Plan: Expressing our model of reality that leads us to believe a particular action, or set of actions, will have a desired effect. NOTE: this is not just blindly proposing a change;
Do: Taking, or attempting to take, action;
Check: Reflecting upon the effect of action(s), including on any problems with implementation. NOTE: this is not just measuring results with no reflection;
Act: Take appropriate action in response to our reflection, whether validation of our model of reality and capturing this in standards, or adjustment of our model of reality.
PDCA is a false, but useful model to avoid common errors
PDCA is a simple, not entirely accurate, but useful model to remind ourselves to avoid common errors:
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Common PDCA errors: Do without planning, Not checking, Not capturing lessons
Doing without planning, which leads to pretending that what happens is what you actually wanted to happen (aka hindsight bias);
