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Deming PDCA Cycle Four Stages, Advantages and Disadvantages

Deming PDCA Cycle- Four Stages, Advantages, and Disadvantages. PDSA Cycle Pros and Cons. PDSA or Deming Cycle Revolution. 4 Stages of PDCA.

Deming PDCA Cycle

Deming PDCA cycle refers to a repeated four-step management model that ensures the continuous improvement of products and services in the industry. In the 1950s, a famous management scholar, Dr. William Edwards Deming, introduced the PDCA method; therefore, it is also known as the Deming Cycle or Deming Wheel. It is a famous method for solving problems to yield the highest quality results. The full meaning of PDCA is the Plan–Do–Check–Act, a four-step action method.

Apart from PDCA, it has many other names, such as the PDSA abbreviation of the Plan–Do–Check–Adjust, the Deming cycle or circle, or wheel, the Shewhart cycle, and the control cycle or circle. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is a quality improvement framework commonly used in various industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, and education.

The Four Stages of the Deming Cycle

The Four Stages of the Deming Cycle are Plan, Do, Study or Check, and Act. These are the inevitable elements of the Deming cycle. These are the four principles of the Deming cycle model. Deming’s principles for pdca cycle include Plan, Do, Study, or Check, and Act. 

Deming PDCA Cycle Four Stages

1. Plan

PLAN is the initial step of the four-step method that identifies the problem and opportunities to suggest recommendations. In addition, it analyzes and describes the overall current situation of the project. The authority recruits a team to understand the full process of the project in this stage; they will identify the problems that need to be changed and find solutions to fix the problems.

You have to find out the answers to some basic questions regarding the project. The questions are as follows;

Firstly, you have to identify the main problem that needs to be solved in your organization. The customers demand to resolve this problem be resolved.
Secondly, what kind of resources do you have now that you use regularly?
In addition, what resources do you need to resolve the problem?
Moreover, what is the solution that you have taken with resources?
Finally, how long will it take to analyze the problems and implement the planning?

2. Do

The DO phase is the second stage of the Deming cycle, where the testing of the solution starts to be executed to identify the results. After completing the planning step, you have to take action to solve the problems. You will apply all the plans that you have taken in the first stage. Some unwanted problems can emerge in this stage, so you have to be aware to confront them. To increase your confidence level, you can apply your actions to a small arena in the project. It is a subtle way to control the situation properly as well as avoid an unpredictable big mistake. All team members stay alert at this stage to play their roles and responsibilities.

In this stage, you, with your team members, will take some initiatives mentioned below:

  • Keep a record of what happened and what needs to be done further.
  • When do you apply the planning?
  • Collect data from the planning stage.
  • Try to use a check sheet, swim lane map, and flowchart to capture data.
3. Study or Check

Study or check is probably the most important step of the Deming cycle. You must pay attention to the CHECK stage if you want to scrutinize the output that is yielded from the earlier stage. It will help you to avoid repeating mistakes and clarify the success of your planning and application of steps. This stage will allow you to audit your plan’s performance; you will be confirmed whether the plan works perfectly or not.  Additionally, your team will identify the problematic portions of the project to eliminate them in the future. You would be able to discover the root cause of the problem if something went wrong. In short, this stage will assess the system’s effectiveness and help you decide whether the theory is helpful or not.

Example: Appraisals or  Gap analysis.

In this stage, you have to answer some questions mentioned below.

  • Is the system effective or not to resolving the issues?
  • Do you want to continue this system or need to change it?
  • Have you outlined a list including the unexpected results, failures, successes, and outcomes?
4. Act

ACT is the final stage of the system that finalizes the perfect solution to implement. In this stage, your organization should follow the adapt, adopt, and abandon factors.

Adapt refers to changing and modifying the PDSA circle for the next test.

Adopt indicates considering expanding the system to all departments in the organization.

Abandon means modifying your full approach and repeating the PDCA circle.  In sum, it is the step of standardization that is considered standardized when goals are exceeded.

In this stage, you have to find the following answers to the questions mentioned below.

  • Do you want to formalize the actions and implement them fully?
  • Do you want to expand the system to all departments in the organization?
  • Do you want to accept it and restart the PDCA cycle for continuous improvement?

