PDCA/PDSA

["Doug Hensler" <Hensler@colorado.edu>]

My take on PDCA/PDSA, parsing words aside, is that it is the Theory of Knowledge in practice.  I am pretty sure that Dr. Deming would never have sought to lower Dr. Shewhart's contributions, so for me engaging in the word game does not add much.  As one of Dr. Deming's last works, his System of Profound Knowledge can be interpreted as the umbrella work under which all his past work can be sheltered, e.g., PDCA/PDSA is sheltered primarily under the Theory of Knowledge panel.  I suspect that he would be amused, if not annoyed, by the minutia of parsing words and would admonish folks with some of his favorites like "get back to work", "management is theory", "there is no substitute for knowledge", "management is prediction", and one of my favorites, "I am not an economist, but I can read."

Ted Davies makes a good point regarding starting with the Study part.  Hi point is spot-on with regard to the Theory of Knowledge.  That is, ToK starts with observation.

Doug Hensler
W. Edwards Deming Professor of Management
University of Colorado at Boulder