What is PDCA?
PDCA is a best practice management method used in business to improve processes continuously. It is also known as the Deming cycle or Shewhart cycle.
Who is Deming?
Deming is an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant. He is perhaps best known for his work in quality control, which led to the widespread adoption of his methods by Japanese industry after WWII.
What companies use the Deming Cycle?
Many companies use the Deming cycle, but some of the most well-known are Toyota, Honda, Sony, and Canon.
What are the benefits of using the Deming Cycle?
There are many benefits to using the Deming cycle, but some of the most notable are increased quality and efficiency, reduced costs, and improved customer satisfaction.
1. A company wants to improve its customer service. It uses PDCA to identify the root causes of customer complaints, make necessary changes to its processes, and track the results to ensure effective changes.
A manufacturing company wants to reduce defects in its products. It uses PDCA to study the causes of defects, make changes to its manufacturing process, and track the results to ensure that the changes are effective.
A hospital wants to reduce the rate of infections in patients. It uses PDCA to identify the root causes of infections, make changes to its processes, and track the results to ensure that the changes are effective.
The four steps of PDCA are:
Plan: Determine what needs to be improved and how.
Do: Implement the plan and collect data.
Check: Analyze the data to see if the desired results were achieved.
Act: Make improvements based on the findings of the previous three steps.
PDCA can be used to improve any process, from manufacturing to customer service. It is a popular quality improvement tool in many industries, as it can help organizations identify and correct problems quickly and efficiently.
How can you implement PDCA?
There are many ways to implement PDCA, but the most important thing is to start with a clear goal. Once you know what you want to achieve, you can begin to plan how you will make improvements.
How do use the Plan step:
The Plan step is all about setting a goal and deciding how you will achieve it. You need to ask yourself: What do you want to improve? What are the root causes of the problem? What changes can you make to address those root causes?
How to use the Do step:
After you have planned your changes, it's time to put them into action. This is the Do step. You will need to implement your changes and collect data on how they impact the process.
How to use the Plan Step:
The Plan step is all about setting a goal and deciding how you will achieve it. You need to ask yourself: What do you want to improve? What are the root causes of the problem? What changes can you make to address those root causes?
How to use the Check step:
In the Check step, you will analyze the data you collected in the Do step to see if your changes had the desired effect. If not, you will need to go back and make adjustments.
How to use the Act step:
Finally, in the Act step, you will make improvements based on the findings of the previous three steps. This may involve making permanent changes to the process or implementing new controls to ensure the problems are not recurring.
There are a few PDCA pitfalls that organizations should be aware of:
Failing to plan: Without a clear plan, it can be difficult to know what needs to be improved and how.
Not collecting data: Data is essential for understanding whether or not the improvements made had the desired effect.
Not analyzing data: Once data is collected, it must be analyzed to identify any areas that need improvement.
Not acting on findings: The final step of PDCA is to make improvements based on the findings of the previous three steps. If this step is not taken, the cycle will not be complete and problems will not be corrected.
It is important to be aware of the potential pitfalls to avoid them. By following the PDCA steps correctly, businesses can improve their processes and achieve better results.
Resources:
https://asq.org/quality-tools/pdsa-cycle
https://www.isixsigma.com/methodology/pdca-plan-do-check-act/overview/
https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside-quality/six-sigma/what-pdca-cycle.html
https://www.mbdc.com/blog/4-steps-of-the-pdsa-cycle/
Keywords
PDCA, Plan Do Check Act, quality improvement, process improvement.