Improvement is always the core piece in Industrial Engineering and it is also crucial to enhance the current performance in a steady manner. In a complex integrated environment, effective problem-solving and applicable tools are necessary to identify current problems and decide the best alternatives for fixing such problems. One of the simplest management tools for continuous improvement is PDCA Cycle. The PDCA Cycle is an iteration-style based on scientific method that consists of four main steps: Plan, Do, Check, and Action.
The first step is Plan. As the name suggests, the team plan everything necessary for improvement during this period. This includes establishing goals, problem identification, deciding which data to collect, discussing important steps for solving the problem and other necessary questions depending on each task.
The second step is Do. This is the process when the team execute the detailed strategy from the previous stage. Since it is inevitable that new problems will occur, each member have to understand their task and responsibilities.
The third step is Check. Evaluation of very steps and changes made so far happens in this step through data comparison, information exchanges, results validations and other similar methods. The main goal of this phase is identifying the root causes of problems that used as reference for strategic decision.
The last step is Act. This is the time to remove the root causes of occurring problems by creating new policy, constructing preventive actions, standardizing process and other necessary actions. These new procedures than needs to be distributed to stakeholders to avoid miscommunications and misunderstandings.
PDCA Cycle provides a straightforward and steady framework for problem solving and improving system. It encourages people to frequently strive for improvement and preventing recurring problems in the future. However, PDCA Cycle is insufficient to solve urgent problems since the all steps are timeconsuming. Moreover, long-term commitment from all stakeholders is required to keep the PDCA Cycle continue effectively.
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