Correction: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)
A correction (French: correction) is an immediate action taken to eliminate a detected nonconformity or its effects, without tackling its cause. In an ISO 53001 system, recalculating a wrongly computed indicator or completing missing meeting minutes are corrections. It usually comes before corrective action, which addresses the cause.
Updated: · edition covered: ISO/UNDP 53001:2026
In an ISO/UNDP 53001 audit
The auditor keeps the two notions firmly apart. Faced with a problem, the first question is what was done to limit its consequences, the second what was done to stop it recurring. An organisation that only treats the symptom will see the same issue resurface at the next visit.
In the action plan submitted after an audit, both are expected to appear separately, each with an owner. For a major nonconformity, effective implementation of the correction is verified before any favourable decision. See clause 10 of the ISO/UNDP 53001 standard.
When a correction is enough
Some findings call for a correction and little more: one missing signature on an approved document, a typing error in an indicator table. Even then, the auditor asks whether the slip could exist elsewhere and checks a few similar records. If it does, the matter is no longer isolated and a corrective action becomes necessary.
See also
- Corrective action: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A corrective action (French: *action corrective*) removes the cause of a nonconformity so that it does not happen again or appear elsewhere.
- Nonconformity: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A nonconformity (French: *non-conformité*) is the non-fulfilment of a requirement.
- Major nonconformity: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)A major nonconformity (French: *non-conformité majeure*) is a lapse that undermines the ability of the SDG management system to achieve its intended results.