PDCA Cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act)
A four-step process for continuous improvement: identify a problem, fix it, check if the fix worked, then fine-tune.
Explanation
P — Plan. Identify the issue and root cause; brainstorm solutions.
D — Do. Fix the problem — implement the planned solution.
C — Check. Compare results to the goal to find out if the problem is fixed.
A — Act. Fine-tune the fix to ensure continuous improvement.
PDCA (Deming/Shewhart cycle) is lightweight enough to run many times in a week.
Application
Use for quick experimental improvements during course-4-project-execution — especially when you want to try something, see if it works, and iterate. Contrast with dmaic-framework, which is heavier and more data-driven, better suited for larger process problems with measurable baselines.
Agile-style continuous improvement (e.g., sprint retrospectives) is essentially a PDCA loop applied to team process.
Connections
- dmaic-framework — heavier, data-driven alternative
- scrum-framework — sprint retrospectives are a structured PDCA
- course-4-project-execution