PDCA - Plan, Do, Check, Act

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  PDCA or plan-do-check-act is a four step method used in lean, quality improvements and other continuous improvement strategies.  

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1. Plan - In the first stage plan, a plan based on historical background data and root cause analysis is formed.  This plan is designed to invoke or effect change in a positive way.  
2. Do - In the second stage of PDCA (do) the plan is carried out.  This is generally a small scale pilot or initial test run of the plan.  
3. Check - The third stage of PDCA is the check stage.  Here the outcome of the plan is analyzed or studied as it is often referred to in PDSA.  
4. Act - The fourth step is act which is focused on adjusting the do based on lessons learned in the check stage.  

You may hear the PDCA cycle referred to as the Shewhart cycle because Walter A. Shewhart discussed the concept in his book Statistical method from the viewpoint of quality control.  
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Challenge:  

• In the comments section below answer the question below and receive a coupon for one of Lean Strategies International LLC's courses:  ​What experiences have you had with PDCA? If none, What could you apply the PDCA Method to?

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