In PDSA – Small Steps Better Than Large Steps, I shared the benefits of having a process of a rapid review & looking for what works to be amplified, plus muffling what’s not working.

Questions to ask during PDSA & PDCA small steps

Plan-Do-Study-Act PDSA is sometimes referred to Plan-Do-Check-Act PDCA; I am using them both interchangeably. The difference is in your interpretation and use of the terms. Study connotes a better focus on continuous improvement because you are studying and improving the process. Use the term that matches your culture and language … it is the use and thinking behind the tool that matters.

PDSA applies to large-scale longer-term slow cycles and small-scale shorter-term cycles. When you seek improvement on a system that is already in place, you should begin with Study. The questions below begin with Study.

Questions to ask during PDSA Cycles

A. Beginning with “study”

What about this system/process/product/service makes you believe you or the team can improve it? How well is it currently working? What is the current condition?

Questions to ask

B. During “plan”	What problem are you looking to solve? What does “Solved” look like? How will you know it is solved?
C. During “do”	What is your plan for: Testing and creating small experiments of this innovation? Are they safe to fail? If successful, how will you amplify the success and share the results? If failure, how will you muffle what did not work and share the results?
D. During “study”	What are you monitoring? What made you choose these indicators to monitor over others?
E. During “act”	What changes have you made to your original plan? How can you standardize ‘what worked’ and reduce what didn’t work? Is there a need to continue this improvement/innovation? When can we evaluate if you achieved the desired goal?