Difference Between PDCA and DMAIC

Key Difference – PDCA vs DMAIC
 

The key difference between PDCA and DMAIC is that PDCA is a repetitive four stage model (Plan, Do, Check, and Act) used to achieve continuous improvement in business process management whereas DMAIC is a data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, enhancing and stabilizing business processes containing 5 stages (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control). Both these concepts are increasingly used to enhance performance in many business areas such as supply chain management, production, and human resource management in order to obtain quality improvements.

CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is PDCA
3. What is DMAIC
4. Side by Side Comparison – PDCA vs DMAIC
5. Summary

What is PDCA?

PDCA is a repetitive four stage model (Plan, Do, Check, and Act) used to achieve continuous improvement in business process management and was introduced by Dr. Edward Deming in 1950. Stages in PDCA form the basis for TQM (Total Quality Management) and ISO 9001 quality standards. This model is widely and successfully implemented in many business areas including but not limited to production managements, supply chain management, project management and human resource management.

The following elements should be considered in each stage.

Plan

This is the beginning of the process and the decision-makers should take necessary initiatives to understand the nature of the current inefficiencies in the process and the need for changes. In this stage, it is also important to ask the questions such as what are the best ways to bring about the change and what are the costs and benefits and doing the same.

Do

This is the implementation stage of the planned improvements. The support of the employees who are affected by the change is vital, thus first, they should be clearly informed regarding the changes and why they should be implemented. Following this, the changes can be implemented as planned. If any type of resistance from the employees developed even after proper communication, the decision makers should be able to implement suitable remedies.

Check

In the Check stage, the decision makers evaluate whether the intended outcome has been achieved. In order to ‘check’, the actual results have to be compared against the expected results.

Act

The procedure for Act stage depends on the findings in the Check stage. If the Check stage proved that the process improvements were achieved during the Do stage, then the company should proceed to continue to act upon the new processes.

What is DMAIC?

DMAIC refers to a data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, enhancing and stabilizing business processes. DMAIC contains 5 steps that are sequential in nature: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. The DMAIC cycle is the central tool used to drive Six Sigma projects.

Each of the stages can be elaborated as below.

Define

This involves identifying the problem along with why such improvement is needed. Decision makers should specify clear goals at this stage.

Measure

This stage involves quantifying the issue identified in the Define stage. This is important since it is difficult to understand the amount of resources that will be required to correct the problem without measuring the problem.

Analyse

The analyse stage is dedicated to understanding the root cause of the problem, that is, the main contributor to the current problem. Once this is identified, it becomes easy to understand the other factors that affect the problem due to the root cause.

Improve

This is the stage where the planned improvements are implemented. Change management skills of the decision makers are important at this stage in order to clearly communicate with the employees who are affected by the change to get their support for the change process.

Control

Control amounts to continuous monitoring of the changes made to ensure that the implemented process change is continued and is reaping the expected benefits as intended.

DMAIC approach is the underlying basis for Six Sigma; which is a technique in management that provides organizations with necessary tools to improve the competence of business processes. The concept of Six Sigma is focused on achieving quality, which in turn will increase performance levels and decrease process variation. The objectives of Six Sigma lead to a reduction in defects, improvement in profits, increase employee morale, and quality of products or services.

What is the difference between PDCA and DMAIC?

PDCA vs DMAIC
PDCA is a repetitive four stage model (Plan, Do, Check, and Act) used to achieve continuous improvement in business process management.	DMAIC is a data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, enhancing and stabilizing business processes containing 5 stages of Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control.
Origins
PDCA was originated in 1950.	DMAIC was originated in the 1980s as an integral part of Six Sigma.
Use
While being a standalone concept; PDCA is mostly used with another popular Japanese technique named Kaizen.	DMAIC is predominantly used with the concept of Six Sigma.

Summary – PDCA vs DMAIC

The main difference between PDCA and DMAIC is based on the stages in the two models. Even though the stages are different, the objective of the stages in the two models are significantly similar as they attempt to achieve a similar outcome. Even though these are very simple models to understand, its implementation may be complicated depending on the process they are used for. Change management remains an important part of both PDCA and DMAIC since the success of managing change directly affects the success of the process improvement implementation.

Reference:
1.”What is PDCA (plan-do-check-act)? – Definition from WhatIs.com.” WhatIs.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
2.”The W. Edwards Deming Institute®.” The W. Edwards Deming Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
3.Shethna, By Jesal. “Introducing DMAIC Model with Amazing Examples (Resourceful).” EduCBA. N.p., 06 Apr. 2017. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
4.”International Association for Six Sigma Certification.” Lean Six Sigma Certification and Accreditation Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.

Image Courtesy:
1. “PDCA Cycle” By Karn-b – Karn G. Bulsuk (http://www.bulsuk.com).  – Own work. Originally developed for Taking the First Step with PDCA (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “DMAICWebdingsII” By DanielPenfield – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia