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PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT (PDCA) PROCESS IMPROVEMENT FOUR STEPS AT ONE GLANCE
What is PDCA?
The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle is an interactive problem-solving strategy to improve processes and implement change. The PDCA cycle is a method for continuous improvement. Rather than representing a one-and-done process, the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is an ongoing feedback loop for iterations and process improvements
When to Use the PDCA Cycle
Use the PDCA cycle when:
- Starting a new improvement project
- Developing a new or improved design of a process, product, or service
- Defining a repetitive work process
- Planning data collection and analysis in order to verify and prioritize problems or root causes
- Implementing any change
- Working toward continuous improvement
The Plan-do-check-act Procedure
- Plan: Recognize an opportunity and plan a change.
- Do: Test the change. Carry out a small-scale study.
- Check: Review the test, analyze the results, and identify what you’ve learned.
- 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.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS CIP
Continuous improvement is an ongoing effect to products, services or processes. These efforts seek incremental improvement over time or breakthrough improvement at once.delivery processes are constantly evaluated and improved in light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. In another word, the philosophy of continuous improvement requires systematic and unfiltered evaluation. As one of the elements of TQM, continuous improvements process is easier to manage and utilizes everyone’s talents. Many Japanese companies have used this ideology in their system and they called this approach ’KAIZEN’.
KAIZEN means ’Change for the better’.
KAI means Change
ZEN means Better.
Kaizen philosophy focuses upon continuous improvements (one at a time) of processes in manufacturing, engineering, supporting business process and management from the top to the bottom level, in another word, it is referred to activities that continually improve all functions and involves employees from top management level to the Assembly line workers.
In order for continuous improvement to be successful in the organization it must:
1) Involve senior management commitment and participant in the process
2) Be a continuous activities not a day, a week or a month activities, it must be continuous without ending etc
3) Involve the people, respect the people and listen to people etc
4) Have one person been dedicated to carry out the continuous improvement activities in the shop floor or in the organization etc
Some strategies point to bear in mind when implementing continuous improvement in an organizational system.
-Start with an example project
-Analyze variations of all processes (e.g special & common cause variations etc
-Recognize the process not just results
-Simplify, Simplify, Simplify etc
-Expect to constantly reinvest in new technology
-See failures and problem as an opportunities
-Reorganize in other to bring about improvement measures
Feedback is very essential to continuous improvement because it enables the sender to know whether its information has achieved desirable results or not.similarly, the feedback mechanism may be simple oral or written reports, information system, or complex automated statistical analyses integrated with expert systems. the key of continuous improvement is that information is received in time to allow initiating corrective actions to take place, not only that, it also enables the sender to know whether the information is delivered to someone who can initiate action.
’’Continuous improvement is not about the things you do well that’s work, Continuous improvement is about removing the things that get in the way of your work. The headaches, the things that slow you down, that’s what continuous improvement is all about’’-Bruce Hamilton-
EIGHT PILLARS OF TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE TPM AT A GLANCE
The 8 TPM pillars are a set of actionable principles that form the fundament of total productive maintenance (TPM). The aim of the TPM pillars is to proactively maintain equipment and machinery, thereby improving their performance, dependability, and longevity.
The 8 pilarrs of TPM Explained!
1. Continuous Improvement
-Applied elimination of major losses
2. Automonous Maintenance
-Operator executes inspections, cleanings and
maintenance independence independently
3. Preventive Maintenance
-Undisturbed machines and facilities produce faulties
goods for total customer satisfaction
4. Trainings and Education
-Tailored qualification of employees to improve their
abilities to operate and maintain etc
5. Start-up Monitoring
-Realization of a vertical starting curve at new products
and facilities
6. Quality Management
– ‘Zero defects’ target concerning products and facilities
– Customer satisfaction through highest quality and
accurate manufactures
– Systematic elimination of facilities parts, which have
negative impact on productivity
7. TPM in Administration
– Elimination of losses and waste in non-productive
sections
8. Safety and Health at Work, Environment Protection
-Zero accidents, zero pollution, zero illnesses
