Deming Cycle

Definition - What does Deming Cycle mean?

The Deming cycle refers to a four-part management method that preaches continuous improvement. The Deming cycle is made up of:
  • Plan: Choose a process and set objectives
  • Do: Implement the plan and begin collecting data on the results
  • Check/Study: Analyze the results using statistical methods
  • Act: Decide what changes to make in order to improve the process
The Deming cycle and other similar continuous improvement models have been integrated into business and enterprise software.

The Deming cycle is also referred to as plan do check act (PDCA), plan do study act (PDSA), the Shewhart cycle, the Deming circle and the Deming wheel.

Techopedia explains Deming Cycle

William Edwards Deming learned about statistical modeling as a way to control and improve industrial processes from Walter A. Shewhart of Bell Labs. He took his knowledge to Japan in the late 1940s, where the techniques were widely adopted by industry and further developed by the Japanese. In the 1980s, the Deming/Shewhart techniques caught on in the U.S. due to the growing quality and production gap between American and Japanese automakers. The increasing power of software and hardware has made it possible for developers to distill the Deming cycle down into algorithms that can be used for business analytics and organizational planning.
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