The Plan Do Check Act

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction

Quality can be defined as standard; it is the degree of excellence of something compared to things of similar kind, continuous improvement is the major factor that effects the level of quality of a good or service where emphasis is achieving the approved standard for a routine basis, by only producing or providing services on or above standard but never below par. It is about meeting the needs of customers on a regular basis as for the price they are paying; they need the standard quality to be maintained for the goods and services they purchase. Good functions, long life, consistency and reliability are some of the attributes of quality which have to be maintained.

There are several quality improvements systems which could to be followed:

The PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT (PDCA CYCLE)

The PDCA cycle is also known as the demand cycle; it is a tool which could be followed to solve problems of quality management, its first step includes plan, which lists down the goals which have to be accomplished, the barriers in getting those goals and the strategy and tactics used for coping up with them. This step provides a route or guideline for the next step and it acts as the pillar of achieving the targets. The next phase is the Do phase, once the information has be gathered and a guide line be made, it is time to implement on those plans; this could be done on minute scale or in a lab which could be tested outside the usual production procedure. After, doing what had been planned it is time to check what has been tested, take out valid information on the way used in the testing, the final step which rounds of this cycle Is the Act phase, which completes the cycle though the action been taken on the process. It could be positive or negative based on the information gathered from the act phase, thus the entire cycle or process makes sure that quality is maintained on a continuous basis where procedures are tested and implemented to carry out the plans until the best could be achieved.

As Donald W. Benbow et al. said," It has been observed that many organizations are pretty good at the Do and Check phases, but falls down on the plan and act phases. Perhaps this is partly due to the impulses to "Don’t just stand there, do something" (p.6).

Donabedian Model

In 1996 Avedis Donabedian published the frame work for quality evaluation in health care. According to Donabedian (Donabedian, 2003, 52) this assessment is based on the premise that heath care quality is more effectively measured by scrutinizing care in domain of structure, process and outcome. A set criterion is developed to assess past performance.

The structure in the model relates to the integrity within the health care institute to check if resources needed to carry out high –quality care are sufficient and used proficiently. After the structure the process includes evaluating the actual heath care activities by comparing it with the standard made by the peer groups. The last part in the model consists of outcome, According to Rick Daniels, Rick Daniels (2006), "Outcome is in terms of the recovery, restoration of function, and of survival. (p.493). this method also states about the importance of being customer focused whether it be internal customers as employees or external customers which have not been employed but who uses the services of the association.

ISO – 9000 Standard

The ISO -9000 basically covers the rules at to the complete quality management system. It states the value of good business practice and just guides line on the ways which have to be implemented to perform such actions. There are 5 groups which make up this Standard,

Quality management system: There are requirements which apply to all aspects of the process; it gives guidelines on the responsibilities, control process and the records which have to be documented.

Management responsibility: Such requirements explain the role of the upper management in assessing customer needs, planning and the reviewing of performance

Resource Management: This covers the requirements on how to administer the resources of the organization through activities such as employee training and other tools to develop the human capital.

Product comprehension : This group is the core of this standard, it involves all and responsibilities and the necessary requirements of how to manufacture your product or deliver your services

Analysis and improvement: This requirement involves the process to check on the performance and fix if any gap exists between the standard and the actual.

As stated by (Larry Webber, 2011), "ISO 9000 Certification is simply a way to prove to your customer that you know how to run your business" (p. 30).

ISO 9000 benefits firms as it provides a system for continuous improvement which increases efficiency and decreases the cost associated with the production.

Lean Production:

Lean is a process which was derived from the Toyota production system, it emphasizes on the flow and speed of the production cycle of goods and services in an organization. It helps in minimizing waste which could be caused through over production, carrying of products, inventory management, idle employee or even the entire activity in the process of the product. The focus it to add value to the entire system and decrease the cost of production. Lean management includes several processes including Kanban, Total productive maintenance, Quick change over and others. This system eliminates the main problem associated with production and highlights the causes and improves it for a fast cycle. The lean methods in regards to heath care are standard processes and realizable methods as mentioned by (Jackson, 2011) (p. 19 ) .

Six Sigma:

This process focuses on the expectations of the customers by applying the best use of scare resources to generate profits for an organization. It is a product enhancement method where the entire 6 processes enable the solution to quality problems. The six steps which include to enable the process to meet the objective are:

Introduce works and management to the system by letting them know about your intension to follow Six Sigma and make them aware that it will now be used as the new standard for operations

Assign someone to manage and check the process in getting the set quality; appoint auditors form the Six Sigma belt to verify operations on a regular basis.

Explain the main attributes of the satisfaction wanted by customers regarding your product or service, and recognize what they consider vital in the purchase.

Recognize any mistake or errors found in the process, check out the level of complains and evaluate the require repairs.

Identify the main causes of the error or the mistake and the inefficiency caused to the customers, improve the product according to needs or redesign if necessary.

Keep on reviewing it until perfect Six Sigma standard is achieved.

The benefit of this method is focuses on the continuous devolvement of business improvement by achieving and maintaining quality in an organization.

The Donabedian’s model standard used in a health care Institution for providing safety to patients, the structure-process outcome model has helped in a lot of health service institutions, for examining health services and patients outcome. A structure as defined by Donabedian has to be implemented in the institute for providing services and creating value for patients.

A number of medical training programme have been made to assist in the strategy, purpose and effectiveness to provide best results for the patients, the model allows for the extent variability related to the client and the providers including nurses or physicians by giving the best outcome through a complete process which includes, cost reduction and patient / provider satisfaction. It is important for the health care institution to allow care to their customers according to the benchmark set with a continuous process. There are several factors which has to be implemented by the institute to be quality orientated, these factors would include:

As mentioned by (James, 1989) certain factory are necessary for the institute to meet certain standards including Hospital cleanliness, Smoothness of admission/discharge, Accuracy and clarity of billing statements, Courtesy of hospital employees, Level of technology available , Nurse competence and availability of physician specialists. (p. 20)

Conclusion

All these models and steps used in sectors for quality improvement, are the basis on which every company should work nowadays, companies are getting more efficient and productive when they use the above standards in their production processes, it helps them minimize cost by reducing wastage if any and also making the best out of the scare resources of labor and capital. Implementing these models could be costly for institutes, as forms, documentations and practices are measured and checked, but it leads to the safety and success of the organization and also it provides value for the customers which are the highest priority for every institution to generate profits.