My wife likes to watch cooking shows. She particularly likes the competition shows. A few days ago she watched a contest among cake bakers. In this show, the four bakers create small batches of their best cupcakes for the judges. The judges select their top two favorites, and identify what they liked and disliked about each cupcake. The competitors are then asked to make changes to their best cupcakes and create 1,000 cupcakes. The winner takes home $10,000, while the loser gets nothing.
This show is a great example of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle used in Lean Six Sigma (LSS). As a continuous improvement (CI) team would do, the bakers developed a Plan to produce their cupcakes. They then produced a small batch (also known as a trial run or pilot test; Do) of the product for the judges. Following evaluation by the judges (the customers) (Check), the bakers then made modifications and produced their final product (Act).
PDCA is a continuous cycle. As a CI team evaluates a process, they can use this tool to help ensure that the process changes that are developed are truly implementable and meet the needs of the customer and the business. The team can then begin to look at the new process and determine if additional changes are needed (using another PDCA cycle).
How are you helping your employees to reduce the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and eliminate errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.
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