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PDCA: Plan-Do-Check-Act for Continuous Improvement
Highest Rated
Rating: 4.7 out of 5(391 ratings)
10,969 students

PDCA: Plan-Do-Check-Act for Continuous Improvement

Using the PDCA cycle to define problems, test solutions, measure results, standardise improvements and repeat the cycle
Created byRobert Chapman | Business Improvement Solutions
Last updated 8/2026
English
English [Auto],

What you'll learn

  • Define an improvement problem, current state and measurable success criteria.
  • Plan a PDCA cycle with appropriate stakeholders, risks, resources and activities.
  • Generate and evaluate solutions before selecting one for a controlled test.
  • Design and run a pilot that produces useful evidence about the proposed change.
  • Compare results with predictions and decide whether to adopt, adapt or stop.
  • Standardise successful improvements through ownership, documentation and controls.

Course content

5 sections • 46 lectures • 3h 39m total length

  • What is covered in this course?1:30

    In this video, we will look at what is to be covered within this course.

  • Disclaimer0:57

    In this video, we will run through a brief disclaimer for this course.

  • What is the purpose of this course?5:23

    In this video, we will explore the purpose of this course and what you will gain.

Requirements

  • No previous PDCA or continuous-improvement experience is required.
  • You may bring a real workplace problem or improvement idea to apply during the course.
  • Standard office tools are sufficient for the templates and exercises.

Description

PDCA turns improvement ideas into controlled experiments. You will learn how to plan a change, test it at an appropriate scale, evaluate evidence and either standardise, adapt or stop the solution before committing wider resources.


The course begins with the purpose and structure of Plan-Do-Check-Act. You will define a problem or opportunity, understand the current state and establish measures that show whether a change has worked. During the Plan stage, you will explore possible causes, generate solutions and prepare the people, resources, risks and activities needed for a meaningful test.


The Do and Check stages focus on pilot testing, observing what happens and comparing results with the agreed measures. You will learn how to distinguish evidence from assumption and how to respond when the result is different from the prediction. During Act, you will decide whether to standardise the improvement, modify the solution or begin another cycle.


A realistic example, practical templates and demonstrations show how implementation and control plans support the method. The approach can be used in manufacturing, service, office and project environments.


By the end of the course, you will be able to run an end-to-end PDCA cycle and use its evidence to make safer, clearer and more sustainable improvement decisions.

Who this course is for:

  • Operations and team managers responsible for improving performance.
  • Quality and continuous-improvement professionals using structured experiments.
  • Project and change professionals who need to test solutions before wider rollout.
  • Process owners seeking a repeatable method for evidence-based improvement.

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