// ROBOTICS AND SMART FACTORIES TERM
PDCA
PDCA stands for Plan-Do-Check-Act, a four-step iterative management method used for the control and continuous improvement of processes and products. It's a fundamental tool in Lean and quality management.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act), also known as the Deming Cycle, is an iterative four-step management method for continuous improvement of processes and products, involving defining objectives (Plan), implementing changes (Do), monitoring results (Check), and standardizing or refining (Act) for sustained progress.
BACKGROUND
Kaizen is a Japanese vocabulary word that outside of Japan has been adopted as a concept in business studies which asserts that significant positive results may be achieved due to the cumulative effect of many, often small improvements to all aspects of a company's operations. Kaizen is put into action by continuously improving every facet of a company's production and requires the participation of all employees from the CEO to assembly line workers. Kaizen also applies to processes, such as purchasing and logistics, that cross organizational boundaries into the supply chain. Kaizen aims to eliminate waste and redundancies. Kaizen may also be referred to as zero investment improvement (ZII) due to its utilization of existing resources.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Deming Cycle
- Shewhart Cycle
- Plan-Do-Study-Act
- Continuous improvement cycle
USAGE NOTE
The PDCA cycle is widely applied in manufacturing for problem-solving and implementing new procedures.