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Continuous Cycle Of Improvement
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To remain competitive, companies need to find a way to continuously improve their performance. Dr Edwards Deming, an American Professor and father of the “Total Quality Movement” of the 1960s, developed a cycle, called the Continuous Improvement Wheel. The principles of this wheel have enabled Toyota in Takaoka to set world-class benchmarks in the motor industry. This plant was able to implement over 60 improvement ideas per person per year.
The Deming cycle or continuous improvement cycle looks as follows:
Click here to view a video that explains the Deming PDCA cycle.
Plan
- Describe the results you want
- Clarify the standards (time, cost, quality etc)
- List activities to achieve results
- Prioritise activities
- Determine the timing and duration of each
- Prepare a visual network to illustrate the activity sequence
- Draw a bar chart and display
- Allocate people and resources
Do
- After planning, the plan must be implemented.
- Action is the most important.
Check
- This step involves evaluation and measurement. The results of the ‘do’ step are checked. Progress is compared to set targets and indicated visually.
Adjust
- This step involves the standardisation of further improvements. If the results are as planned and required, the current method is captured in an Operating Procedure to ensure future success. When results are not as planned, the necessary adjustments need to be made and the cycle is repeated.
Reviewing Of Action Plans
You must review your action plans from time to time. Priorities within your organisation might change, employees involved in your projects leave the organisation, etc. You have to decide when you will review your action plan, e.g. weekly, or monthly, depending on the type of project the action plan was developed for.
The easiest way to do so is to add a column “Corrective Measures” to your original document and indicate the changes that you have to decide on.
Keep in mind that your stakeholders must be informed of any changes.
Click here to view and download an example of the action plan review template.