Lean toolkit / 03
PDCA Cycle Sheet
One improvement experiment per sheet: predict, run, compare, decide. A new sheet starts where the last one ended.
Write the prediction before you run anything. A cycle where you did not say in advance what you expected cannot teach you anything, because any result confirms it.
Keep cycles short. If a cycle runs longer than two weeks, the experiment is too big — cut it down.
What is the target condition and the obstacle in the way? What exactly will you change, and what do you predict will happen? Name the measure.
What actually happened when you ran it. Facts and dates. Note anything that did not go as planned.
Compare the result to the prediction. Where did they differ, and what does that tell you? Show the number.
Adopt, adjust or abandon. If adopt: what goes into standard work and who owns it. If adjust: the next obstacle to attack.
Decide
Every cycle ends in one of three placesPDCA Cycle Sheet · DF Consulting · df-consulting.net · david@df-consulting.net