Shewhart cycle

Shewhart cycle
See also
10 kaizen principles Quality factors Continuous improvement Flow analysis Continuous operations Cost of good quality Operating effectiveness Quality assurance Value stream mapping

The Shewhart cycle, also known as the PDCA cycle, is a process management tool developed by W. Edwards Deming. It involves four key steps: Plan, Do, Check, and Act. The Plan step involves setting objectives, developing strategies and making decisions for a project. The Do step involves carrying out the plan. The Check step involves measuring the results of the plan, and the Act step involves making changes to the plan based on the results. The cycle is used to continually improve the quality of a process or product, and it is applicable to all industries. It helps organizations to anticipate problems and create solutions that ensure the highest quality standards.

Example of shewhart cycle

• A manufacturing company may use the Shewhart cycle to streamline its production process. The Plan step would involve setting objectives for the production process, such as producing a certain number of widgets per hour. The Do step would involve carrying out the plan, such as ensuring that all workers have the correct tools and materials to produce the widgets. The Check step would involve measuring the results of the plan, such as how many widgets were produced per hour. The Act step would involve making changes to the plan based on the results, such as changing the production process to increase the number of widgets produced per hour.
• A customer service organization may use the Shewhart cycle to improve customer satisfaction. The Plan step would involve setting objectives for customer service, such as reducing customer wait times. The Do step would involve carrying out the plan, such as training customer service representatives on how to handle customer inquiries. The Check step would involve measuring the results of the plan, such as how long customers are waiting before they reach a customer service representative. The Act step would involve making changes to the plan based on the results, such as increasing the number of customer service representatives to reduce customer wait times.
• A software development team may use the Shewhart cycle to create better software. The Plan step would involve setting objectives for the software, such as improving user experience. The Do step would involve carrying out the plan, such as developing the software according to user requirements. The Check step would involve measuring the results of the plan, such as user feedback on the software. The Act step would involve making changes to the plan based on the results, such as making changes to the software code in order to improve user experience.

When to use shewhart cycle

The Shewhart cycle is an effective process management tool that can be used to solve a variety of problems and improve quality in all industries. Specifically, it can be used in the following applications:

• Quality assurance: The cycle can be used to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies for increasing quality and efficiency.
• Problem solving: The cycle can be used to analyze problems, identify their root causes, and develop solutions.
• Project management: The cycle can be used to set objectives, develop plans, monitor progress, and make changes as needed.
• Performance improvement: The cycle can be used to monitor performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Process optimization: The cycle can be used to identify potential process improvements and to develop new processes that maximize efficiency and quality.

Steps of shewhart cycle

The Shewhart cycle, also known as the PDCA cycle, is a process management tool developed by W. Edwards Deming. It involves four key steps:

• Plan: This step involves setting objectives, developing strategies and making decisions for a project.
• Do: This step involves carrying out the plan.
• Check: This step involves measuring the results of the plan.
• Act: This step involves making changes to the plan based on the results.

The Shewhart cycle is used to continually improve the quality of a process or product, and it is applicable to all industries. It helps organizations to anticipate problems and create solutions that ensure the highest quality standards.

Advantages of shewhart cycle

The Shewhart cycle offers a number of advantages for improving quality and efficiency. These include:

• Improved planning: The Plan step of the cycle allows for thoughtful consideration of objectives and strategies. This helps to ensure that the project is well-planned and can be executed with minimal errors.
• Increased visibility: By following the cycle, the progress of the project can be monitored, allowing for timely corrections and adjustments.
• Increased effectiveness: By following the cycle, an organization can identify and address issues quickly, reducing the chances of costly mistakes.
• Reduced waste: By following the cycle, organizations can eliminate unnecessary steps and resources, reducing the amount of waste created.
• Improved customer satisfaction: By following the cycle, organizations can reduce the number of complaints and ensure that customers receive a quality product or service.

Limitations of shewhart cycle

The Shewhart cycle is a powerful process management tool, but it has some limitations. These include:

• It requires a significant amount of time for each step to be completed and for the cycle to be effective.
• It does not provide a comprehensive view of the process, as it does not consider the long-term impacts of decisions.
• It can be difficult to accurately measure the results of the plan, which can lead to inaccurate or incomplete data.
• It may not be applicable in all situations, and it may not be suitable for all types of businesses.
• It may not be effective without proper training and adequate resources.

Other approaches related to shewhart cycle

The Shewhart cycle is not the only process management tool available. Other approaches related to it include:

• Kaizen: Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement. It involves small, incremental changes that can be made to processes and practices to make them more efficient and effective.
• Six Sigma: Six Sigma is a process management and improvement tool designed to reduce errors and defects in processes. It uses a set of statistical techniques to measure and analyze the performance of a process, identify areas of improvement and make changes to improve processes.
• Lean: Lean is a methodology for process improvement that focuses on eliminating waste and creating value for customers. It uses the principles of kaizen and six sigma to streamline processes and reduce costs.

In summary, there are several process management and improvement approaches related to the Shewhart cycle, including Kaizen, Six Sigma and Lean. Each of these tools employs different methods and techniques to improve the performance of processes.

Suggested literature

• Moen, R., & Norman, C. (2006). Evolution of the Pdca cycle.
• Moen, R. (2009, September). Foundation and History of the Pdsa Cycle. In Asian network for quality conference. Tokyo. https://www. deming. org/sites/default/files/pdf/2015/PDSA_History_Ron_Moen. Pdf.