Another PDSA: Please Don’t…

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PDSA, back to the days of Dr. Deming, has stood for Plan Do Study Adjust.

A key point in the application of PDSA (and a key to A3 problem solving), is to avoid jumping to solutions.

We Plan — and this includes understanding the problem and the current state of our process or system. We don't jump right into Do.

These are hard habits to break, and this is especially true the higher up somebody is in an organization. For one, they have decades of bad habits. Secondly, they've often been promoted and rewarded for being the answer person… the one with the solutions. Getting things done and jumping to solutions have traditionally been rewarded.

So here's a new acronym for PDSA… somewhat tongue in cheek, but somewhat serious:

PDSA

Please Don't jump to Solutions Again

What does your organization do to teach people about not jumping to solutions? Maybe more importantly, what do you do to coach people on this? Do you have anyone coaching your senior leaders on this so they can set a good example for others in the organization?

 


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Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker, and podcaster with experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. Mark's new book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.

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