project, for example, over budget or low-quality output. A good example would be to inspect the pipes and drains of all the sinks present to see if they need to get replaced before they fail.  Including a specific preventive action plan would help mitigate potential problems; a preventive action process also includes implementing controls to ensure that preventative measures continue to work. Preventive action suggests determining not only potential problems but also improving potential opportunities. However, in technical project management the two are usually referred to as CAPA; corrective action and preventive actions. Corrective measures are referred to most managers as reactive measures while preventive measures are known as proactive measures.