Comments on: PDCA in Non-Deterministic Systems http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/ on lean culture, transformational leadership, and entrepreneurial excellence Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:20:42 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Jamie Flinchbaugh http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-71 Jamie Flinchbaugh Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:36:57 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-71 Jason, that's a fair correction. Although in my experience, the broad software community does have more than their share of "that doesn't apply here" and "we're different" than they should. Jason, that’s a fair correction. Although in my experience, the broad software community does have more than their share of “that doesn’t apply here” and “we’re different” than they should.

]]> By: Jason Yip http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-68 Jason Yip Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:38:30 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-68 "Apparently many in the software community" More precisely that would be the Scrum community and even then perhaps only the official Scrum community. “Apparently many in the software community”

More precisely that would be the Scrum community and even then perhaps only the official Scrum community.

]]> By: Jon Miller http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Jon Miller Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:55:36 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-46 Hi Jamie, Very nice post. I think the resistance to PDCA comes down to the fact that most people don't plan. We think we plan but it's often merely justifying the action they intend to take, not the result of understanding the current condition and analyzing root causes; those non-deterministic forks can be mapped out as scenarios and hypotheses to test. Capturing the cost of poor quality is essential for software and other creative enterprises such as product development. Planning may hurt for right brain enabled people, but it's the ounce of prevention. Hi Jamie,

Very nice post. I think the resistance to PDCA comes down to the fact that most people don’t plan. We think we plan but it’s often merely justifying the action they intend to take, not the result of understanding the current condition and analyzing root causes; those non-deterministic forks can be mapped out as scenarios and hypotheses to test.

Capturing the cost of poor quality is essential for software and other creative enterprises such as product development. Planning may hurt for right brain enabled people, but it’s the ounce of prevention.

]]> By: Ankit http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Ankit Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:26:28 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-41 I've used it for my route to a location. Talk about variability, complexity, and unpredictability. I think the important thing to remember is that the only truly random processes that we have proven are on a quantum scale. Everything (for our practical purposes) has some level of predictability. If there is some level of predictability then PDCA can apply. Ankit I’ve used it for my route to a location. Talk about variability, complexity, and unpredictability. I think the important thing to remember is that the only truly random processes that we have proven are on a quantum scale. Everything (for our practical purposes) has some level of predictability. If there is some level of predictability then PDCA can apply.

Ankit

]]> By: Jamie Flinchbaugh http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Jamie Flinchbaugh Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:13:49 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-40 Ralf, I don't know about the robot thing but yes, AAR is just a specific application of PDCA. It can take some time. It will take some time. But it doesn't have to be a lot of time. We've had groups start with just 10 minutes a week. The improvements were small but still worth the effort. Jamie Ralf, I don’t know about the robot thing but yes, AAR is just a specific application of PDCA. It can take some time. It will take some time. But it doesn’t have to be a lot of time. We’ve had groups start with just 10 minutes a week. The improvements were small but still worth the effort.

Jamie

]]> By: RalfLippold http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-39 RalfLippold Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:59:38 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-39 Hi Jamie, AAR (After Action Review) is just another form of PDCA and it clearly states the goal: Learn from your past actions! It will take some time to commit to it. Saving people away due to your lean efforts will counterattack the improvement in the long-run! Beware that your people are the most precious asset in your organization (whether private sector, public sector, production or service, doesn't matter). ..only these guys can do the AAR or PDCA;-) Cheers, Ralf PS.: Perhaps there is a future time when "The Singularity is Near" and robots will be enabled to overtake - not now though! Hi Jamie,

AAR (After Action Review) is just another form of PDCA and it clearly states the goal:

Learn from your past actions!

It will take some time to commit to it. Saving people away due to your lean efforts will counterattack the improvement in the long-run!

Beware that your people are the most precious asset in your organization (whether private sector, public sector, production or service, doesn’t matter).

..only these guys can do the AAR or PDCA;-)

Cheers,

Ralf

PS.: Perhaps there is a future time when “The Singularity is Near” and robots will be enabled to overtake – not now though!

]]> By: Jamie Flinchbaugh http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Jamie Flinchbaugh Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:59:27 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-38 Thanks everyone for sharing your comments. I'm glad to hear everyone is having some success with PDCA, from the personal application to the organizational. I also wrote a column about PDCA a few years back called The Little Engine That Could because I think if you stick with it long enough then anything is possible. You can check it out here: http://www.assemblymag.com/CDA/Articles/Column/8cbfc02c65b0f010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____ Thanks everyone for sharing your comments. I’m glad to hear everyone is having some success with PDCA, from the personal application to the organizational. I also wrote a column about PDCA a few years back called The Little Engine That Could because I think if you stick with it long enough then anything is possible. You can check it out here: http://www.assemblymag.com/CDA/Articles/Column/8cbfc02c65b0f010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____

]]> By: Daniel Markovitz http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Daniel Markovitz Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:28:12 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-37 I've used it for personal productivity. I've been struggling to find time to write a book, and I've blamed it on interruptions from email, phone calls, and other external factors. A thorough PDCA showed me that the damage was self-inflicted -- I was the one distracting myself from work -- and now I've put countermeasures in place to keep me focused on writing. I’ve used it for personal productivity. I’ve been struggling to find time to write a book, and I’ve blamed it on interruptions from email, phone calls, and other external factors. A thorough PDCA showed me that the damage was self-inflicted — I was the one distracting myself from work — and now I’ve put countermeasures in place to keep me focused on writing.

]]> By: Scott Duncan http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-36 Scott Duncan Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:51:11 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-36 I've been involved with various versions of the Shewhart/Deming cycle for decades, even before I knew a name for it. Since I have been involved with the software industry since 1972, the relative formality with which a PDCA-like approach has been used has varied, but it's been there. These days, I take an Agile approach to process and improvement and feel an effective Agile team does a PDCA-like cycle every day. Certainly, if the "Plan" part is intended to address an enterprize wide improvement program, the time frames for each of the "phases" in PDCA will take a while. But then, one of the Principles behind an Agile approach is not to work in such long timeframes, so that visibility of an feedback about results occurs very frequently (i.e., days/weeks not months). I think PDCA gets a bad rap in some places because it becomes associated with big "programs" where so much can happen between steps in the cycle that you can attribute success or failure to lots of factors. I’ve been involved with various versions of the Shewhart/Deming cycle for decades, even before I knew a name for it. Since I have been involved with the software industry since 1972, the relative formality with which a PDCA-like approach has been used has varied, but it’s been there.

These days, I take an Agile approach to process and improvement and feel an effective Agile team does a PDCA-like cycle every day.

Certainly, if the “Plan” part is intended to address an enterprize wide improvement program, the time frames for each of the “phases” in PDCA will take a while. But then, one of the Principles behind an Agile approach is not to work in such long timeframes, so that visibility of an feedback about results occurs very frequently (i.e., days/weeks not months).

I think PDCA gets a bad rap in some places because it becomes associated with big “programs” where so much can happen between steps in the cycle that you can attribute success or failure to lots of factors.

]]> By: Joseph T. Dager http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-35 Joseph T. Dager Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:48:23 +0000 http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/10/pdca-in-non-deterministic-systems/#comment-35 I use PDCA in marketing which to say the best an unpredictable environment. It provides the structure to get things done and allows everyone to get on the same page. Of course, the page size is A3. ;) I use PDCA in marketing which to say the best an unpredictable environment. It provides the structure to get things done and allows everyone to get on the same page. Of course, the page size is A3. ;)

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