When something is completely wrong and must be repaired, you practically create a mind vision of how it has to be done. But are you entirely correct? Is this the right solution? There are a lot of things to consider when about to repair a mistake, regardless of the domain it is part of. In other words, you need a plan and the PDCA solution seems to be the most effective one. PDCA stands for Play Do Check Act. It is actually telling you the main phases of the plan, while everything else is purely your responsibility.
Stage 1 – Plan
As a first general rule, you must diagnose the problem. There are a lot of different tools to help you out in the process. You practically have to get to the root of your issue. Once in there, you have to map the entire strategy required for a perfect result. Plans do not always work like expected, so the more detailed it is, the more fortunate your case becomes. There are multiple aspects to think about, including potential dangers, risks and many other factors that can stretch a solution. All in all, without a plan, you risk getting stuck sooner or later.
Stage 2 – Do
There are multiple different activities required throughout this phase and they practically include the most important actions over your problem. First of all, you are supposed to come up with the potential solutions to your issue. In an ideal case, you should come up with as many possibilities as possible, only to have where to choose from. Later on, analyze each of them independently – with both pros and cons – before deciding. There are multiple techniques to use in order to narrow the selections.
A pilot project might be the optimal solution, only to anticipate the potential result. It can be exercised on small groups or people or perhaps on specific areas, depending on what problem you have to confront with.
Stage 3 – Check
This is when you realize the effectiveness of your pilot idea, not to mention about understanding the potential risks that might arise meanwhile. This is definitive for the further actions. If you are not happy with the result, you are free to repeat the previous phases and test a different possibility. When you are finally content with the final outcome, you are finally free to advance to the final stage.
Stage 4 – Act
This is when you actually take action in order to adopt the solution. An effective PDCA cycle should stop with this final activity, but this is not a general rule. There are several factors that can make the difference between a pilot solution and a final acting phase. They are usually directly proportional with the differences between them. Moreover, the result also depends on the status of your problem. If you are continuously seeking further methods of improvement, you can repeat the PDCA cycle on a regular basis. This is even more important if you perform in an industry that evolves round the clock.