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Before we answer the question “What is the difference between PDCA and DMAIC?” let us define each, discover what these acronyms translate to, and how they are used in modern manufacturing technology. PDCA cycle is defined as: A simple process for implementing continuous improvement changes in four steps: plan, do, check, act. PDCA is used to improve a process in order to improve quality.
Plan-First, identify an improvement and ideas to bring it to fruition. Anticipate problems to save time and cost
Do-Bring about the changes slowly asking, “How is the process working”?
Check-Measure discover if the change has accomplished the objective
Act-Was the small change effective? Involve everyone in the process and implement the change on a large scale (Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, 2006)
The PDCA-Cycle, also called the Deming-Cycle or Shewhart-Cycle, is the classic problem-solving approach in a LEAN environment. PDCA is used for medium sized problems and the Act-phase implies that the PDCA-Cycle should start again in the sense of a continuous improvement process. The Plan-phase should be done very careful and therefore should consume at least 50% of the total time of the PDCA. (Liesener, 2013)
DMAIC defined by Motorola: part of a Six Sigma management philosophy. It is a tool for improving an existing process and is an approach to problem-solving as part of an overall Quality Management System.
Define-State the problem, specify the customer set, identify the goals, and outline the target process.
Measure-Decide what parameters need to be quantified, work out the best way to measure them, collect the necessary data, and carry out the measurements by experiment.
Analyze-Identify gaps between actual and goal performance, determine causes of those gaps, determine how process inputs affect outputs, and rank improvement opportunities.
Improve-Devise potential solutions, identify solutions that are easiest to implement, test hypothetical solutions, and
Plan-First, identify an improvement and ideas to bring it to fruition. Anticipate problems to save time and cost
Do-Bring about the changes slowly asking, “How is the process working”?
Check-Measure discover if the change has accomplished the objective
Act-Was the small change effective? Involve everyone in the process and implement the change on a large scale (Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, 2006)
The PDCA-Cycle, also called the Deming-Cycle or Shewhart-Cycle, is the classic problem-solving approach in a LEAN environment. PDCA is used for medium sized problems and the Act-phase implies that the PDCA-Cycle should start again in the sense of a continuous improvement process. The Plan-phase should be done very careful and therefore should consume at least 50% of the total time of the PDCA. (Liesener, 2013)
DMAIC defined by Motorola: part of a Six Sigma management philosophy. It is a tool for improving an existing process and is an approach to problem-solving as part of an overall Quality Management System.
Define-State the problem, specify the customer set, identify the goals, and outline the target process.
Measure-Decide what parameters need to be quantified, work out the best way to measure them, collect the necessary data, and carry out the measurements by experiment.
Analyze-Identify gaps between actual and goal performance, determine causes of those gaps, determine how process inputs affect outputs, and rank improvement opportunities.
Improve-Devise potential solutions, identify solutions that are easiest to implement, test hypothetical solutions, and
Bibliography: Liesener, T. (2013). Retrieved from kaizen factory: http://www.kaizen-factory.com/2013/09/11/pdca-a3-dmaic-8dpsp-what-are-the-differences/ Management, P. (2012, September). whatis.com. Retrieved from dmaic: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/DMAIC Manufacturing Skill Standards Council. (2006). High-Performance Manufacturing Portable Production Skills. Woodland Hills, CA, United States of America: The McGraw-Hill Companies.