PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is an iterative continuous improvement method codified by W. E. Deming in the 1950s. It structures the improvement of an existing process in four cyclical phases: planning a change on a small scale, a pilot run, verification of the result on a set date, adoption or discarding of the change. The cycle repeats: each Act feeds the next Plan, and progressive improvement comes from systematic experimentation that decides on the empirical evidence gathered during verification, not on opinion. Each cycle lasts 2-4 weeks for simple problems. Distinctive: iterative continuous improvement method Distinctive: adoption or discarding of the change Distinctive: each Act feeds the next Plan Distinctive: on a small scale Essential: four cyclical phases Essential: planning Essential: pilot run Essential: verification of the result Essential: Plan-Do-Check-Act Essential: systematic experimentation Essential: empirical evidence Constant: cycle lasts 2-4 weeks for simple problems Constant: repeats Constant: progressive improvement
Glossary PDCA An iterative continuous improvement method with four cyclical phases: Plan, Do, Check, Act. Read the full article All glossary
