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PDCA FMEA Plan do check act

1. Objective (why?)

Fig. 1: PDCA cycle, Deming circle, CIP (source: Dietz Consultants)

Fig. 2: PDCA circle, PDCA cycle, Deming circle (source: Dietz Consultants)

Deming defined the PDCA sequence to optimize concepts, processes, and procedures in terms of a never-ending cycle as follows:
  • Planning (Plan)
  • Application (Do)
  • Verification of the results (Check)
  • Optimization with standardization (Act)

2. Procedure (how?)
The PDCA cycle is often used as a problem-solving strategy. The problem is first defined precisely and specified so that it can be analyzed more clearly and effectively. Then the real problem cause is eliminated and the effectiveness of the improvement verified. If the result is that the improvement was successful, standardization prevents falling back into how things were before the improvement.

Deming himself presented a new version, which he called PDSA - Plan-Do-Study-Act, in his book “Out of the Crisis” in 1989. The third step “study” consists of interpreting the examination results from the previous step and acquiring new findings.

Phases in the problem-solving process: PDCA - Plan - Do - Check - Act
Deming circle or Shewhart cycle
PDCA (also known as the Deming circle or Shewhart cycle) is a conceptual and operational model to realize the “continual improvement process” (CIP). The possible applications are extremely diverse in the context of developing products and services, root cause analyses, assessing maturity, and much more. Simplicity, ease of learning, and good adaptability to a wide variety of tasks are the crucial benefits of the PDCA method.

A particularly good example of the application of the PDCA model is the section structure of the brand new ISO 9001: 2015. The four categories can be identified easily here.

Fig. 3: ISO 9001, FMEA, FMEA PDCA, Deming circle FMEA (source: Dietz Consultants)

FMEA maturity evaluation with PDCA

Fig. 4: FMEA maturity evaluation with PDCA, FMEA, FMEA Deming circle, FMEA PDCA (source: Dietz Consultants)

Conceptual model PDCA maturity evaluation of FMEA
The conceptual model PDCA is suitable for performing a maturity evaluation of FMEA. The previously defined evaluation criteria from the PDCA cycle are assigned the following maturity levels for: Quality of the requirements, quality of the evidence for real FMEA

FMEA maturity evaluation with the RADAR logic based on PDCA
EFQM Excellence Model
The EFQM Excellence Model possesses the RADAR logic derived from the PDCA circle. It allows for the understandable, fact-based evaluation of FMEA processes and FMEA results.

The aim is to identify and realize key potential for improvement. EFQM calls its version the PDCA cycle RADAR logic:

  • Results,
  • Approach,
  • Deployment,
  • Assessment
  • Refinement.

Fig. 5: FMEA maturity evaluation “FMEA enabler criteria” according to the EFQM model (source: Dietz Consultants)

Fig. 6: FMEA maturity evaluation “FMEA result criteria” according to the EFQM model (source: Dietz Consultants)