Plan, Do, Study, Act

PDSA Step             Key Activities

Plan (Think             Define the problem and purpose for the test.
big, test small)         (Analysis of existing data)

                              Hypothesize the best possible outcome.
                               (Define measurements and number of events to
                               be studied)

                              Determine what you want to learn from this
                               PDSA cycle. (Who will do it? What info will they
                               collect? When will they collect it? How/where will
                               they collect it?)

Do                          Test change in process. (Collect data from 
                               performance measurements)

Study                      Analyze data from performance measurements.
                               (Determine what was learned. Summarize what
                               was learned. Was the best possible result 
                               achieved?)

Act                          Based on analysis, determine next test or
                               broader implementation of change. If test was
                               small and successful, how can it be extended? If
                               test is the culmination of many PDSA cycles and
                               results are positive, is it time to fully implement
                               rather than continue testing?

                               Schedule re-monitoring phase to ensure actions
                               remain appropriate