Deming PDCA Cycle Pros and Cons

Firstly, PDSA is a simple and effective process to resolve a new and recurring problem in the industry. In addition, it is a repeated approach that will allow you to measure results without a waste of time. Moreover, it is a risk-free cycle to apply a small scale in the project; therefore, no need to change the full process if it doesn’t work.

In contrast, the full process of the PDSA is slow when applying the four steps in the industry to yield the final result. It is not a straightforward execution process that can be applied to urgent problem-solving issues. Additionally, you need to use some resources, including effective team members, to ensure that each circle step is directed perfectly.

Advantages of the PDSA Cycle

The eight benefits of the PDSA or PDCA cycle are systematic strategy, flexibility, iterative process, focus on learning, team empowerment, evidence-based decision-making, rapid improvement, and continuous improvement culture.

Systematic Strategy

The PDSA framework offers a structured strategy to resolve problems to ensure continuous improvement. It shows the step-by-step (Plan, Do, Study or Check, Act), process to assess the improvement. We can address the complex issues and refine them in every section methodically. It allows us to follow one by one systematically.

Flexibility

The PDSA cycle is flexible and adaptable to a wide range of settings and industries. It can be applied to small-scale projects or larger initiatives, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes and types.

Iterative Process

The iterative nature of the PDSA cycle allows organizations to make incremental improvements over time. By continually cycling through the steps of the PDSA cycle, organizations can refine their processes, systems, and practices to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Focus on Learning

The PDSA cycle emphasizes learning and experimentation as essential components of improvement. By studying the results of each cycle, organizations gain valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t, enabling them to make informed decisions and adjustments.

Empowerment of Teams

The PDSA cycle encourages collaboration and engagement among teams involved in improvement efforts. By involving frontline staff in the planning, execution, and evaluation of improvement initiatives, organizations empower employees to take ownership of the process and contribute their expertise and insights.

Data-Driven Decision-Making

The PDSA cycle relies on data and evidence to drive decision-making. By collecting and analyzing data throughout the improvement process, organizations can identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for improvement, enabling them to make informed decisions and prioritize actions effectively.

Rapid Implementation

The PDSA cycle enables organizations to implement changes quickly and test their impact in a controlled manner. By breaking down improvement initiatives into small, manageable steps, organizations can avoid delays and minimize the risks associated with large-scale changes.

Continuous Improvement Culture

The PDSA cycle fosters a culture of continuous improvement within organizations. By encouraging ongoing reflection, learning, and adaptation, organizations can create an environment where innovation and excellence are valued and rewarded.

Disadvantages of the PDSA Cycle

While the PDSA cycle offers numerous benefits for continuous improvement, it also has some potential disadvantages:

Time-consuming

Implementing the PDSA cycle requires time and effort to plan, execute, and evaluate improvement initiatives. For organizations with limited resources or competing priorities, the PDSA cycle may add to the workload and strain resources.

Complexity

The PDSA cycle involves multiple steps, including planning, implementation, data collection, and analysis. This complexity can be daunting for individuals or teams unfamiliar with quality improvement methodologies, leading to confusion or errors in implementation.

Risk of Inefficiency

In some cases, organizations may engage in the PDSA cycle without clear goals or objectives, leading to inefficient use of resources. Without proper planning or alignment with strategic priorities, improvement efforts may yield minimal results or fail to address critical issues.

Resistance to Change

Implementing the PDSA cycle often requires changes to existing processes, workflows, or behaviors. Resistance to change from stakeholders, including employees, management, or customers, can impede the effectiveness of improvement initiatives and hinder progress.

Limited Scope

The PDSA cycle is best suited for small-scale, incremental improvements rather than large-scale organizational change. For complex or systemic issues requiring comprehensive restructuring or transformation, alternative methodologies may be more appropriate.

Data Quality Issues

Effective implementation of the PDSA cycle relies on accurate and reliable data for decision-making. However, organizations may encounter challenges with data collection, measurement, or analysis, leading to flawed conclusions or ineffective interventions.

Lack of Sustainability

Improvement initiatives resulting from the PDSA cycle may struggle to sustain long-term gains without ongoing support, monitoring, and reinforcement. Without a culture of continuous improvement or organizational commitment, improvements may regress over time.

