Continual improvement — supplemental (IATF only)
Plain-language summary
A documented continual improvement process: identification of methodology, objectives, measurement, effectiveness — with manufacturing process improvement focused on variation and waste reduction, acting once processes are already capable and stable.
What the clause is really asking
The documented process includes: improvement methodology, objectives, measurement, effectiveness and documented information. Manufacturing process improvement actions focus on control and reduction of variation in product characteristics and process parameters; risk analyses (FMEA) get reviewed as part of it. Continual improvement applies when processes are statistically capable and stable, or when product characteristics are predictable and meet requirements — fix first, then improve.
What auditors look for
Auditors ask for the documented CI process and proof of the variation focus: an example where a capable process was made better (variation reduced), with measures before/after. Improvement effort on incapable processes gets redirected as corrective action, not CI.
Typical evidence
Documented CI procedure; variation reduction projects with before/after capability; kaizen/CI programme records; FMEA reviews from improvements.
How to comply — recommendations
One template: process, baseline Cpk/waste, action, result, FMEA reviewed. Two genuine variation-reduction projects a year, properly measured, satisfy the clause and pay for themselves.
Common nonconformities
No documented CI process; 'improvement' projects that are actually corrections of failing processes; results never measured statistically.
Related clauses
Builds on ISO 9001 10.3
In the book
Chapter 10 — Improvement — Closing Loops for a Living treats this clause family in full: what it is really asking, what auditors look for, the evidence that satisfies, how to make it work on a real floor, and where companies stumble. This IATF requirement is covered in the Automotive Edition, in the same six blocks as the ISO clause around it.
Resources for this clause
- ArticleThe Theory of Constraints explained: how one bottleneck decides your whole plant's output
- Free downloadConstraint FinderThe five focusing steps of the Theory of Constraints as a one-page worksheet — find the bottleneck, then protect its time.
- Free trainingCI Academy — Introduction to Lean & Continuous Improvement
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