How does corrective action differ from preventive?

Corrective action — these are measures taken to eliminate problems or deviations from the plan that have already occurred. The goal is to bring the project back to its planned state.

Preventive action — these are measures aimed at preventing potential problems or deviations in the future, based on risk analysis and current situation.

Example:

• If an error is found in the code of a project, corrective action is to fix this error.
• If analysis shows that due to insufficient testing, an error might occur, preventive action is to strengthen testing in advance to avoid the problem.

Thus, corrective action responds to problems that have already happened, while preventive action prevents potential issues.