When To Use The Pdca Cycle: The Plan-Do-Check-Act Procedure

The Plan-do-check-act cycle (Figure 1) is a four-step model for carrying out change.
Just as a circle
has no end, the PDCA cycle should be repeated again and again for continuous improvement. The
PDCA cycle is considered a project planning tool.
Figure 1: Plan-do-check-act cycle
 When to use the PDCA cycle

 PDCA example
 PDCA resources
WHEN TO USE THE PDCA CYCLE
Use the PDCA cycle when:
 Starting a new improvement project

 Developing a new or improved design of a process, product, or service
 Defining a repetitive work process
 Planning data collection and analysis in order to verify and prioritize problems or root causes
 Implementing any change
 Working toward continuous improvement
The Plan-do-check-act Procedure

1. Plan: Recognize an opportunity and plan a change.
2. Do: Test the change. Carry out a small-scale study.
3. Check: Review the test, analyze the results, and identify what you’ve learned.
4. Act: Take action based on what you learned in the study step. If the change did not work,
go through the cycle again with a different plan. If you were successful, incorporate what
you learned from the test into wider changes. Use what you learned to plan new
improvements, beginning the cycle again.
PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT EXAMPLE
The Pearl River, NY School District, a 2001 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award, used the PDCA cycle as a model for defining most of their work processes, from the
boardroom to the classroom.
The PDCA model was the basic structure for the district’s:
 Overall strategic planning

 Needs analysis
 Curriculum design and delivery
 Staff goal-setting and evaluation
 Provision of student services and support services
 Classroom instruction
Figure 2 shows their "A+ Approach to Classroom Success." This is a continuous cycle of designing
curriculum and delivering classroom instruction. Improvement is not a separate activity—it is built
into the work process.
Figure 2: Plan-do-check-act example
Plan
The A+ Approach begins with a "plan" step, which the school district calls "analyze." In this step,
students’ needs are analyzed by examining a range of data available in Pearl River’s electronic data
"warehouse." The data reviewed includes everything from grades to performance on standardized
tests. Data can be analyzed for individual students or stratified by grade, gender, or any other
subgroup. Because PDCA does not specify how to analyze data, a separate data analysis process
(Figure 3) is used here as well as in other processes throughout the organization.
Figure 3: Pearl River Analysis Process

Do
The A+ Approach continues with two "do" steps:
1. The "align" step asks what the national and state standards require and how they will be
assessed. Teaching staff also plans curricula by looking at what is taught at earlier and
later grade levels and in other disciplines to ensure a clear continuity of instruction
throughout the student’s schooling. Teachers develop individual goals to improve their
instruction where the "analyze" step showed any gaps.
2. The "act" step is where instruction is provided, following the curriculum and teaching
goals. Within set parameters, teachers vary the delivery of instruction based on each
student’s learning rates and styles.
Check
Formal and informal assessments take place continually, from daily teacher assessments to six-
week progress reports to annual standardized tests. Teachers also can access comparative data on
the electronic database to identify trends. High-need students are monitored by a special child study
team.
Throughout the school year, if assessments show students are not learning as expected, mid-course
corrections are made (such as re-instruction, changing teaching methods, and more direct teacher
mentoring). Assessment data become input for the next step in the cycle.
Act
In this example, the "act" step is "standardization." When goals are met, the curriculum design and
teaching methods are considered standardized. Teachers share best practices in formal and
informal settings. Results from this cycle become input for the "analyze" phase of the next A+
Approach cycle.

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The Plan-do-check-act cycle (Figure 1) is a four-step model for carrying out change.

Figure 1: Plan-do-check-act cycle

 When to use the PDCA cycle

WHEN TO USE THE PDCA CYCLE

Use the PDCA cycle when:

 Starting a new improvement project

The Plan-do-check-act Procedure

 Overall strategic planning

Figure 2: Plan-do-check-act example

Figure 3: Pearl River Analysis Process

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