PDCA or plan–do–check–act is an iterative design and management method used in business for the control and continual improvement of processes and products.

The Plan-do-check-act Procedure

1. Plan: Recognize an opportunity and plan a change.

2. Do: Test the change. Carry out a small-scale study.

3. Check: Review the test, analyze the results, and identify what you’ve learned.

4. Act: Take action based on what you learned in the study step. If the change did not work, go through the cycle again with a different plan. If you were successful, incorporate what you learned from the test into wider changes. Use what you learned to plan new improvements, beginning the cycle again.