PDCA cycle
The PDCA cycle (plan-do-check-act) is Deming's four-step loop for continuous improvement: set a target, trial the change, measure the result, then standardise or adjust and repeat.
What it is
See it move
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PDCA runs four steps: Plan a 5% scrap-rate target, Do a trial of a new calibration setting on 2,000 units, Check the result — 84 scrapped is 84 ÷ 2,000 = 4.2% — and Act by standardising the setting, since 4.2% beats the 5% target.
Check yourself
PracticeCORE
A logistics team runs a PDCA cycle to cut warehouse picking errors. Plan: target error rate of 2%. Do: the new barcode scanner is trialled across 5,000 picks. Check: 140 picking errors are recorded during the trial. What is the actual error rate, and what should the team conclude at the Act stage?
Select an answer to check your understanding.