{"id":1776,"date":"2020-07-02T13:36:27","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T13:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10003\/lexicon-terms\/plan-do-check-act\/"},"modified":"2022-06-03T17:36:31","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T21:36:31","slug":"pdca","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/www.lean.org\/lexicon-terms\/pdca\/","title":{"rendered":"Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PDCA is an improvement cycle based on the scientific method of proposing a change in a process, implementing the change, measuring the results, and taking appropriate action. It also is known as the Deming Cycle<\/em> or Deming Wheel<\/em> after W. Edwards Deming, who introduced the concept in Japan in the 1950s. It is also known as PDSA, where the “S” stands for “study”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PDCA cycle has four stages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Plan \u2014 determine goals for a process and needed changes to achieve them.<\/li>
  2. Do \u2014 implement the changes.<\/li>
  3. Check \u2014 evaluate the results in terms of performance<\/li>
  4. Act \u2014 standardize and stabilize the change or begin the cycle again, depending on the results<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"An<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    PDCA is the foundation of continuous improvement or kaizen. Leaders set targets (plan) against a stable baseline of performance. Teams implement improvements (Do) to achieve the targets. Then they measure (Check) the change to evaluate performance against the target. If the team has achieved a measurable gain, it standardizes (Act) the new method by updating the standardized work. This ensures the improvement is stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    History of PDCA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Walter A. Shewhart was the first to develop a repeating<\/em> cycle for improvement dubbed the Shewhart Cycle: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Specify <\/li>
    2. Produce<\/li>
    3. Inspect<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Edward Deming expanded the Shewart cycle into a four-step pattern for Japanese audiences. The Deming cycle related heavily to the concept of product quality, innovation, and learning-by-doing over the entire life cycle of a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Specifically, the Deming cycle runs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1.\u00a0Design\u00a0<\/em>the product with appropriate testing.
      2.\u00a0Make\u00a0<\/em>the product and test it in production and in the lab.
      3.\u00a0Sell\u00a0<\/em>the product to the market.
      4.\u00a0Test\u00a0<\/em>the customer experience and redesign for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"An<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      In 1951, the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) altered Deming\u2019s framework into the more recognizable PDCA cycle. Although well over half a century has passed since the introduction of the Deming cycle to executives in Japan, most open-ended approaches still seek to repeat learning cycles as rapidly as possible, for obtaining customer feedback and making improvements in all pertinent areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The language may change slightly, but the basic thinking has not changed much. Consider the three-phase concept\u2014Build<\/em>,\u00a0Measure<\/em>,\u00a0Learn<\/em>\u2014popularized by Eric Ries in his book,\u00a0The Lean Startup<\/em>. His iterative process is fundamentally similar to both the original Shewhart and Deming cycles. Words may change or be slightly altered, but the timeless, classic concepts stay the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Additional Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      <\/div>\n\n\n\n