The document discusses the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and how it can be used as a model for continuous process improvement. It explains the four steps of the cycle as: 1) Plan - identify and analyze the problem, 2) Do - develop and test a potential solution, 3) Check - measure the effectiveness of the test solution, and 4) Act - fully implement the improved solution. Examples are provided for each step to illustrate how to methodically solve problems and implement solutions using this approach.

1. Dennis Bonny

Director
 THE ROAD TO
 Jim Hudson CONTINUOUS PROCESS
 Maintenance
Coordinator IMPROVEMENT (CPI)
Jim Varney

Work Control
WORKSHOP
Supervisor
1254 South Florida Ave

Rockledge, Florida
32955
By Robert J. Wiebel
Project Administration Specialist II

2. Plant Operations and Maintenance
Business Transformation
Question:
Does your plant operations and maintenance
organization have the processes, discipline,
and organizational mindset to provide
meaningful organizational innovative services
for your customers on a continuous basis?

3. Lean Six Sigma
Lean six Sigma in Education is a
Continuous Process Improvement
(CPI) strategic approach for developing
a school facilities culture of continuous
improvement in the areas of HVAC
systems reliability, work order process
cycle times, work order costs in terms
of less total resource consumption, and
maintenance and repair quality, and
productivity.

4. Lean Six Sigma
LEAN
SIX
SIGMA
Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology that maximizes value by achieving the
fastest rate of improvement in customer satisfaction, cost, quality, process speed, and invested
capital. The fusion of Lean and Six Sigma improvement methods is required because1:
•Lean cannot bring a process under statistical control.
•Six Sigma alone cannot dramatically improve process speed or reduce invested capital.
•Both enable the reduction of the cost of complexity.
 1. U.S. Army Business Transformation Office Definition

5. Lean Six Sigma
LEAN

SIX
SIGMA
 Reduce cost through Meeting customer and/or 1. Goal: Increased
process optimization stakeholder requirements and/or service not just cost-
expectations and improving cutting.
quality by measuring and 2. Aim: Effectiveness not
eliminating defects. just efficiency.
LEAN
ANALYZE PLAN FOCUS DELIVER IMPROVE
OPPORTUNITY IMPROVEMENT IMPROVEMENT PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE
SIX SIGMA
DEFINE MEASURE ANALYZE IMPROVE CONTROL
OPPORTUNITY PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITY PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE
 1. IBM Global Business Services – Driving operational Innovation Using Lean Six Sigma

6. Manufacturing Lean Six
Sigma Wastes
1. Transportation: Moving materials and output unnecessarily.
2. Inventory: Overproduction resulting in too much stock.
3. Motion: Inappropriate sitting of teams or equipment.
4. Waiting: Equipment failure, for example, which causes delays.
5. Over-Processing: Performing unnecessary processing steps.
6. Over-Production: Producing more stock or producing it earlier than
needed.
7. Defects: Dealing with rework.

7. Plant Operations Lean
Six Sigma Wastes
1. Transportation:...................
2. Inventory:........................
3. Motion:...........................
4. Waiting:..........................
5. Over-Processing:..................
6. Over-Production:..................
7. Defects:..........................

8. Lean Flow
 Putting Lean Flow to work1
 Implementing a Lean Flow requires having the right data and knowing how to use it. There are a
number of different approaches taken by organizations, but fundamentally, Lean Flow is achieved
by:
 • Analyzing the steps of a process and determining which steps add value and which do not.
 • Calculating the costs associated with removing non-value-added steps and comparing those
costs versus expected benefits.
 • Determining the resources required to support value-added steps while eliminating non-value-
added steps.
 • Taking action.
 1. XEROX Lean Six Sigma in Higher Education.

9. The Deming Wheel

10. The Deming Wheel
When to Use Plan–Do–Check–Act
1. As a model for continuous Improvement.
2. When starting a new improvement project.
3. When developing a new or improved
design of a process, product or service.
4. When defining a repetitive work process.
5. When planning data collection and analysis
in order to verify and prioritize problems or
root causes.
6. When implementing any change

11. The Deming Wheel
Plan–Do–Check–Act Procedure
1. Plan: Identifying and analyzing the
problem.
2. Do: Developing and testing a potential
solution.
3. Check: Measuring how effective the test
solution was, and analyzing whether it
could be improved in any way.
4. Act: Implementing the improved solution
fully.

12. How to Use The Tool
The PDCA Cycle encourages you to be methodical in your approach to problem solving and implementing solutions. Follow the
steps below every time to ensure you get the highest quality solution possible.
Step 1: Plan
First, identify exactly what your problem is. You may find it useful to use tools like Drill Down, Cause and Effect Diagrams, and
the 5 Whys to help you really get to the root of it. Once you've done this, it may be appropriate for you to map the process that is
at the root of the problem
Next, draw together any other information you need that will help you start sketching out solutions.
Step 2: Do
This phase involves several activities:
Generate possible solutions.
Select the best of these solutions, perhaps using techniques like Impact Analysis to scrutinize them.
Implement a pilot project on a small scale basis, with a small group, or in a limited geographical area, or using some other trial
design appropriate to the nature of your problem, product or initiative.
Our section on Practical Creativity includes several tools that can help you generate ideas and solutions. Our section on Decision
Making includes a number of tools that will help you to choose in a scientific and dispassionate way between the various potential
solutions you generate.
Note:
The phrase "Plan Do Check Act" or PDCA is easy to remember, but it's important you are quite clear exactly what "Do" means.
""Do" means "Try" or "Test". It does not mean "Implement fully." Full implementation happens in the "Act" phase.

13. How to Use The Tool
 Step 3: Check
In this phase, you measure how effective the pilot solution has been, and gather together any
learning from it that could make it even better.
 Depending on the success of the pilot, the number of areas for improvement you have
identified, and the scope of the whole initiative, you may decide to repeat the "Do" and
"Check" phases, incorporating your additional improvements.
Once you are finally satisfied that the costs would outweigh the benefits of repeating the Do-
Check sub-cycle any more, you can move on to the final phase.
Step 4: Act
Now you implement your solution fully. However, your use of the PDCA Cycle doesn't
necessarily stop there. If you are using the PDCA or Deming Wheel as part of a continuous
improvement initiative, you need to loop back to the Plan Phase (Step 1), and seek out further
areas for improvement.