In Quality Management, we always meet the terms Continuous, Continual improvement, and the people in the industries consider both terms as synonyms. There is a misconception for both the terms among the people. In the Quality Management system such as ISO 9001, the system follows the process of continual improvement. One organization should apply for the ISO Certification in India to get continual improvement in their system. So here we will discuss both the terms in detail.
Introduction to Continuous and Continual Improvement:-
The Continuous and Continual improvement, both the terms are interchangeably used and often are interpreted the same thing, but both the terms are different from each other. People also don't know the usage of the terms.
Continuous Improvement
It is a type of improvement in which the improvement is continuously made, sustained processes are also developed. The use of Lean Manufacturing is done with the Kaizen, and the methods are improved continuously. In Kaizen culture, we work on waste reduction or waste minimization and make the process smooth. In the process of Continuous Improvement, we enhance and develop the process without interruption. To understand the term "Continuous Improvement", we can take the example of the growth of the plant, which also grows continuously without any interruption. Daily it grows and improves its growth.
Continual Improvement:-
In this type of improvement, we improve the processes repeatedly and take pause in between the repetition of process. We consider it a phase system where improvements are made in the phases, and a break is taken to measure and analyze the development.
For Continual Improvement, we usually use the PDCA cycle in which we plan, execute, check, Act, and sustain processes. We also use the SDCA cycle simultaneously to Standardize the processes. The Quality Management System follows the PDCA and SDCA cycle for continual improvement of the system. To achieve a QMS, one should apply for ISO Certification in India.
The improvement done in the industries is not a continuous improvement as we cannot do continuous improvement in the industries without any interruption. Some obstacles may come in the journey of improvement, and hence we use the continual improvement to sustain the processes in the industries. In the Continual Improvement, we take a project and improve from one level to the next high level. Sustenance means the process or Act in which the results come similar to each previous result if a method is applied repeatedly. One organization can get the ISO Certification in Delhi and apply the Quality Management system in their system.
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