Definition:
Concept Number: *171
English Master: Study PDSA
Synonyms, Variations & Acronyms: S PDCA-Cycle Plan-Do-Study-Act-Cycle
Detailing
The Study phase observes and gathers data concerning the results of the Do phase. It is basically concerned with “What happened?” It can involve highly varied analysis activities, depending on the activity being controlled, such as obtaining feedback data, carrying out Specification-Quality-Control (SQC) and testing.
The “Study” phase is a preparation for drawing conclusions and taking Action in the “Act” phase.
Illustrations
The four corners of the Process icon stand for the Shewhart Process-cycle definition of “Plan-Do-Study-Act”.
Type
Domain
SPC
Examples
none
Notes
“Study the results, what did we learn, what went wrong?”
W. E. Deming [Personal Communication 1991]
In Evo, the “Study” phase (P3 in Procedure.SM) is the equivalent of the more general PDSA Concept “Study”. Study in Evo is the phase where we analyze all the feedback from the last step, in relation to Requirements and external impulses (like change of market or law).
Suggestion “?]”. A rough draft for the icons [January 21, 2003, TG]:
Plan [> left side of Process rectangle and a Goal “>“ symbol.
Do ^! Top side of Process rectangle and an Action symbol “!”
Study ?] right side of Process rectangle and an an inquisitive symbol “?”.
Act V± bottom side of Process rectangle and a take it or leave it symbol “±”.
Keyed-Icons
none
Drawn-Icons
Study is the east side of the rectangular Process symbol.
Related-Concepts
Plan-Do-Study-Act-Cycle
Plan-PDSA
Do-PDSA
Act-PDSA
Evolutionary-Project-Management
Statistical-Process-Control-SPC
History-of-Concept
none
This Concept entered by Diane O'Brien.