This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor: Michael Toffel
In the 1950s, Edwards Deming proposed that business processes should be analyzed and measured to identify sources of variations that cause products to deviate from customer requirements. He recommended that business processes be placed in a continuous feedback loop so that managers can identify and change the parts of the process that need improvements. As a teacher, Deming created a diagram to illustrate this continuous process, commonly known as the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle:
PLAN: Design or revise business process components to improve results
DO: Implement the plan and measure its performance
CHECK: Assess the measurements against established goals and report the results to decision makers
ACT: Decide on changes needed to improve the process
This cycle has been widely adopted to analyze many different aspects of an organization's performance and is the conceptual basis for the ISO 14000 (and many other) standards for Environmental Management Systems.
Ralph Stuart (Lead Author);Michael Toffel (Topic Editor) "Plan, do, check, act model". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth September 4, 2008; Last revised Date September 4, 2008; Retrieved May 24, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Plan,_do,_check,_act_model>
The Author
Ralph Stuart has been working in the Environmental Safety office at the University of Vermont since 1985, focusing primarily on laboratory health, safety and regulatory compliance and Indoor Air Quality management. In addition, he teaches courses in Hazardous Materials Safety and Environmental Management Systems. Since 1999, he has been UVM's lead for participating in the Lab XL "regulatory reinvention" project with the EPA, sponsored by the Campus Consortium for Environmental Ex ... (Full Bio)
In the 1950s, Edwards Deming proposed that business processes should be analyzed and measured to identify sources of variations that cause products to deviate from customer requirements. He recommended that business processes be placed in a continuous feedback loop so that managers can identify and change the parts of the process that need improvements. As a teacher, Deming created a diagram to illustrate this continuous process, commonly known as the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle:
PLAN: Design or revise business process components to improve results
DO: Implement the plan and measure its performance
CHECK: Assess the measurements against established goals and report the results to decision makers
ACT: Decide on changes needed to improve the process
This cycle has been widely adopted to analyze many different aspects of an organization's performance and is the conceptual basis for the ISO 14000 (and many other) standards for Environmental Management Systems.
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