Cost

While the PDSA cycle can lead to cost savings through efficiency gains or error reduction, there are also associated costs with implementing quality improvement initiatives. These costs may include training, technology investments, or hiring additional staff to support improvement efforts.

Overall, while the PDSA cycle offers a systematic approach to continuous improvement, organizations must carefully consider its limitations and potential drawbacks to maximize its effectiveness and achieve sustainable results.

The Evolution of the Deming Cycle or PDSA

The Deming cycle has evolved from time to time to make it an effective process. I will discuss how the Deming cycle came to be and how it has evolved from time to time.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming

Deming was an American management consultant who graduated as an electrical engineer, later concentrating on mathematical physics. He has become a famous person in the Japanese industry for his work and initiatives after WWII. In addition, Dr. W. Edwards Deming got recognition as one of the most influential Japanese manufacturing industries, who is not Japanese but American. He championed the work of Walter Shewhart, including total quality management, statistical process control, and renamed the Shewhart Cycle. After all, He had a great contribution to the rise of the post-war economic growth in Japan.

The Shewhart Cycle

Deming had been inspired by an American engineer, Walter Andrew Shewhart, who was also a physicist and statistician. In 1939, Shewhart published a book on the Viewpoint of Quality Control. It was the first book that articulated a three-stage systematic process of specification, production, and inspection. These three stages were developed to test the hypothesis of experiments. Finally, he mentioned that these stages should not go straight, but they should go in a cycle. Thus, the Shewhart Cycle came up with the process of a circle.

The Deming Wheel

In 1950, Deming analyzed Shewhart’s Cycle to modify it. He introduced a new version of Shewhart’s Cycle: a four-step process of design, production, sales, and research. This cycle has been known as the Deming Circle or Deming Wheel.

PDCA

Some Japanese executives probably modified the Deming cycle or Deming wheel into Plan, Do Check, Act (PDCA), although the exact reason for changing the term name is unclear. This four-step cycle was introduced to identify the problems in the industry and solve them by applying the four steps together. The prime objective of this cycle is to standardize whether the results are satisfying.

Deming Cycle- Four Stages of Deming Cycle & PDSA Cycle Pros and Cons
Deming PDCA Cycle or PDSA Cycle
PDSA
Deming was not satisfied with the name of PDCA; therefore, he amended it in 1986. He emphasized the core meaning of checking, and he mentioned that checking does not incorporate the cycle. Hence, the PDSA emerged with the recommendation of Deming.

When to Apply PDSA

The PDSA or PDCA framework can develop any process or product by splitting it into shorter steps. This cycle can be used in every kind of organization in many aspects, such as changing management, new service or product deployment, product lifecycle, and so on. This framework is beneficial for assisting the improvement of the Six Sigma and total quality management process. It is the best option to dig out problems and practical solutions.

Deming Cycle or PDSA Quality Improvement

The Deming cycle is one of the essential parts of the quality improvement process in the big industry. Apart from that, organizations apply other quality improvement programs that are much complex QI processes.

Continuous Quality Improvement

It is also known as the CQI process that organizations apply to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and increase internal and external satisfaction. It is a management philosophy that assesses how the industry works to develop its process. These more complex quality improvement programs include the following:

Lean

The lean process is a manufacturing program that effectively improves efficiency and reduces wasteful practices. This program focuses more on improving services and products based on customers’ demands.

Six Sigma

The Six Sigma process is the set of tools and techniques that develop the quality of a process by eliminating defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing.

Total Quality Management

It is a process of a management system based on practicing a principle that instills good business culture, where every employee maintains a high standard of work. It influences the organization to maintain a high quality of service in every aspect of the company.

Quality Improvement Collaboratives

It is a process that usually applies to the healthcare center in which many organizations work together to develop services for patients.

Conclusion

The Deming cycle refers to a repeated four-step (PLAN, DO, STUDY, ACT) process that ensures the continuous improvement of products and services in the industry. Today, many organizations worldwide use this method to improve their products and services by solving problems.

Excercise- Rewriting Sentence Fragments: Label Each Sentence Fragment

Exercise- Rewriting sentence fragments, label each sentence Frag. (sentence fragment) or (complete sentence). The Exercise- the desire of all humankind to live

Exercise-Rewriting Sentence Fragments

Exercise-1

(A) Label each sentence Frag. (sentence fragment) or Comp. (complete sentence). Then on a separate sheet of paper, rewrite each fragment to make a complete sentence.

