PDSA, or Plan-Do-Study-Act, is an iterative, four-stage problem-solving model used for improving a process or carrying out change. When using the PDSA cycle, it’s important to include internal and external customers; they can provide feedback about what works and what doesn’t.
Where does Plan Do Study Act come from?
The origins and theory of PDSA cycles
The PDSA method originates from industry and Walter Shewhart and Edward Deming’s articulation of iterative processes which eventually became known as the four stages of PDSA. 25 PDCA (plan–do–check–act) terminology was developed following Deming’s early teaching in Japan.
What is the Plan Do Study Act method of working with change?
The PDSA cycle is shorthand for testing a change by developing a plan to test the change (Plan), carrying out the test (Do), observing and learning from the consequences (Study), and determining what modifications should be made to the test (Act).