Definition:
Concept Number: *168
English Master: PDSA Cycle
Synonyms, Variations & Acronyms: PDSA-Cycle, PDSA
Detailing
It is a method for Changing a defined Work-Process to reflect measurably better Process. The Concept was developed by Walter Shewhart and taught by W. Edwards Deming [DELAVIGNE94, DEMING86, DEMING93].
Illustrations
Deming
Type
Method
Domain: SPC & CPI
Examples
none
Notes
The PDSA-Cycle involves the following:
• decide on an improvement and how to accomplish it. (Plan)
• carry out the improvement as planned (Do)
• gather data about costs and resulting improvements and Side-Effects, analyse the data and decide what it Means (Study, sometimes called “check”)
• adopt the change as is, or try again in a better way (Act)
This is enabled by Standardizing and stabilizing a target Process (meaning; “wherever you carry out the improvement”) so that the effects of any Process changes can be credibly observed.
Keyed-Icons
none
Drawn-Icons
none
Related-Concepts
Plan [PDSA]
Do [PDSA]
Study [PDSA]
Act [PDSA]
Evolutionary-Project-Management
Statistical-Process-Control (SPC)
History-of-Concept
none
This Concept entered by Diane O'Brien.