Correction, Corrective and Preventive Action

1. Correction: This is the immediate fix for the problem at hand. You've forgotten your wedding anniversary, and your spouse is giving you "the look." You rush out to the nearest store, grab the first bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates you can find, and return home with a sheepish grin. It's equivalent to putting out a fire you've accidentally started.

2. Corrective Action: Corrective action involves identifying the root cause of the problem and taking steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. In this case, you might realize you forgot your anniversary because you were busy with work. To ensure it doesn't happen again, you might set reminders on your phone, mark it on the calendar, or tattoo the date on your forearm (just kidding about the last one!). The point is that you're taking measures to ensure that this specific mistake doesn't repeat.

3. Preventive Action: Preventive action goes a step further by preventing the problem to happen in the first place. This could be done by looking at potential problems or risk-based thinking. Considering the potential of you forgetting dates, you might decide to establish a "family calendar" where you mark all important dates, not just your anniversary but birthdays, school events, etc. (even before any issue happens). You're not fixing the problem at hand; you're setting up a system that prevents problems from happening in the first place.

So, in short:

• Correction: The emergency bouquet and chocolates, your desperate "I'm sorry!"
• Corrective Action: Marking the calendar, setting phone reminders - your plan to never face "the look" again.
• Preventive Action: Implementing a family calendar system so you're prepared for every important date before an actual issue happens.