Synonyms-
The PDCA model is
also known as the Deming circle, Deming cycle, Deming wheel, Shewhart cycle or
plan–do–study–act (PDSA).
History-
Mr. Walter A.
Shewhart, in the 1920s introduced the concept of PLAN, DO, STUDY and ACT. By
1950s, PDCA cycle was popularized by Dr. W. Edwards Deming, an American
engineer, statistician and management consultant. He actually developed the
model into a learning and improvement cycle.
Used in Areas –
The model can be used
in all sorts of business environments, any organization and irrespective of any
industries. It is used at the beginning of a new improvement project, when
developing new process/design/product or implementing any changes in the
process, etc.
Significance-
- To improve the quality and
effectiveness of processes within.
- Fixing issues at
any level and type of organization
-
Enables teams to avoid recurring mistakes, avoiding wastage of
resources and improve processes.
- Identifying
what caused products/ services to fail to meet customers' expectations.
- To develop
hypotheses about what needs to change, and then test these in a continuous
feedback loop.
- Exploring
a range of solutions to problems, and monitoring them in a controlled way
before implementation.
PDCA cycle-
It is a continuous
cycle in the journey of project improvement. It is a four step model for
carrying out change at any level of organization. As a circle has no end in
same way it is a continuous cycle of improvement. It is never ending process of
improvement.
 |
 |
P-D-S-A
Cycle
|
P-D-C-A
Cycle
|
 |
 |
Mr. Walter A.
Shewhart
|
Dr.
W. Edwards Deming
|
The four sequential
categories are: plan, do, check, and act.
- Plan:
Identify and analyze
the problem or opportunity, develop hypotheses about changes needs to be done.
Depending on the size of the project, planning can take a major part of your
team’s efforts and time too.
Steps
in Plan- identify
problem, form a team of relevant departments, establish objective and goal,
critical thinking – identify potential causes, identify potential root cause.
Techniques- brain storming
– fishbone diagram/ relationship diagram/ why-why.
- Do:
Ideally test the
potential solution and measure the results/ its effectiveness at small scale.
At this stage, be aware that unpredicted problems which may occur at this
phase. Standardization of procedure will help your team apply the plan
smoothly. Make sure that everybody knows their roles and responsibilities.
Steps- execution/implementation
of solutions, measure effectiveness on small scale, set performance indicator.
- Check:
Don’t settle for a
less-than-satisfactory solution. Confirm the results through
before-and-after data comparison. If something went wrong during the process,
analyze it and find the root cause of the problems.
Steps- collect data,
compare actual result against target result, communicate the changes, staff
training and feedback.
Technique- audit,
checklist, comparison
- Act:
If the solution was
successful, implement it on large scale. Continue to look for ways to make it
even better for your organization or customers.
Steps- Effective
solution set as baseline, determine new target and start PDCA cycle again on
same project or new project.
Techniques- Documentation,
standardization.
Team Members-
1. Sponsor-
from top management/ department head. They approves project, support with
resources and monitors the project and are overall decision maker.
2. Team
leader- leads the project team. A team leader should have leadership qualities.
He/She should have technical skills and sound knowledge of the project for
guaranteed success.
3. Facilitator-
Experts should have high level of skills in problem solving skills; guide the
team in PDCA cycle by using tools and quality techniques.
4. Team
members- support team leader for success of project
Advantages-
·
Model
is simple, yet powerful way to resolve issues and managing changes at any level
of organization.
·
Allows
team to test solutions and assess results at each step of cycle.
·
Improve
efficiency and productivity in a controlled standardized ways
·
The
repetitive approach helps your team find and test solutions and improve them
through a waste-reducing cycle.
·
Stimulates
continuous improvement of people and processes
·
It
prevents the work process from recurring mistakes.
Disadvantage-
·
Requires
commitment to continuous improvement however small is the project.
·
Slow,
step by step approach to problems and not a straight forward implementation
·
Time
consuming and hence Not for urgent problems or for handing emergency situation.
Another version of
this PDCA cycle is OPDCA. The added "O" stands for observation or as
some versions say: "Observe the current condition."
The
PDCA process ensures organizations performance and the supporting activities
can be continually reviewed and improved to be compliant with ISO standards.
References-
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