Frag  1. The desire of all humankind to live in peace and freedom, for example.

Rewrite: The desire of all humankind to live in peace and freedom; for example, many humanitarian organizations work to stop the war in the world.

Frag  2. Second, the fact is that men are physically stronger than women.

Rewrite: Second, the fact that man is physically stronger than women; therefore, men intend to dominate women.

Comp 3. The best movie I saw last year.

Comp 4. Titanic was the most financially successful movie ever made worldwide.

Frag 5. For example, many students have part-time jobs.

Rewrite: Students cannot join every class in the university; for example, many students have part-time jobs.

Frag 6. However, people want to believe that all men are created equal.

Rewrite:  Although people want to believe that all men are created equal, people are not the same in

Comp 7. Finding a suitable marriage partner is a challenging task.

Frag 8. Many of my friends did not have the opportunity to go to college.

Rewrite:  Many of my friends who did not have the opportunity to go to college will invite them to join Open University to study again.

Frag 9.  A tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean in December 2004, killing more than 200,000 people.

Rewrite:  A tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean in December 2004, killing more than 200,000 people, considered the most devastating tsunami in Asia.

Comp 15. Despite a lag of up to several hours between the earthquake and the tsunami, nearly all victims were taken completely by surprise.

Text Below Contains SIX word
EXERCISE-2

One of the biggest concerns that parents have about raising children in a bilingual household is that learning two or more languages at the same time will cause confusion. One misunderstood behavior, which has often been taken as evidence for confusion, is when bilingual children mix words from two languages in the same sentence. This is known as code-mixing. In fact, code-mixing is a normal part of bilingual development, and bilingual children actually have good reasons to code-mix (Pearson, 2008). The reason some children code mix is that they are just repeating what they hear adults around them say (Comeau, Genesee & Lapaquette, 2003).

Another reason for code-mixing among bilingual children is due to their limited vocabulary in both languages. Similar to how a monolingual 1-year-old might initialize using the word “dog” to refer to any four-legged creature, bilingual children also use their limited vocabularies to substitute a word from one language with a word from another language. A bilingual child might not know or cannot quickly retrieve the appropriate word in one language, so he or she might borrow the word from the other language (Lanza, 2004). Thus, rather than being a sign of confusion, code-mixing can be seen as a progressive in their language development and a sign of bilingual children’s ingenuity.

EXERCISE-3

Reporting verb

Reporting verbs is defined as referring verbs that convey the action of speakers. It is used when a person reports others’ work or statements directly or indirectly. The most common use of the reporting verb is in-text citations.

One of the most common ways to incorporate citations into your writing is to use the reporting verb. They are needed to connect the in-text citation to the information which you are citing. Before selecting a verb, it is vital that you carefully read the source and clearly understand the author’s claim(s).

EXERCISE-4– Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate reporting verb.
  1. Greenberg (2001) emphasizes the importance of taking a liberal approach.

or

Greenberg (2001) stresses the importance of taking a liberal approach.

  1. Alam et al. (2004) observed patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for a minimum of 8 years.

or

Alam et al. (2004) analyze patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for a minimum of 8 years.

  1. Toms (1982) articulates the common belief that humans have five senses. In his research, he finds that there are, in fact, nine senses.

or

Toms (1982) challenges the common belief that humans have five senses. In his research, he finds that there are, in fact, nine senses.

  1. Hanks (2004) determines an idiom as an expression whose “meaning . . . is distinct from the sum of its parts” (p. 257).

or

Hanks (2004) notices an idiom as an expression whose “meaning . . . is distinct from the sum of its parts” (p. 257).

  1. Jirapanakorn (2012) examines the use of reporting verbs in international journals and Thai journals and found that there were fewer uses of reporting verbs in Thai journals.

or

Jirapanakorn (2012) discovered the use of reporting verbs in international journals and Thai journals and found that there were fewer uses of reporting verbs in Thai journals.

Plagiarism: How To Avoid Plagiarism, Identify Errors in the citation as well as Correction. For example, a student uses an internet article to research her paper. However, she finds several of the ideas in the article useful and develops them in her paper. Since she does not quote from the text, she does not cite it in her paper, but she references it in the bibliography.

