Deming cycle

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What is the Deming cycle?

The Deming cycle is a methodology for continuous improvement. It was created by Dr. W. Edwards Deming, who believed organizations could improve their processes if they focused on four key steps: plan, do, check, and act (PDCA (opens in new tab)). This process is often referred to as the PDCA cycle.

The Deming cycle methodology

Here’s a breakdown of what each step in the Deming cycle entails:

Plan: Refers to recognizing where opportunities exist and making a plan to implement change. In a manufacturing setting, the planning process could be to decide on what operational problem needs resolving or improving.

Do: Implement the change and test its effectiveness. The ideas, methods, and/or process improvements in the plan must now be put into place. This may include changes to production processes, maintenance strategies (opens in new tab), implementing training (opens in new tab) or changing work practices.

Check: Review the test, measure and analyze the results, and evaluate the lessons learned. Data such as production output, machine availability, and safety statistics should be measured against the projected outcomes detailed in the plan.

Act: Take action towards improvement based on what you learned from the test. If the change does not work, go through the cycle again with a different plan. If the experiment was a success, incorporate what you learned from the test into wider changes. Learnings from the test can be applied to continual change, which can then be put through the Deming cycle again.

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Examples of how to apply the Deming cycle methodology

The Deming cycle methodology is a way to improve your business by making sure that you are always improving. It's important to note that this process is not something you do once and then forget about it, but rather a continuous cycle of improvement that continues throughout the lifetime of your company.

Here are some examples on how to apply this method:

Set goals: You need to know what you want before you can achieve anything. This means setting goals for yourself or your team so everyone knows what they should be working towards.
Measure results: Once we've set our goals, we need something concrete against which we can measure our progress toward achieving them. This is why measuring our results plays an important role in applying this process successfully (and regularly).

Deming cycle or PDCA is a methodology for continuous improvement

The Deming cycle is one of the most important concepts in business and management. It can be applied to any situation or industry, and it helps businesses improve their processes and products over time by focusing on customer satisfaction.