Continual Vs. Continuous Improvement

Emily:  While I don’t disagree with TJC (there really isn’t any practical difference), some pickers of nits would say that continuous improvement is being conducted 100% of the time, and continual improvement looks at opportunities to improve and then addresses those. 
A rose is a rose, even when the bee stings you on the nose!

Hi Emily,
In the information technology area, around the ITIL processes there is diferentiation on both terms. on the ITIL Continual Service improvement book there is the following explanation:
Continual versus continuous
The Wikipedia Online Dictionary differentiates between the two terms.
§  ‘Continuous’ is the stronger word, and denotes that the continuity or union of parts is absolute and uninterrupted; as, a continuous sheet of ice; a continuous flow of water.
§  ‘Continual’, in most cases, marks a close and unbroken succession of things, rather than absolute continuity. Thus we speak of continual showers, implying a repetition with occasional interruptions.
Hence the decision to use the word ‘continual’ for the title of this publication as well as throughout this publication has been made. An IT organization will not be ‘continuously’ improving itself seamlessly, but rather it will be cyclical in nature: there will be a period of stability followed by more improvements, then a new level of stability followed by more improvements and so on.
 
 

Continuous Improvement means improving an existing process/operation without any interruption whereas continual means the improvement in existing process upto a certain level & holding at that level so that the improvement can be stablised and then further improving from that stablized level.

Amen brother.

Mr./Ms. Moderator:  Please don’t edit my post if you’re going to let through that of which I commented.  Else, take appropriate action with the offender as well.