Plan Do Check Act (PDCA)

Written by Administrator
Friday, 27 May 2005 PDCA cycle or also known as Deming cycle was originally conceived by Walter A. Shewhart in 1930?s, then adopted by W. Edwards Deming in 1950?s. It is a continual process improvement model that consists of four repetitive steps : Plan, Do, Check, and Act.

1. Plan
Identify the problem
Identify the problem that will be solved (if needed, gather data to verify the problem) and define the problem statement. Then set the measurable goal of this problem solving.
Analyze the problem
Analyze all processes that impact the problem, then identify root causes of the problem.
2. Do
Develop solutions
Identify and analyze all possible solutions for the problem, then choose the best solution to be implemented.
Implement a solution
Implement the chosen solution on a trial basis
3. Check
Evaluate the results
Gather data from chosen solution on trial, then analyze the data. If the result data achieve the defined goal, then go to the next step. If not, then go back to step one.
4. Act
Standardize the solution
Standardize the solution. Then look for another solution for improvement.

PDCA cycle is designed to be a dynamic model. After you have completed four steps, you can go back to step one to solve other problems.