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Initially, the PDCA tool – Plan, Do, Check and Action – is a great way to organize yourself and visualize the opportunities that exist.
In this sense, it is common for self employed database companies in times of crisis to want to differentiate themselves and look for alternatives that optimize their processes. With a view to reducing costs, increasing profits and improving good relationships with their customers.
However, when it comes to improving management, it is very important to develop good strategic planning. Therefore, PDCA becomes a great option for effective and continuous execution of strategic planning, as it is a tool used by managers all over the world.
So, what is the PDCA cycle? What is it for? How can I apply it in my company?
What is PDCA cycle?
First of all, the PDCA cycle is an interactive methodology created in the 20th century by Walter Andrew Shewart, a physicist known for being a pioneer in statistical quality control. However, the method was only popularized worldwide in the 1950s by American professor William Edwards Deming.
Furthermore, it is used to control and improve processes and products, the PDCA cycle has this name due to the English names of each step that makes it up:
These are the 4 steps of the cycle, and it is common to start with planning. But of course, depending on the objectives of the person using it, there is the possibility of variations, skipping a step or starting with another.
Thus, the PDCA methodology is used worldwide by numerous corporations, which aim to have more efficient control of processes and activities, whether external or internal, minimizing the chances of errors in decision-making and standardizing relevant information. As the name suggests, PDCA is a cycle.
Therefore, it is important that its application becomes a habit, ensuring excellence in its use and always aiming for continuous improvement.
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How can I apply the PDCA cycle in my company?
The steps of the PDCA cycle
As seen previously, the PDCA cycle follows an order of execution and, to apply it in your company, it is important to follow each step carefully. See how to apply it:
Plan
It is essential for the PDCA cycle that a project is well-designed, as it prevents future failures and wasted time. Likewise, planning allows you to gather and analyze information to establish objectives and goals, defining the best way to achieve them. It is also important to emphasize that planning must be aligned with the company's mission, vision and values.
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To do
After careful and elaborate planning, it is time to execute. The execution phase is one of the most important and is subdivided into 3 other stages:
Training of those who will carry out the project;
Carrying out the execution;
Collection and documentation of data for later evaluation.
But, always remember not to skip steps or improvise, so as not to compromise the cycle's performance.
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Check
This is the stage of checking and comparing everything that was planned and executed. To identify gaps and ensure that the cycle is functioning properly, checking can and should be done in two ways: At the same time that the plan is drawn up, to assess whether the work is being done correctly, and also after execution, to perform a complete statistical analysis, identifying possible adjustments.
If the results are not satisfactory, it is recommended that you return to the planning stage.
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Act and correct
In the last stage, reflection is given on how the results will be disseminated and how corrective actions will be applied to the problems found, which can be subdivided into two stages: Standardization of what worked, done by reviewing the documented data that describe the processes (standards) and the conclusion, bringing together the project members to reflect on the results, documenting what worked and what did not work, recording the group's learning to think about future plans.
This stage is simultaneously the end and the beginning, because after understanding what caused the previous errors, the entire PDCA cycle must be redone with new guidelines and parameters.
Read more about the PDCA cycle and its importance applied to productivity in Brazilian industry.
