{"id":"pdca","title":"PDCA and small improvement experiments","summary":"An iterative process of planning a change, testing it on a small scale, reviewing results and using them to determine further action.","concepts":["Plan and do: identify an improvement opportunity and test a bounded change","Check: analyze trial results and record learning","Act: expand the change or try a revised plan according to the results"],"application":"Record goals, observation measures and trial scope for recurring customer-support or operational procedures, then decide whether to adopt, revise or stop the change.","limitations":"PDCA itself does not supply a data-analysis method or a procedure for establishing causality. External factors can affect before-and-after comparisons; do not automatically generalize a small trial.","directions":["Stability: set a small scope and stopping conditions.","Learning: record why results differ and the assumptions for the next trial."],"category":"Business and customers","kind":"method","kind_label":"Method","persona_ids":["management-consultant","customer-success-manager","manager"],"revision":1,"updated_at":"2026-10-08T00:00:00.000Z","sources":[{"title":"What is the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle?","publisher":"ASQ","url":"https://asq.org/quality-resources/pdca-cycle","edition":"Viewed 2026-10-08","region":"Quality improvement method guidance","checked_at":"2026-10-08","reuse":"Independent editorial summary and source link; the original text is not republished."}],"review":{"status":"source-checked-editorial","expert_reviewed":false},"editorial_note":"Editorial English translation of the Korean edition. No professional translation or occupational expert review has been completed. Translation does not change the source jurisdiction.","language":"en","translation":{"status":"current","source_language":"ko","source_version":"kb-8117daa4bd627b46","translated_at":"2026-10-09","professional_reviewed":false},"trust":"reference-data","version":"kb-1132351408bbcba4","links":{"document":"/en/knowledge/pdca","markdown":"/en/knowledge/pdca.md","api":"/api/v1/knowledge/pdca?lang=en"}}