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Breaking down the components of the PDCA cycle

Since we are all going through the planning process to various degrees, and since I received some feedback about my previous blog, I wanted to follow up with more thoughts about planning. Most of what I am writing is not new material, and I certainly don’t take credit for it. Most of this information is found in the teachings of hoshin kanri, hoshin planning and policy deployment. However, as with most things, the devil lies in the details of how to implement. Hopefully, I can share some insights with you that might help the process.

When I think of planning, I always remember a quote that is attributed to Abe Lincoln. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening my axe.” The point is that if you spend adequate time preparing to do the job, the job itself will go much smoother/better/faster.

Over the next few submissions, I am going to try to break down in very simple terms the process for driving improvement and alignment using the PDCA cycle. The PDCA cycle is simply Plan, Do, Check, Act and is a great approach to any business challenge. In very simple terms:

PLAN (use data!):

• What do we want to do?
• What do our customers want us to do?
• Why is it important?
• What are the steps we are going to use to actually move it?
• What process will be needed? (Hint: Lean Six Sigma).

DO:

• Communicate that the plan exists, why it is important.
• Make the plan visual using graphs, charts and scoreboards.
• Explain what the organization needs to do to be successful, and clearly define what success “looks like”.
• Execute the plan.
• Chart where the progress is vs. where we want it to be.

CHECK:

• Evaluate that the plan is yielding the results you intended.
• Provide team updates and progress reports.
• Include this on all monthly and quarterly reports, quarterly reports, etc.
• Communicate and post the results to date on the visual boards.
• Celebrate and communicate success as you find it.
• Hold people accountable for the progress.

ACT:

• Refocus on areas where progress is not up to par.
• Adjust the plan if the success isn’t in line.
• Add or take away from the plans if/when the business needs change.

As the year progresses, there should be information moving through the organization from senior management to the shop floor and vice versa. As business needs change, some of the metrics and measures might also need to change. As the improvements are made, the results need to be included in the information being shared. This creates a very clear and reliable source of alignment to again reinforce the need to keep all resources pointed in one direction.

A few summarizing thoughts about using PDCA:

1. This clarity of purpose will drive the organization to improve those key metrics that are most important to the customer.
2. The alignment of the effort drives synergy, teamwork and ownership.
3. The communications help break down walls and focus the organization on the right parts of the business.
4. The combination of these items will most certainly yield high-impact results!

 The next blog will talk through the “P” section of the PDCA cycle and provide some additional detail. My hope is that this blog will help you think of some things differently, or maybe think of some things that you haven’t thought of yet.

As always, I love to hear thoughts, comments and feedback.

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Filed Under: Featured, Lean Manufacturing    |  Tags: business management, change management, Lean Manufacturing, planning and scheduling, quality

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