Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA)
Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) is a model that is used to assist the control and continual improvement of processes and projects. It has been used in construction project management as a means of balancing the systems and behavioural aspects of management and health and safety. Its cyclic approach allows for the constant updating of health and safety measure ultimately leading to a safer working environment.
PDCA was popularised by W. Edwards Deming, a leading figure in modern quality control processes and procedures. Deming intended that PDCA should be used when developing a new or improved process, product or service; when implementing changes; when defining a repetitive work process, and so on.
It is made up of the following stages:
- Plan: Assess a current or new process and how improvements could be made.
- Do: Test small changes as part of a limited study to assess their effectiveness.
- Check: Gather and analyse the test results, compare them with the expected outcomes and identify what has been learnt.
- Act: Take action according to the lesson learned in the ‘Check’ step.
In some iterations of PDCA, the fourth step ‘Act’ is replaced with ‘Adjust’. This is often used when the PDCA process has been run several times and enough information has been accumulated for it to have been adopted as a new ‘standard’. ‘Adjust’ allows for continual monitoring of the process after changes have been made, with small improvements as and when appropriate, creating a cycle of continuous improvement.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Assurance and self-certification.
- CDM Regulations: a quality perspective.
- Contingency theory.
- Continuous improvement process.
- Design freeze: a quality perspective.
- Digital engineering.
- Game theory.
- Lean construction.
- Lean Six Sigma.
- Pareto analysis.
- Project execution plan.
- Project manager.
- Quality control.
- Quality Management System.
- Total quality management in construction.
- Transition time.
Featured articles and news
Designing sustainability and performance into buildings
Specifying and selecting sustainable resilient timber products.
Modifying wood to improve resistance to decay and movement.
A last minute, long look for built environment professionals.
The architecture of creative reuse. Book review.
Installing solar panels on listed structures.
Sustainable development global goals, history in progress?
"Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been."
Mike Kagioglou FCIOB named CIOB President
'Sustainable Development Goals must be focus for construction'
BSRIA training; a look at what's on offer
From energy management to compliance training.
TESP video warns to beware of rogue trainers.
Highlighting the slippery tactics of non-approved providers.
New Building Safety Wiki launched
Boosting awareness and understanding of the new fire safety regime.
New playbook on AI in construction published by CIOB
How to get to grips with, and the best from AI.
Digital Construction Report NBS
BIM, cloud, off-site, immersive tech, AI, twins and sustainability.
ECA learning zone and industry focus video series
From updates and amendments to circular economy, emergency lighting and much more.
Comments
This doesn't seem have been developed for practical application in a construction environment.