PDCA Cycle
The PDCA Cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act) is a foundational framework for continuous improvement and quality control, championed by W. Edwards Deming. It's a structured, four-stage loop designed to enhance processes or products iteratively.
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Plan: Identify the goal or problem, establish a hypothesis, and detail the plan for change.
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Do: Execute the plan, often on a small scale or pilot basis.
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Check: Analyze the results against the expectations from the Plan phase, assessing the success of the test.
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Act: If successful, implement the change broadly; if not, standardize the new process or restart the cycle with revised learning.
PDCA drives operational excellence by embedding structured, data-driven learning into daily management.