Plan Do Check Act

The PDCA (Plan->Do->Check->Act )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. Using what we learn in one PDCA trial, we can
begin another, more complex trial.

Plan - a change or a test, aimed at improvement.

  # In this phase, analyze what you inted 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-the biggest bang for your buck. To
identify these areas for change consider using a Flow
chart<link> or Pareto chart<link>. 

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. 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 particular change. If it consumed too much
of your time, was difficult to adhere to, or even led to no
improvement, you may consider aborting the change and
planning a new one. However, if the change led to a
desirable improvement or outcome, you may consider expanding
the trial to a different area, or slightly increasing your
complexity. This sends you back into the Plan phase and can
be the beginning of the ramp of improvement. 

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                              ravibyndur@yahoo.com

PDCA - Plan,Do,Check,Act

Lakshmi give the right and simple answer