Page 110 - DMGT524_TOTAL_QUALITY_MANAGEMENT

Unit 8: Continuous Process Improvement

8.3 The PDCA Cycle Notes

The PDCA (or PDSA) Cycle was originally conceived by Walter Shewhart in 1930’s, and later
adopted by W. Edwards Deming. The model provides a framework for the improvement of a
process or system. It can be used to guide the entire improvement project, or to develop specific
projects once target improvement areas have been identified.
The PDCA cycle is designed to be used as a dynamic model. The completion of one turn of the
cycle flows into the beginning of the next. Following in the spirit of continuous quality
improvement, the process can always be reanalyzed and a new test of change can begin. This
continual cycle of change is represented in the ramp of improvement.

Figure 8.2: PDCA Cycle or Deming’s Wheel

Plan: A change or a test, aimed at improvement. In this phase, analyze what you intend to
improve, looking for areas that hold opportunities for change. The first step is to choose areas
that offer the most return for the effort you put in. To identify these areas for change consider
using a Flow chart or Pareto chart.
Do: Carry out the change or test (preferably on a small scale). Implement the change you
decided on in the plan phase.
Check or Study: The results. What was learned? What went wrong? This is a crucial step in the
PDCA cycle.

Note After you have implemented the change for a short time, you must determine how
well it is working. Is it really leading to improvement in the way you had hoped?

You must decide on several measures with which you can monitor the level of improvement.
Run Charts can be helpful with this measurement.
Act: Adopt the change, abandon it, or run through the cycle again. After planning a change,
implementing and then monitoring it, you must decide whether it is worth continuing that

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