PDCA – Plan-Do-Check-Act

PDCA in Boards on Fire

In Boards on Fire, the PDCA is included as a tool in the improvement module, which you can work with independently or in combination with, for instance, pulse boards or other parts of our platform. You can use the method for tasks like improvement efforts, projects, or change activities.

Create subtasks for each step in the PDCA cycle, delegate them to employees, and set deadlines. Monitor and mark each task and step as they're completed. Easily get an overview of all planned, ongoing, and completed PDCA activities for a specific part of the business and visualize the progress for relevant employees.

PDCA – A Four-Step Method

PDCA stands for "Plan-Do-Check-Act" and is an iterative four-step method for continuous improvement in processes and products. PDCA is often used in quality management and for the implementation of change initiatives. Here's a brief overview of the four steps:

1. Plan: At this stage, a problem or opportunity is identified, and a plan is set up to address it. This involves setting goals, analyzing the current situation, and deciding on the actions to be taken.
2. Do: Here, the planned action is carried out, often on a small scale to test if it works. It's a kind of pilot phase where you can see the effect of the changes made.
3. Check: At this stage, the results of the action taken are analyzed and evaluated. This can be done by comparing the actual results with the expected outcomes to see if the goals were achieved.
4. Act: If the results are positive and desirable, the new methods are standardized and implemented on a larger scale. If the results did not meet expectations, one returns to the planning stage to identify what went wrong and how it can be corrected.

The goal of the PDCA cycle is to continually improve processes by repeating these steps, thereby identifying and rectifying issues or inefficiencies continuously.

PDCA in the Manufacturing Industry

In the manufacturing industry, the PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is often used as a tool to improve both product quality and production processes. As manufacturing processes are often complex and involve several different steps, small inefficiencies or errors can lead to significant production disruptions or quality issues. By using PDCA, you create the conditions to systematically identify, analyze, and address these problems.

Here are some examples of how PDCA can be applied in the manufacturing industry:

Plan:

• Problem Identification: A machine produces a higher percentage of defective parts than acceptable.
• Objective: Reduce the number of defective parts by 50% in the next three months.
• Analysis: The team analyzes production data, conducts root cause analysis, and identifies potential causes for the defects.
• Action Plan: Based on the analysis, the team decides to adjust the machine settings and provide additional training to the operators.

Do:

• Pilot: Before making significant changes to the process, a pilot can be carried out where the new settings are tested for a short period.
• Training: Operators are trained in the new settings and how they should monitor the process.

Check:

• Data Collection: The team collects data on the number of defective parts after the changed settings.
• Analysis: Data is compared with previous performance and set goals.
• Evaluation: The team evaluates whether the changes led to improvements or if there are other aspects to be considered.

Act:

• Standardization: If the changes prove successful, the new settings and training procedures become standard for that particular machine.
• Iteration: If the set goals were not met, the team returns to the "Plan" stage to make further adjustments or identify other potential areas of improvement.