The “Plan-Do-Check-Act” (PDCA) cycle has been central to operational improvement for decades. Over 100 years ago, the Shewhart Cycle laid the groundwork for iterative improvement in manufacturing processes, and today it remains the core control and enhancement mechanism within most ISO management system standards.

For me, PDCA has been a cornerstone throughout my career. From my teenage years, when I first learned about it, to my work with agile software techniques, I have always seen PDCA as a fundamental cycle for structured improvement.

However, PDCA approaches problems from an experimental perspective—it starts with the idea, “I’ll try this, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll adjust and try something else.” This iterative learning is excellent for well-defined, contained issues, but less so for complex organizational challenges involving multiple sites, departments, clients, and products. In these cases, it can be inefficient and slow.

Through years of driving operational excellence in various organizations, both large and small, I’ve realized that PDCA isn’t always the most effective framework, especially when guiding transformational change. While it works well for process control and gradual improvement, it’s not always suited to driving substantial organizational transformation.

A New Cycle for Transformation: Understand-Prioritise-Improve

At Protean, we’ve developed an alternative cycle that better aligns with the complexities of transformation: Understand-Prioritise-Improve.

Understand – Where are we now, and where do we want to be? This initial step focuses on gaining a deep understanding of the current state and the desired future state.

Prioritise – Which problems should we solve first? This phase involves identifying the most critical areas that will either drive transformation or mitigate the risk of failure.

Improve – With a clear focus and aligned teams, we drive targeted improvements in the prioritised areas.

This approach has become the backbone of Protean. We’ve developed specialised tools and techniques around this cycle that help our clients achieve remarkable results.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we use Understand-Prioritise-Improve to accelerate operational excellence and drive impactful change, feel free to reach out.