Plagiarism

Work is often considered plagiarized when it contains another person’s ideas, processes, results, data, or words without giving appropriate credit to the owner. In other words, plagiarism is when you claim someone else’s thoughts and work as your own. In the academic world, this is a crime and can be heavily penalized.

Exercise- 5

Read these situations carefully and decide whether they are acts of plagiarism or not. State your reason in the space provided.

Situation
  1. A student uses an internet article in researching her paper. She finds several of the ideas in the article useful and develops them in her own paper. Since she does not quote from the text, she does not cite it in her paper, but she references it in the bibliography.

Plagiarism- Yes / No

Answer: YES

Reason:  Although the student correctly referenced the article in her bibliography, that’s not enough. If she uses the ideas in her paper, she must consider the origins of those ideas in the paper itself. She acknowledges the source of the idea directly or uses in-text citations.

2. You are taking a class that a friend has already taken. She lets you read her paper to get some ideas and tells you to use any parts of the paper you find useful. You incorporate some of her paragraphs into your paper without citation.

Plagiarism-Yes / No

Answer: YES

Reason: My friend’s permission to use her paper is not relevant; it is still plagiarism when you present work that someone else has done as your own.

3. A friend offers to let you read his paper to help you get some ideas and tells you to use any parts of the paper you find useful. You incorporate one of his paragraphs into your paper. You are careful to include all of the citations from his paper in your footnotes so that readers can find the source of information.

Plagiarism-Yes / No

Answer: YES

Reason: Although I have the citations, it is plagiarism to show someone else’s work as my own. My friend can also violate the Honor Code too.

4. A student finds a picture on the web that perfectly illustrates a point she wants to make in her paper. She downloads the picture but does not use the website’s analysis; she also writes her caption for the picture. Since the analysis and caption are her own, she does not include a citation for the picture.

Plagiarism-Yes / No

Answer: YES

Reason: It depends on the type of picture she is using. If the picture is common and shares common knowledge, then it won’t be considered plagiarism. But if the picture belongs to an individual’s intellectual work, then it will be considered plagiarism.

5. You are discussing your term paper with your professor. She gives you an interesting idea about how you might interpret some of the materials you have been studying. Since the discussion was informal and did not pertain to an area in which your professor intends you to publish, you incorporate her suggestions without acknowledgment.

Plagiarism-Yes / No

Answer: NO

Reason: Though it is important to acknowledge other ideas, it won’t be plagiarism because she has not written on the subject and does not intend to do so.

How To Avoid  Plagiarism

One of the ways to avoid plagiarism is to acknowledge the originator(s) of the idea(s). This can be done by using proper citation and referencing techniques.

Exercise- 5

Other than to avoid plagiarism, what are other purposes of including a citation in your writing?

  1. To give credit to the authors whose work I am using.
  2. To provide readers with a list of additional readings on the topic.
  3. So that my academic paper can easily be spotted.

Activity 3

Identify the errors in each of the citations below.

  1. “The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity” (Jane Auduboy, 1990).
Error(s): (Jane Auduboy, 1990).

Correct: “The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity” (Auduboy, 1990)

  1. Eastmond states that distance learning is an increasingly important aspect of higher education because it meets the needs of an expanding pool of nontraditional students who find education necessary for jobs in today’s information age.
Error(s):  No date 

Correct: Eastmond (n.d.) states that “distance learning is an increasingly important aspect of higher education because it meets the needs of an expanding pool of nontraditional students who find education necessary for jobs in today’s information age.”

  1. According to Celik (2015), he found that managing the learning environment in classrooms with students of a range of ability levels or achievement is one of the tough issues many teachers face.
Error(s): he found that

Correct: According to Celik (2015), “managing the learning environment in classrooms with students of a range of ability levels or achievement is one of the tough issues faced by many teachers.”

  1. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. (Consumer Reports:1990)
Error(s): (Consumer Reports:1990)

One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. A bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head (Consumer Reports,1990).

5. Armstrong (2004) suggests that historical cost accounting has “passed its use-by date.”

Error(s): Armstrong (2004), suggests

Correct: Armstrong (2004) suggests that historical cost accounting has “passed its use-by date.”

These are the Exercises.