The theme of continuous improvement is already widespread in all organizations, with the PDCA Cycle being one of the most used tools in this regard. However, there are some variations to this cycle that can be implemented and bring even better results. We are talking about PDCL and PDSA.
Have you heard of these acronyms? Do you know what they mean and how they differ from the traditional PDCA? That's what we'll discover today. Pay attention!
PDCA: Reclaiming the Fundamentals
You've certainly heard of PDCA and you've even applied it in your company. We've also addressed this topic several times here on Stratec Blog. But to regain understanding and be able to move forward with PDCL and PDSA, it's worth remembering what they are about.
Basically, PDCA consists of a continuous improvement cycle, organized as follows: plan, do, check, and act. You identify a problem, hypothesize about the causes, plan the best way to solve the issue, make the necessary changes, monitor performance, and proceed with the necessary adjustments.
See also: PDCA + DMAIC + MASP + BSC – what are the differences and similarities
It can be applied to both specific issues, like a machine failure, and to processes. In the case of processes, the interesting part is that you can continuously deal with their improvement, always applying the same cycle.
PDCL: Learning from experience
When you apply PDCA in the company, you are learning from failures and the improvement process, correct? The ideal, in fact, is to record the changes, compare the before and after, to have a history of evolution and also to prevent corrected errors from being repeated in the future.
Faced with this perception, the FNQ (National Quality Foundation) developed the model PDCL, where the “act” of PDCA is replaced by “learn.” In the case of process improvement, for example, it is highly recommended that you use this Cycle, after all, you will learn what the best practices are to make processes more agile and efficient.
A change might be beneficial, but it might not be. And then you have a learning experience. A single change might solve the whole problem, but it might be necessary to make many others. Once again, you are learning what is best for your organization.
PDSA: study the problem to solve it
The PDSA, in turn, replaces the “check” of PDCA with “study.” This approach is perfect for companies that need to determine the root cause of a defect or failure or then determine the best way to apply a process.
An industry with a high percentage of defective products can use PDSA to find the root cause of the problem and thus learn to resolve the issue in future situations, for example.
Let's say a machine, every 1000 hours of operation, begins to malfunction due to a lack of lubrication. By applying PDSA, the quality team can learn the best practices for keeping the machine in perfect working order.
This learning allows the company to have case studies that can be replicated for all employees and even presented to clients in order to improve sales arguments.
See also: The tools you can't forget when building your strategic plan
In all cases, you are applying continuous improvement, but focusing on what is most important. Solving an immediate problem with PDCA, learning from your problem-solving experience, or then thoroughly studying a situation to be able to continuously improve it.
Have you applied any of these methods in your company? What was the experience like? Tell us about it!
