Optimization has been a huge focus for a few of my clients this quarter. And a way that we are actually optimizing their businesses is through using process improvement routines. 

One routine that I implement for my clients is called PDSA – or Plan, Do, Study, Act. 

PDSA is a research-based improvement routine that guides you to your ideal state through focusing on rapid improvement or consistent/steady growth by implementing change and continually adjusting until you reach that ideal end state.

For example, let’s say you want a seamless onboarding process. Implementing the connections, emails, triggers, etc (i.e. – all the things you want to happen in the onboarding process) piece by piece, is you using the PDSA improvement routine because you are on that consistent path to your ideal onboarding process. 

Let’s break down PDSA a little further:

PLAN – You plan the test of change and the related data collection. (You plan what needs to happen)

DO – You do the test of change and the related data collection. (You do the things that need to be done/implemented for your plan.)

STUDY – You study the results of the test. (You study (review) how that change helped your plan (or overall goal).

ACT – You act to hold the gains + assess the need for further improvement. (You act on what needs to happen next.)

Then… Repeat! 

See the images below for what this process visually looks like!

Improvements to activities, connections, or processes are made:

• Through trial/error or experiments
• By team members who are hands-on within the area of opportunity
• With guidance from an experienced teacher or coach

Prioritizing your clients and audience that you serve is the backbone of LEAN fundamentals. You don’t set out to take part in strategic initiatives to solely save YOUR time. You do it to help reach your community better and to help them connect with you and work with you for immediate results and clarity.

Now… It’s time for YOU to practice using the PDSA improvement routine.

Take some time to outline the current state of one of your performance metrics, behaviors, or goals. 

Once you’ve identified the area you’d like to improve on, fill in your first PDSA circle and take action within each of the quarter steps. 

Once you’ve reached your target condition, repeat the process as many times as needed until you reach your ideal state. 

The goal here is to have gradual improvement and slowly take the steps to achieve a bigger goal. 

A great way to identify what your target conditions might be is to reverse engineer (meaning, working from end to beginning – backwards) so you can easily identify how you would reach each step, and fill in the gaps accordingly.

Did this help you? Comment below and let me know!

Brooke Scott, MBA

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