Four steps
- Plan — determine risks and obligations, set objectives and processes.
- Do — run them as planned.
- Check — monitor and measure against policy and objectives, report the result.
- Act — take action to improve performance.
Built into the structure
The clause order of the harmonised structure is not a coincidence: clause 6 planning, 7-8 support and operation, 9 performance evaluation, 10 improvement. An organisation applying the standard in order builds the cycle without noticing.
Where it breaks
The most common defect found on measurement is a missing fourth step. Near misses are collected, an indicator is computed, a report is presented — and no action is opened. The symptom is obvious: two consecutive years of reports carrying the same finding.
Not the only cycle
PDCA is not the only option. Optifora's data layer defines nine improvement methods across 45 phases; PDCA is one of them and has four. Daily improvement may need nothing more; a recurring problem with an unclear cause may need a more detailed method.
Speed is part of the measure
A cycle's value is in its speed. A PDCA that turns once a year learns once a year. Nesting shorter loops inside it — site tours, shift-start checks, monthly indicators — raises the rate of learning.