<P> PDCA ( plan -- do -- check -- act or plan -- do -- check -- adjust ) is an iterative four - step management method used in business for the control and continual improvement of processes and products . It is also known as the Deming circle / cycle / wheel , the Shewhart cycle , the control circle / cycle , or plan -- do -- study -- act ( PDSA ) . Another version of this PDCA cycle is OPDCA . The added `` O '' stands for observation or as some versions say : `` Observe the current condition . '' This emphasis on observation and current condition has currency with the literature on lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System . The PDCA cycle , with Ishikawa 's changes , can be traced back to S. Mizuno of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1959 . </P>
<P> PDCA ( plan -- do -- check -- act or plan -- do -- check -- adjust ) is an iterative four - step management method used in business for the control and continual improvement of processes and products . It is also known as the Deming circle / cycle / wheel , the Shewhart cycle , the control circle / cycle , or plan -- do -- study -- act ( PDSA ) . Another version of this PDCA cycle is OPDCA . The added `` O '' stands for observation or as some versions say : `` Observe the current condition . '' This emphasis on observation and current condition has currency with the literature on lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System . The PDCA cycle , with Ishikawa 's changes , can be traced back to S. Mizuno of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1959 . </P>
what is generally considered to be the first step in a process improvement project
what is generally considered to be the first step in a process improvement project
plan
plan